Essential apps and tools
Say no to bloatware
The internet is full of applications that promise to supplement or enhance your gameplay. Some of them are complete rubbish, while others are essential. We’ve chosen some great applications that are essential for any gaming system.
One of the best applications in the business is GPU-Z. It’s a lightweight app that provides basic in-formation about the GPU. It also has a simple and accurate ‘sensors’ tab which provides useful in-formation such as the GPU clock speeds and temperatures of both the CPU and GPU.
MSI’s Afterburner is a complete overclocking and monitoring tool that’s suitable for all Nvidia and AMD graphics processors, not just MSI’s. While overclocking a laptop GPU is possible, temperature monitoring is critically important and it should not be attempted by an inexperienced user.
When a new game comes out, it’s vitally important that you install the latest graphics driver. High profile games in particular are often accompanied by a new driver on launch day. These ‘game ready’ drivers feature a raft of optimisations that can make the difference between butter smooth gameplay and a buggy, crashing slideshow. Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) is a driver removal utility that completely uninstalls graphics card drivers and all the other junk they can otherwise leave behind. This should be run every time you install a new graphics driver.
Malware, spyware and viruses are all too common, running in the background and slowing down your system. Practising safe online activity is critical to maintaining a healthy system, not just for optimising your gaming sessions, but also for security, particularly when it comes to your passwords and protecting your personal and financial information.
Running a virus and malware scan on your system can clean up that junk so it doesn’t run in the background. The Windows Defender Security Centre does a decent enough job but it’s generally not up to the standard of a dedicated security suite. AV applications are resource hogs though, so if you practice safe surfing (consider a no-script browser extension) and stay away from those email at-tachments then you should be safe. If you do happen to be infected by pesky malware, a tool such as Malwarebytes is a good way to remove it.
What about the manufacturers own ‘gaming’ apps? Evaluating these can be a bit tricky, as many of these apps could be considered bloatware. Some of them can be quite useful with everything from monitoring, RGB control and profile support to video and audio controls. Have a look at what they offer before installing or uninstalling them. Steer clear of anything that also wants to install trial period apps, or worst of all the insidious Ask toolbar.