Choosing the Best Operating System for Gaming: A Comprehensive Guide

PC gaming has experienced tremendous growth globally, and New Zealand’s gaming community is no exception. While many Kiwi gamers enjoy console gaming on PlayStation and Xbox, an impressive 48% of the world’s 3.1 billion gamers use a PC as their primary gaming device. This explosive growth in PC gaming has established the personal computer as the most innovative platform for game developers and led to significant interest in purpose-built gaming PCs.

Finding the best operating system (OS) for gaming, with the right specifications like CPU, RAM, and storage, is crucial to creating an exceptional gaming experience. However, it’s equally important to understand gaming system requirements for modern, resource-intensive games that many New Zealanders enjoy.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to optimize your OS for gaming to achieve the best possible performance. With the right gaming system requirements and settings, you can experience flawless visuals and immersive gameplay that exceeds anything a console can offer.

We’ll also explore critical factors impacting gaming performance, including graphics card compatibility, and walk you through common technical issues PC gamers face. Read on to learn how to purchase and optimize your PC for peak performance.

Best Operating System for Gaming: Key Features

Gaming OS performance largely depends on three factors: hardware, software, and system settings, including gaming mode and graphics card updates. When these components work in harmony and are optimised for gaming, they can produce an exceptional experience that rivals the immersion found in current arcade titles.

Before diving into advanced performance features, check your operating system for basic gaming system requirements, processor compatibility, and graphics card specifications. First, make sure that you’re working on Windows 11. Many gamers still use Windows 10, but companies like Steam are planning to end support for the older operating system. Windows 11 offers superior gaming performance and ensures compatibility with newer games.

Windows 10 doesn’t support DirectX 12 Ultimate or many other crucial optimisation features either, for AMD and NVIDIA graphics card updates.

Next, make sure Windows 11 is updated to the latest version. Newer versions of Windows 11 provide advanced optimisation features like gaming modes and other performance boosters, recommended for high FPS. This will boost frame rates and minimise latency.

You’ll also want to optimise the following settings on your gaming computer to ensure high performance:

Graphics: Download DirectX 12

This software is essential for running game features smoothly on your gaming computer.
Ultimate for high-performance features like variable rate shading and ray tracing, which provide a more realistic look and feel.

Memory: Ensure your Computer’s Processor and RAM Meet Minimum Game Requirements

Shut down background processes to prioritise RAM usage for your game.
Check built-in tools that measure memory consumption and optimise its usage to meet game requirements.

Storage: Choose the Right Drive Type

Gaming PCs with solid state drives (SSDs) provide faster load times and smoother gameplay. Hard disk drives (HDDs) are cheaper, but you will sacrifice performance.

Windows 11 Gaming Mode

Windows 11 Gaming Mode is a cutting-edge command centre that helps you optimise your PC specifically for gaming. It takes the hard work out of manually adjusting CPU and background settings to give you high performance with minimal up-front work.

It automatically optimises system settings and resource allocation for enhanced gaming performance.

Gaming OS Performance

Optimising your gaming computer for peak gaming OS performance is an ongoing task. One of the first steps in preparing your gaming computer was selecting the appropriate gaming-specific performance features to ensure good gameplay. Make sure your PC meets the recommended system requirements for optimal gameplay. Next, you’ll want to tweak other aspects of your PC’s operating system, including drivers and processor management, to maximise performance, speed, and graphics quality. These options found within standard settings on most PC platforms will improve other multimedia as well, including graphic design, data visualisation, and digital streaming.

System Settings

Disable startup programmes (like Spotify, Apple Music, and other programmes you aren’t using while gaming) that automatically launch after booting up your PC. Set your PC’s power settings to High Performance.

These adjustments ensure your gaming computer uses resources efficiently for gaming.

Resource Management

Ensure resource-heavy applications aren’t taking up too many RAM and processor cycles to optimise gameplay.

Background programmes like music players, internet browsers, and office apps can slow down your gaming computer’s performance.

Background Processes

Disable auto-updates that may launch while in-game and slow your gaming computer’s performance.

You can also disable wallpaper animations to speed up performance.

Ensure update management is consistent by scheduling updates outside of normal gaming hours.

If you typically log off by 10 pm, you can set up updates during the middle of the night.

This means you can continue gaming without interruptions caused by updates.

