At the end of your day, when you finally sit down to catch up on your gaming, you want the experience to be rewarding. By this, we mean no lag, intense graphics, and an overall realistic experience. Whether you are gaming on your laptop or on a gaming console, there are things you can do to ensure that you get the most out of your gaming. In this article, we go through a few updates you can do to achieve this.

Laptop

It's no secret that there are more modifications possible on a PC, but fear not, there are some things you can do to your laptop to improve your gaming experience. These include upgrading your hardware and software, and tweaking some settings, among other things, that we will discuss next.

• Software optimisation

You should always ensure that your operating system is up to date. Also scan your system regularly for malware, Adware or anything that you could have been tricked into downloading that could be slowing down your system. Apps that are not used regularly should also be deleted, they are an unnecessary load to the system. Also, don't forget to enable your laptop's Game Mode, if your laptop has the settings. Lastly, before installing software that promises to improve your gaming, check your laptop's capabilities, as it won't do you any good if your laptop starts overheating or, worse, crashes.

• Hardware optimisation

This part may be tricky if you are not familiar with it so take special care or enlist the help of experts. If you are a DIY person, then there are plenty of YouTube tutorials you can watch. For basics like maintaining the cooling system or cleaning dust, you can pick up a can of compressed air for cleaning laptops. Like anything else, laptops need to be cleaned to perform optimally. Like software, the hardware also requires an occasional clean-up. You should also look into increasing the storage capacity by getting an SSD USB and just plugging it in. Having extra storage puts less pressure on your machine. Not forgetting to add RAM; most games require at least 16Gb RAM, so adding an extra 8Gb of RAM should be adequate.

• A graphics boost

An average laptop's graphics card (GPU) is built-in, making it almost impossible to upgrade. Even solutions that are available, like an external graphics card, are heavy on the pocket and could even cost more than your laptop, making it not worth it. The great news is that you can adjust in-game graphics settings as well as the graphic card settings on your laptop to improve the visuals. You should also keep your drivers for the GPU up to date to give your laptop's performance a significant boost.

• Keeping things cool

Gaming uses a lot of resources on your laptop and will therefore cause your laptop to heat up. On top of the can of compressed air that will eliminate dust build-up from the laptop’s fan and heatsink, you can also invest in a laptop cooling pad. That will help regulate the temperature of your laptop during gaming.

Gaming Console

Gaming consoles, like laptops, don't require much modification. This however does not mean that you can’t optimise its performance. Let’s look at what is possible:

• Hardware

You can lightly clean the dust off your gaming console’s ports, vents and other openings with a soft bristled toothbrush.This will allow for better airflow. Your controllers will also benefit from regular cleaning. Storage expansion is an option that is available, but probably not necessary, considering that the more popular gaming consoles come with storage capacities ranging from 500GB to 1TB. In case you need more, a USB flash drive is a great option to consider. But really embrace deleting what you can. Again, a cooling pad would be a great investment to keep the temperature of your console regulated.

• Software

Keep your system’s software and firmware updated. It is also recommended that you keep unnecessary Apps closed during gaming to get the most out of your machine. The less that your system has to carry the better. It would be wise to disable automatic downloads; if a download happens during a game, it uses the same resources you need for your gaming. Lastly, check your graphic settings to ensure that they are set to optimal performance.

To wrap things up, please bear in mind that these tips are not device specific so it is important to check with your device manufacturer what your gaming console or laptop is capable of before attempting changes. Also ensure that you are on the correct line speed to get the most out of your experience. Let us know if you have anything to add to this topic or give us recommendations on related topics for us to write about.