A computer starts to depreciate the moment you buy one and walk out of the shop. What depreciates worse than that is one of the key components of the computer – Graphic Cards. You could say that graphic cards start depreciating the moment they start shipping. This is because a newer better graphic card has almost neared completion by the time this one has started shipping.

As a gamer you need to squeeze every little bit you can out of your machine. Here are some simple things you can do to aid you in the process.

1. Perform maintenance – Keep plenty of hard disk space available. The more clogged up it is, the slower the read/write operations. Using a disk defragmenter regularly is also a good practice to follow. Get rid of unused applications and update everything else that you use.

2. Increase efficiency – You don’t need to have MS Word, the Chrome browser, Photoshop and a few other things running in the background while you play a game. Your processor is working double time to keep all these things running at the same time. Close down any unnecessary apps and you will see a big boost in performance.

3. Maximize bandwidth – If you are playing online you should close all chat windows, active downloads, etc. Keep as much of your bandwidth reserved as possible so that you do not experience lag in any form. If you need to communicate with other players, use specialized communications software like Ventrilo or Steam.

4. Update – Check regularly for driver updates from graphics card vendors. This will make a remarkable difference in performance.