Compatibility Considerations

In addition to optimising your gaming computer’s general and gaming settings, ensure that the following items meet system requirements to be compatible with your gaming OS:

• Hardware

• Drivers

• Accessories

• Display

Ensure your CPU and GPU, including Intel processors and AMD graphics cards, are compatible with modern gaming technology, such as AMD Smart Access Memory. You’ll also want to update, or in some cases upgrade, all of your drivers to ensure performance remains strong, including for NVIDIA and other graphics cards. Pay special attention to the graphics card drivers and drivers for accessories, including your keyboard, mouse, virtual reality headsets, and special gaming controllers.

Finally, optimise your operating system to support high monitor refresh rates or variable refresh rate tech to ensure a stable visual experience.

HP Gaming Solutions

HP is a leading manufacturer of high-performance gaming PCs available in New Zealand. Their products are equipped to meet the gaming system requirements needed for high-level games. In particular, the OMEN and Victus lineups are designed for advanced gamers who require peak performance, outstanding graphics, and an ideal gaming experience.

In the OMEN Gaming Hub, users can adjust cooling settings for their system and select from various performance modes based on different game titles. The Dynamic Power Control setting also helps prevent overheating by balancing the processor’s heat and power for optimal performance.

HP’s line of gaming PCs also allows you to adjust specific display settings, like the monitor’s refresh rate, response time, and resolution. These features enable a range of display options to enhance your gaming experience. Finally, users can monitor system performance in real-time by getting a bird’s-eye view of your gaming computer’s temperature, CPU/GPU use, and RAM status.

Troubleshooting

Even high-end gaming PCs can experience problems. This can be especially frustrating when you’re in the middle of playing new games and your device fails—kicking you out of the lobby and forcing you to troubleshoot. We’ve gathered the most common gaming computer problems—and their fixes—here to help you resolve issues and resume playing.

Game Crashes or Stutters

To fix this issue, access settings to update your PC drivers and monitor your system resources to disable background apps with high resource demands.

Game Won’t Launch

When a game won’t launch at all on your PC, it’s normally due to outdated components or missing files. Ensure your system meets the minimum requirements outlined by the game developers. First, try to delete and then re-download the game. If it starts working normally, it likely happens because of missing files. This means that hardware compatibility is crucial for game operation. If it still fails to load, check your components against the game designer’s hardware recommendations to see where your device falls short.

Poor Connectivity

Good connectivity is vital for multiplayer gaming stability. For decades gamers have spoken about the infamous “lag” and its impact on gaming performance. This is usually a network problem, causing issues with gameplay. So, check your wired connection or router to make sure they’re working properly. Update your router, ensure drivers are up to expected specs, and check online to see if there’s an issue with your Internet Service Provider.

Poor Graphics

Often visible as glitches, “visual artifacts,” and screen tearing. The most common causes are outdated GPU drivers, overheating, or malfunctioning hardware. Update your graphics card drivers, clean out your fan and vents, and tweak the V-Sync settings in your in-game menu to resolve this issue. This means ensuring your equipment is free of dust and running efficiently.

Overheating

Overheating is a common problem, which can lead to major issues like poor performance, crashing, or even component damage. Fortunately, there’s an easy solution available. Open your PC case and fans to remove dust buildup and you’ll be back in the game in no time.

Blue Screen of Death

The Blue Screen of Death is an infamous PC failure that’s normally caused by hardware failures or driver issues. The blue screen should display an error code—which will point you to the source of the problem.

Conclusion

Optimising your PC for the best operating system for gaming is just as important as purchasing the right device. Choosing the best OS for gaming involves balancing processing power, system requirements, and user preferences. When you optimise your operating system to run high-resolution, memory-intensive modern games, you gain access to better gameplay, smoother graphics, faster load times, and a better overall playing experience.

To optimise your operating system for gaming, it’s important to first update your operating system and drivers to the latest version. These updates improve gameplay and fix bugs already found in early versions. You’ll also want to optimise system settings to get the best performance from your PC.

Here’s a summary of key optimisation steps:

• Update the Operating System

• Update PC Drivers

• Enable Gaming and/or High-Performance Mode

• Monitor System Resources for Usage Spikes

• Close Unnecessary Apps and Disable Apps on Startup

• Regularly Update and Clean Your PC

With the right combination of hardware, software optimisation, and regular maintenance, your gaming PC can deliver an exceptional gaming experience that surpasses anything a console can offer. Visit HP Gaming to explore our range of gaming solutions designed to meet the needs of every type of gamer.