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People love to play video games. They make for great escapism, and some games resonate with players on a personal level. Unfortunately, not everyone has state-of-the-art hardware for an optimal gaming experience. Consoles and PC components are getting quite expensive, and given the current shortage of PC chips, the best hardware will be hard to come by.
The great thing about technology, though, is that where there’s a will, there’s a way. It is possible to play relatively modern games on inferior hardware. Some solutions include simple cleanups on the computer or more technical methods that require some ingenuity. Here are some tips to have an optimal gaming experience on low-end computers.
8/8 Play Slower Games
When it comes to intense games like first-person shooters, having the ideal frame rate is crucial to responding quickly to threats. This is especially true for online games, where a stuttering frame rate can make it difficult to line up the shot.
Fortunately, this isn’t as much of a problem for slower games. These can include hide and seek games, puzzle games or point and click adventure games. Many first-person narrative games, disparagingly called “walking simulators” by some in the public, are more casually paced and far less stressful.
7/8 Play Older Games
A low end PC is great for older games. Yes, some of these games are not as graphically impressive as modern games that run on technological powers, but some like Half life 2 has images that still hold today.
Sometimes, it’s also true that “they don’t make them like they used to.” Some older games are classics that are still played by many today. doom, for example, has been adapted to almost every platform in existence. Multiplayer games whose servers were shut down long ago are kept alive by the fans.
6/8 Play 2D Games
There was a time when the video game industry fully embraced 3D as the wave of the future. Pushing polygons held the promise of a more immersive gaming experience. Now, the industry has the understanding that 2D games are an art form worth celebrating.
The indie scene is filled with retro-inspired titles. These include a recent successful platform Celeste and the innovative, story-focused RPG Undertale. 2D images from other indie games are lovingly crafted to make media art that will stand the test of time.
5/8 Set Games To Lowest Graphics Setting.
This tip falls under the obvious category. Most games on PCs have various graphics settings. It’s a good idea to experiment with them to see which setting has the heaviest impact on game performance.
One of the biggest drains on a game’s frame rate is the resolution. Yes, 1080p is good, but 720p also provides a decent picture. Tools like Magpie have several options for upscaling lower-resolution games to find the balance between a sharp image and a solid frame rate.
4/8 Close Unnecessary Programs
This may seem obvious, but often, there are programs running in the background that have nothing to do with the games that are running. Opening the TaskManager will give a record of what’s running, and how much CPU and RAM it’s using.
Before closing anything that takes up resources, these programs and services should be investigated if they are required for the computer system to function. It would not be wise to casually terminate programs and services if it could affect the computer’s ability to function.
3/8 Set the Game’s RAM Priority to High
Some games have taxing RAM requirements. While running a game, the computer will also run other processes that also use memory. It is possible to prioritize the allocation of RAM resources for programs through the task manager.
To do this, go to the “Details” panel in the Task Manager. Right click on the game that is being played. A menu will appear. Hover the mouse over the option that says “Priority”, and left click on one of the options that appear. This should ensure a smoother gaming experience.
2/8 Edit Configuration Files
PC games often have many graphics options to choose from. However, that is sometimes not enough. Some “hidden” graphics settings are available in the game’s files. This does not require so much technical wizardry.
Some of these come in the form of .xml or .ini files and will have variables assigned a number value. They can be found under the App Data folder, My Games in the Documents folder, or wherever the preferred game launcher stores the games. They can affect graphical settings such as fog, reflections, and even the appearance of grass models in the game. YouTube channel LowSpec Gamer has hundreds of videos that cover adjusting these files for some of the most popular games of the past decade, and these tips are useful for running other games.
When it comes to video games, if there’s a way, nerds will find it. The modding community has developed tools and mods that will help make some of the more graphically advanced games run on computers as underpowered as the Acer Aspire 3.
Such modes include The Wizard 3‘s Ultimate Graphics Options Mod, which adds additional graphics options for almost everything, including textures and the number of NPCs that populate the game world. Depending on how far the player is willing to go, the results can be dire.
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