Gaming laptops were introduced as a portable alternative to desktop PCs. Their ability to perform similar functions has made them a staple of many gamers looking for a way to take their games on-the-go. However, as with most other technology, gaming laptops are not always perfect. They also don’t always perform as expected. A slow gaming laptop can be a source of intense frustration. However, there is a fix for slow gaming laptops that can help boost performance and let you enjoy games at their full potential. Here are a few ways you can make your gaming laptop faster:
Signs of a Slow Gaming Laptop
You might have noticed that your laptop keeps lagging while you’re doing basic tasks. You may have also noticed that your laptop is experiencing dramatic drops in framerates while you’re gaming. This makes your game laggy and not smooth as it should be. You might have also noticed that your laptop crashes frequently or just doesn’t start up games.
Chances are, you’re dealing with a slow laptop. This can be incredibly frustrating and can really ruin the experience of playing video games. So, when you’re faced with a slow gaming laptop, look for a few factors first:
- How old is the laptop?
- Is the laptop clean?
- Technical fixes
Let’s break down each point.
Your Gaming Laptop Might Just be Old
If you’ve been using the same gaming laptop for years on end, chances are it’s slower now because of its age. Technology loses its power over time and eventually, updates stop getting pushed to laptops. Like most manufactured products, at some point they become obsolete.
Just because your laptop is working doesn’t mean it’s working perfectly or at optimal speeds. It might be time to consider putting the old rig to pasture.
But before you decide to toss your laptop to the garbage, rule out a few other factors first.
Also check out: How to Customize Windows 11 to Look More Clean
Your Laptop’s Fans Might be Dusty
In gaming laptops, fans serve the function of keeping the device cool. A gaming laptop is really like a giant desktop shoved into a smaller chassis, and so gaming laptops have a tendency to heat up a lot faster than other devices. As a result of this, fans will often suck in dust along with air. It’s just the way it happens to work.
When dust keeps getting sucked in and you don’t clean it out, guess what? All that dust accumulates and will block your fans up. When this happens, your laptop will not cool effectively, it will heat up, and eventually your laptop will be slowed down.
In order to avoid a massive dust buildup, you need to clean your fans out every now and then. You can do this by using compressed air and blowing the air into the fans. It will dislodge the dust and clear the fans out so that you can avoid the laptop overheating.
If there is too much dust, pop open the bottom of the laptop and clean out any visible dust with the compressed air and very gently wipe off some of the dust with a microfiber cloth.
When your laptop overheats too much, it’ll start to throttle. You need to avoid this from happening, because it will damage the laptop and possibly cause a bulging battery—which will require a replacement.
When Do Laptop Fans Need Replacement?
The reality is, at some point your laptop’s fans might start degrading like the rest of the machine. Still, it’s not wholly impossible to fix that.
You might notice your laptop fans making weird mechanical grinding noises, clicking noises, whining noises, etc… these noises are not normal in a constant state. If your laptop fans are letting out these sounds even upon just booting it up, then you need to replace them.
Look up the make and model of your laptop and search ‘replacement fans’ on whatever search engine you use. You’ll likely be able to find some online through a retailer like eBay.
Your Laptop Might Need Some More Technical Fixes
Okay, let’s just assume that you’ve cleaned your laptop and it’s not a very old machine from the age of dinosaurs, but the laptop is still dragging its feet through the mud.
Now, it’s time to consider the idea that your laptop is in need of some software and technical fixes. Here are some of the most common ones that you might encounter:
1. Your Drivers Need Updating
This is actually a very overlooked one, but sometimes, it’s really just updating your drivers that’s causing issues with your gaming sessions.
A gaming laptop comes equipped with something called a GPU, which is how your laptop can run those crazy beautiful 3D graphics that you see in video games nowadays. You know how your laptop requires updates? So does your GPU.
Chances are, you have an Nvidia or AMD GPU. These GPUs come with some sort of software or you can download the driver updates online. Still, make sure your driver is updated as the updates come out so that you can avoid problems running your video games. There may be a bug in the system that’s causing crashes, for instance.
Don’t neglect these updates. The more you neglect them, the more likely your gaming laptop will be slow.
2. You Have Too Much Running in the Background
This is a really easy one to miss at first, but having a lot of programs running in the background can definitely slow down a gaming laptop. That’s because these programs that are constantly running take up valuable resources from your laptop’s CPU and RAM, which will slow down your other processes and inevitably slow your games down.
If you suspect that this may be the issue, go into the Task Manager and close any unnecessary background processes. For example, there may be things like a game launcher you don’t currently use running all the time. Make sure to end that process, for instance.
Be warned to not end background processes that are essential for your gaming laptop to work. This can be something labeled with the word ‘Microsoft’ (does not include Microsoft’s Office suite).
3. You Have Too Many Files
Sometimes, we find ourselves just hitting download on documents, images, etc… and we don’t realize that this takes up space in the laptop’s storage and eventually slows your system down.
The more unnecessary files you have, the more of a problem this can become. Make sure that you are regularly removing temporary files and are regularly cleaning out your system.
If you have a lot of files that you don’t want to get rid of, you should probably look into buying an external storage device like a hard drive or an SSD card. I’ve linked a good option below:
Your laptop also comes with a cleaning tool that can get rid of temporary and cache files as well as things in the recycling bin. Take advantage of that so you can stay on top of things. Move any necessary files from your downloads and to the appropriate folders if you need them.
4. It Could be the Power Settings
Your laptop comes with certain power-saving features that can limit the performance of the GPU and CPU. These are the two most essential things to running a video game smoothly, and if they are limited, you’ll probably find your system running slowly.
Go into the power settings on your laptop and change it to “high performance.” This is the best way to ensure your laptop is not being limited.
5. You Don’t Have Enough RAM
RAM is a pretty big deciding factor on how fast your laptop operates. The more RAM, the faster the system. You don’t need too much RAM, but having at least 8 GB can help. Sometimes though, 16 GB might be the best for your system.
This is one of the easiest things you can do. You just need to buy some RAM and insert it into the laptop’s motherboard. It’s also one of the best ways to ensure your laptop is fast.
Other Fixes
You Need a Cooling Pad
Gaming laptops are notorious for overheating and overheating quickly. Remember, you are stuffing a massive PC into a small chassis, so you’ll need to be able to keep the system cool.
The hotter your laptop gets, the worse the performance. That’s why some people invest in a cooling pad to help keep their laptop’s air circulation consistent and more powerful.
You don’t necessarily need this, but it has helped some people speed their system up in the past.
You Might Need to Overclock Your GPU
I don’t always recommend this solution, but overclocking your GPU can help speed the system up. One of the points of caution though is that it can strain your laptop and especially your GPU.
Not all GPUs can handle overclocking, so make sure to research if yours can. If it can, you should download MSI Afterburner to overclock it.
Conclusions
Nobody wants to game on a slow laptop, and I guarantee you that it’ll be really annoying to try. So, take some time to try these fixes out and see if anyone of them helps your system out. If it doesn’t, you might need to consider the fact that your laptop just might be getting old.
But don’t determine age as the first factor–go through everything else first and rule out those fixes before you default to thinking about buying a new one. Gaming laptops are certainly not cheap, so try to fix yours before going for a new one.
If you do decide to buy a new one, Amazon does have some good options and often runs some sales.
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Zainah Yousef
Zainah Yousef is the author of The Fallen Age Saga and specializes in gaming, social media advice, and reviews. She's been writing all her life and she probably won't stop anytime soon.
