Boost Your Laptop's Performance: Top Tips for Faster Speed & Better Gaming

When you unbox a brand-new laptop, the excitement of unspoiled hardware and the promise of blazing speeds is palpable. Yet, even the latest devices often ship with factory settings that prioritize a blend of power savings and general reliability rather than peak performance. While these defaults offer solid experiences for most users, they fall short for power users—gamers, creative professionals, and anyone who expects more muscle under the hood. By investing a little time in tailoring system settings, you can extract noticeably better speeds, responsiveness, and even graphical prowess, especially when running your laptop on AC power.

Unlocking Your Laptop’s Performance Potential​

Out of the box, Windows and macOS laptops are configured to offer the broadest appeal, typically balancing energy efficiency with steady performance. For many users, this default is more than sufficient, especially when working on the go. However, those looking for every bit of extra power—whether for gaming, video editing, or just a snappier experience—should consider customizing several key system options.
It cannot be emphasized enough: the following adjustments make the most sense when using your laptop plugged into AC power. High-performance modes drain battery life faster; a balanced or power-saving profile remains the right choice for unplugged operation. But for stationary, plugged-in productivity, these tweaks deliver tangible benefits.

1. Switch Your Power Profile to “Best Performance”​

The quickest and most effective change in Windows laptops is to adjust the power plan. Windows 11, like earlier versions, comes set to “Balanced” by default—a sensible middle ground that throttles components to save battery when possible without dramatic hits to performance.
To switch to the best performance mode:

• Open the Settings app.
• Navigate to System > Power & battery.
• Under Power mode, select Best performance (this is sometimes labeled as “High performance” on older builds).

This setting instructs the OS to let the CPU and GPU run at full tilt when possible, trading efficiency for maximum output. For gaming laptops, vendors such as Lenovo, MSI, ASUS, HP, or Razer often bundle specialized control apps (Lenovo Vantage, MSI Center, Armoury Crate, HP Omen Gaming Hub, Razer Synapse) that unlock even more granular power options. In these utilities, switching to the highest possible performance profile can eke out a few additional frames per second or speed up intensive tasks.
On macOS, options are more limited but not nonexistent. Users with MacBooks featuring M1 to M4 Max or the M4 Pro chips can access a “High Power Mode,” found in System Settings > Battery. By default, MacBooks prioritize battery and thermal management, but toggling “Low Power Mode” to “Never” or ensuring “High Power Mode” is active when plugged in lets macOS favor speed over silence and longevity.
Strengths:

• Easy, reversible step with clear impact (especially on performance-oriented laptops).
• Allows separate settings for plugged-in and battery operation.
• Many manufacturers offer additional proprietary tweaks for enthusiasts.

Potential risks:

• Considerably reduced battery life if left enabled while unplugged.
• May raise operating temperatures and fan noise under sustained load.

2. Tune Your Graphics Settings for Maximum Output​

For laptops equipped with discrete GPUs—common in gaming and creator models—the right graphics configuration is key. Windows machines with Nvidia or AMD graphics can benefit significantly from a quick round of optimization.
Nvidia Graphics:

• Access the Nvidia App or Control Panel.
• Set global or per-app power preferences to Maximum Performance.
• Choose the correct driver branch: “Game Ready” for gaming, “Studio” for creative workloads.
• On laptops, settings can typically differentiate between AC and battery power. Make sure “On AC” is set to max performance.

Nvidia’s bundled software can automatically adjust settings depending on the system’s capabilities, but enthusiasts may wish to tweak specific options for favorite games or apps. For macOS users with compatible silicon, high-power modes automatically prioritize graphics performance when needed, though manual control is more limited than on Windows.
General advice:

• Always ensure you’ve installed the latest drivers, as GPU updates regularly improve efficiency and performance, particularly for newer games or professional applications.
• For AMD GPUs, similar options exist in the Radeon Settings app under Power > Power Efficiency, where you can set to maximize performance.

Strengths:

• Unlocks the true potential of your laptop’s graphics hardware.
• Tacitly improves everything from gaming to video playback and creative rendering.

Potential risks:

• Increased power draw and heat generation. Thermal throttling can occur if your system’s cooling isn’t robust.
• Out-of-date or incorrect drivers may cause performance regression or compatibility issues.

3. Disable Unnecessary Startup Programs​

Startup apps seldom cripple raw performance, but they undeniably inflate boot times and can sap system resources—RAM, CPU cycles, network bandwidth—throughout a session. Many laptops come preloaded with manufacturer utilities, trials, and updaters that may rarely be needed.
On Windows 11:

• Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), jump to the Startup tab.
• Disable anything not immediately essential, such as OneDrive (if unused), manufacturer update tools, or third-party bloatware.

