8 Settings Gamers Should Tweak in Windows 11

Playing on PC is not as easy as playing on console, and you may need to experiment with in-game settings to get the best performance. But before you do, these Windows 11 settings can help a lot.

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1. Enable Game Mode Windows 11
2. Try using Auto HDR
3. Disable enhanced pointer precision
4. Switch your power plan to high performance
5. Set GPU priority
6. Enable hardware accelerated GPU scheduling
7. Pause automatic Windows updates
8. Disable Nagle’s algorithm
9. Achieving better gaming performance
10. Enable Game Mode Windows 11

Windows 11 has a brand new feature called Game Mode. Enabling this mode results in several background changes aimed at improving game performance. Changes include disabling automatic driver installation and restart notifications.

To enable Game Mode, open the Settings app and go to Gaming > Game Mode. Turn on the mode using the switch.

While enabling Game Mode is unlikely to significantly improve your game’s frame rate, it can improve stability and prevent sudden frame rate drops caused by background tasks. This could be an easy win and a good way to start optimizing your PC for gaming.

2. Try using Auto HDR

If your PC games look washed out and lack crisp colors, turning on Auto HDR can make a big difference in image quality. Many games, especially older ones, use SDR (standard dynamic range) to display video content. As the name suggests, Auto HDR automatically upscales compatible SDR games to HDR.

You’ll need to use an HDR-compatible display and graphics card, which means Auto HDR isn’t available to all Windows 11 users. To check and enable it if available, go to Settings > System > Display. If you are using multiple displays, select the correct one and click Use HDR. If Auto HDR is available for use, you will see an option to enable it here.

3. Disable enhanced pointer precision

Enhanced pointer precision, similar to mouse acceleration, is a Windows feature designed to smooth out mouse pointer movements for improved accuracy. Most games also include a mouse acceleration system, and enabling both can cause conflicts and potentially reduce accuracy in the game.

It’s easier to disable the Windows feature than to disable mouse acceleration in each game’s settings. you play. Turning off Enhanced Pointer Precision can also make learning new games easier as you get used to the fixed pointer movement ratio (1:1) rather than the variable acceleration ratio.

In Windows Search, type “Mouse Properties” and open the Mouse Settings panel. Go to the Pointer Options tab and uncheck Enhanced Pointer Precision.

4. Switch your power plan to high performance

Changing your PC’s power plan is another potentially simple step to improving gaming performance. Switching to High Performance will allow your computer to prioritize performance features over energy saving. Not always ideal for battery-powered laptops, but rarely an issue for desktop gaming systems.

Unlike Windows 10, Windows 11 lets you set the power mode from the Settings app rather than forcing you to open Control. Panel. You can find it under System > Power > Power & Battery.

If you think the High Performance mode isn’t a big deal and you don’t mind the idea of ​​making changes to the command line, you can always try the Ultimate Performance plan.

5. Set GPU priority

When you play graphics-intensive games, you need to make sure they use your most powerful GPU. It’s easy to assume that games will always use the GPU of your expensive graphics card, but that may not always be the case.

Luckily, Windows 11 lets you specify which GPU your games use. Open the Settings app and go to System > Show > Graphics. Find the installed game in the list of programs, select it and click “Options”. Here you can select the default GPU for this game. Repeat this for as many games as you like, and then restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

6. Enable hardware accelerated GPU scheduling

GPU hardware scheduling is a way of transferring some of the tasks performed by your computer’s CPU to your GPU. This can reduce CPU load and improve game performance. This can be especially effective if you have a powerful graphics card but have an older or mid-range CPU.

To enable GPU scheduling, open the Settings app and go to Gaming > Game Mode > Graphics. Click Change Default Graphics Settings and turn the feature on. If you don’t see this option, it means your hardware is not compatible.

7. Pause automatic Windows updates

If you have already enabled Game Mode, this is not necessary. But if turning on Game Mode did not improve performance or even worsened it, it is still worth pausing automatic Windows updates separately.

You can find settings for pausing updates in Settings > Windows Update. Of course, it’s recommended to update Windows 11 when you’re not gaming. If not for the sake of system security and stability, then for the potential performance improvements that could be included. However, there are ways to permanently prevent Windows from updating in the background.

8. Disable Nagle’s algorithm

Even longtime power computer users could be forgiven for never having heard of Nagle’s algorithm. Nagle’s algorithm allows a TCP/IP network to reduce the number of data packets that need to be sent back and forth by combining data into larger chunks.

In most cases, this process works well to make your network connection more efficient. But when performing data-intensive tasks such as online gaming, the time it takes to combine small pieces of data into larger ones can introduce network latency. Luckily, there is a way to disable Nagle’s algorithm on your network.

Open Command Prompt on your Windows 11 PC by typing “cmd” into Windows Search and selecting the appropriate result. At the command prompt, enter “ipconfig” to view your network details. Make a note of the “IPv4 address” of the wireless LAN adapter and close the Command Prompt.

Open Registry Editor by typing “regedit” into the search and clicking the corresponding result. Switch to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces

You’ll probably see several entries in the Interfaces directory. Select each in turn, looking for the string value with the IPv4 address you specified earlier. The value will probably be called IPAddress or DhcpIPAddress.

In the section where you find the string value, right-click any empty space and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value from the menu. Name the value “TcpAckFrequency”, double-click it and set the data value to 1. Create a second new DWORD (32-bit) value, name it “TCPNoDelay” and set the data value to 1 again.

Nagle’s algorithm should now be disabled on your Wi-Fi network. You can re-enable it by changing the data values ​​to 0 for both values ​​if you experience any negative effects on non-gaming network performance.

Achieving better gaming performance

All of the above settings tweaks are things you can do with Windows 11 to improve your gaming experience. Additional things you can try include updating your graphics drivers, investing in upgrading the hardware that provides the biggest boost, or even something… something as simple as getting rid of some startup programs. Poor performance doesn’t have to ruin your gaming time, even if you don’t have the latest PC or cutting-edge graphics card.

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