On macOS:

• Go to System Settings > General > Login Items.
• Remove apps that you don’t use every session.
• Also check and disable unneeded background items.

Some programs—like security software or backup utilities—should remain, but most others can be safely removed. Lean startup routines deliver consistently zippier boots and, by reducing background noise, often make everyday multitasking smoother.
Strengths:

• Faster startup and wake-from-sleep times.
• Frees up RAM and CPU for active workloads.

Potential risks:

• Disabling critical system utilities can cause features to break; review each app before disabling.
• Some persistent manufacturer updaters may re-enable themselves during OS updates.

4. Keep Your System and Drivers Updated—Always​

Few things bog down a brand-new laptop faster than outdated drivers or system software. Even on brand-new hardware, crucial system and firmware updates may be waiting as soon as you log in. Vendors regularly patch energy management, fix bugs, and fine-tune drivers to improve both speed and stability.
On Windows:

• Visit Settings > Windows Update and check for updates.
• Open apps like Nvidia Experience, AMD Radeon, Intel Driver & Support Assistant, or vendor-provided utilities to update component drivers.
• Update third-party apps through their built-in updaters or the Microsoft Store.

On macOS:

• Click the Apple symbol, open System Settings > General > Software Update.
• App updates can often be found in the Mac App Store.

Running current software tightens security, boosts compatibility with newer games or pro apps, and ensures optimal use of your hardware.
Strengths:

• Frequent updates resolve bugs, improve security, and can grant surprising speed boosts.
• Many update tools automate notification and installation.

Potential risks:

• Occasional updates may break compatibility with specialized peripherals or legacy apps.
• Some drivers, if not from the manufacturer site or Windows Update, can introduce instability; always source carefully.

Best Practices for Older Laptops​

The above changes apply whether your laptop just came off the assembly line or is already a few years old. With older hardware, a few additional tidying steps often restore lost pep:

• Defragment your hard drive (HDD only; do not defragment SSDs).
• Uninstall unused programs via the Control Panel (Windows) or Finder (macOS).
• Delete temporary files using built-in tools like Disk Cleanup (Windows) or Storage Management (macOS).
• Consider replacing thermal paste and cleaning out vents to keep temperatures down.

If, after these tweaks, your performance woes linger, it may be worth looking into a RAM upgrade, SSD swap, or, for particularly old machines, a light Linux distribution.

The Bottom Line: Is All-Out Performance Worth It?​

Maximizing your laptop’s performance profile is rarely a complicated process, but it does come with trade-offs—primarily battery life, but sometimes also higher operating temperatures and increased fan noise. By strategically configuring these four settings, you’ll enjoy faster boots, smoother multitasking, and the full power of your machine’s components, especially when stationary and plugged in.
Power users stand to gain the most—it’s an essential routine for gamers, media editors, engineers, and developers. For standard users, even modest tweaks to startup routines and regular updates can yield a reliably responsive laptop with little risk.
Above all, customization is reversible: Windows and macOS make it easy to dial things back for battery longevity or quieter operation when needed. The trick is knowing which levers to pull and when.
As the laptop market grows more competitive, manufacturers are increasingly baking in their own one-click “turbo” modes. But as of now, a little manual attention to performance settings remains the surest way to gain an edge—no matter which brand or processor powers your portable workstation.
Quick Reference Table: Four Essential Setting Changes for Laptop Performance

Setting	Where to Change (Windows/macOS)	What it Does	When to Use It	Risks/Trade-offs
Power Profile	Settings > System > Power & battery / Battery	Prioritizes speed vs. battery	Plugged in, heavy workloads	Shorter battery duration
Graphics Settings	Nvidia/AMD apps; proprietary utilities	Unlocks GPU potential	Gaming, creative apps	Heat, higher energy use
Startup Programs	Task Manager > Startup / Login Items (General)	Faster boots, less lag	Always	May disable wanted features
System & Driver Updates	Windows Update, driver utilities, Software Update	Better compatibility & speed	Frequently	Rare compatibility issues

Applying these four fundamental changes, verified across multiple independent sources including manufacturer documentation and technology review sites, strikes the ideal balance between raw speed and system stability. Just remember: what you gain in benchmarks, you may pay for at the wall socket. But for many, that’s a trade worth making.

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Source: xda-developers.com 4 settings you should change on every new laptop for better performance