It's not just new PC builders who can miss out on game-changing tweaks that optimize performance, thermals, and more. Even experienced users can sometimes forget about a few settings that can transform your build from good to great. You may not be aware of some of the settings on this list, since they're not often part of the usual set of things to do after building a new PC. Your gaming PC may already be working great, so you don't think you need to mess around with BIOS settings or undervolting, but you may not know what you're missing out on. Using your CPU and GPU at stock settings, sticking to the default fan curves, and unknowingly using outdated firmware can limit your PC from reaching its potential. The price for convenience could be greater than what you're willing to pay.

C​​​​​​ustom fan curves

Tune them ASAP if you haven't already

This tweak is most commonly ignored by new builders. By assuming that the default noise and thermal profile of their new build is "normal," they keep suffering from higher temperatures and noise levels than they need to. The default fan curves of your CPU and system fans are unoptimized at best and terrible at worst. They are unsuitable for most gaming scenarios where you need a gradual ramp-up as the temperatures increase, maximum speeds near throttling temperatures, and a silent system during idle and light workloads. Without customizing each of your fan curves manually, you simply can't get the best combination of performance and noise levels on your PC.

Tuning your fan curves can be done in the BIOS or in the Windows environment using third-party programs. The BIOS method is serviceable, but using a desktop tool like Fan Control gives you granular control over each of your fans. It also allows you to map a fan to a non-typical sensor. For instance, you can tag the system fans to the CPU temperature, so that they perform more in tune with your PC's real thermal conditions. You can even make multiple curves "talk" to each other to create highly custom profiles. Tuning your fan curves is a given on any gaming PC. While it's second nature to experienced gamers and builders, new users can sometimes forget about it.

Memory Context Restore

Reduce those long boot times

Memory training is something your PC does on every single boot to ensure the RAM settings are dialed in just right for a stable system. This process tests a wide range of settings to ensure the signal between the CPU's memory controller and the memory chips on your DIMMs is of a certain quality. This process gets more complex as the RAM frequency increases, hence the growing attention it has received ever since DDR5 RAM came out. Memory training has contributed to significantly longer boot times on DDR5 systems, as the BIOS runs through a bunch of frequency, voltage, and controller settings before allowing the system to boot. Since every boot is different when it comes to the memory, this process is necessary to ensure stability. That said, if you aren't in the habit of changing your RAM settings frequently, you can use Memory Context Restore (MCR) to use a set of fixed memory settings on every boot, reducing the boot time significantly.

Memory Context Restore is a feature in the UEFI that saves the last known stable settings for your memory. Enabling this feature allows the system to use those settings instead of initiating memory training from scratch. This can slash your boot times by up to 90%, depending on the number of DIMMs, frequency, and timings, among other things. Of course, if the saved settings aren't valid due to slight changes in RAM temperature or voltage, you risk some instability. However, MCR is worth trying out, considering the potential boot time savings. If you face serious instability while operating your PC, you can always return to the BIOS and disable MCR.

Switching from legacy BIOS mode to UEFI mode

A long overdue upgrade

While UEFI has been the default firmware for consumer PCs for around a decade now, your PC's UEFI might be operating in the "legacy BIOS" mode. This could happen if you cloned an old OS installation from an MBR-formatted disk to your new drive, or installed your OS on the new drive on an older system. MBR-formatted drives are incompatible with modern UEFI, forcing it to operate in the legacy BIOS mode using a setting called Compatibility Support Module (CSM). This feature allows UEFI to support older operating systems and hardware. Your drive will still boot normally, but since you're not in UEFI mode, you'll miss out on key features like Secure Boot and Resizable BAR.

Secure Boot is essential for Windows 11, so you're essentially preventing yourself from switching to the latest Windows version unless you convert your disk from MBR to GPT. And without Resizable BAR, your CPU can access your GPU's VRAM only in small chunks rather than all in one go. This can significantly reduce the maximum performance of your system in gaming. Instead of converting your MBR partitions to GPT, I would recommend initializing your disk in UEFI mode, so that it is formatted in GPT from scratch. You'll need to disable CSM in the BIOS to format and initialize your drive in UEFI mode, and install your OS from scratch. You can create a backup of your files and copy them to your new OS installation later. Switching to the pure UEFI mode instead of an emulated one will allow you access to modern firmware features, faster boot times, a higher level of security, and drives larger than 2TB.

AMD PBO/Intel ABT for your CPU

Don't lose out on free performance

Some of you may not know it, but your CPU has a few performance-boosting settings that aren't enabled by default. Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO) for AMD CPUs and Adaptive Boost (ABT) for Intel CPUs are algorithms that dynamically boost your chip's frequency based on power and thermal headroom. Many users continue to use their CPUs at stock settings without enabling these built-in performance-enhancing technologies in the BIOS. You are essentially leaving performance on the table. Assuming you have a modern gaming PC equipped with a decent air or liquid cooler, your CPU can handle the demands of PBO or ABT in most scenarios. And in case it can't, turning these settings off is quite simple.

AMD's PBO (and PBO 2) works best with the additional Curve Optimizer setting that you can also tweak in the BIOS. It basically allows you to dial in a negative offset for the voltage, so that your CPU uses less voltage for a given frequency. This undervolting helps your chip increase performance while lowering the operating temperature. Intel's ABT technology operates similarly, allowing the CPU to stretch its wings when power or thermal limits are conducive. The better your CPU cooler, the more effective these technologies are. That said, every user should enable them and compare the before and after results in gaming to decide whether they are worth keeping on 24/7.

Undervolting your GPU

The default for many gamers

Depending on your specific unit, GPU undervolting will yield different results, but it has become the de facto standard for many PC gamers. Undervolting the graphics card not only allows you to reduce the GPU temperature, but also boosts performance due to the additional thermal headroom. Undervolting is arguably simpler than overclocking and is considerably more useful. Overclocking isn't worth the hassle on modern hardware, but undervolting still packs a punch. You just need to tweak the voltage-frequency curve of your GPU in MSI Afterburner or AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition (for AMD GPUs). Stress-testing can be done using OCCT or FurMark. The degree to which your GPU will deliver extra FPS will vary, but the thermal benefits of undervolting alone are worth it.

Why would you want to run your GPU at stock settings if you can run it way cooler without losing performance? Undervolting also extends your GPU's lifespan since it isn't subject to the high temperatures as earlier. It really is a no-brainer, unless undervolting makes your GPU unstable. It's worth trying before making your opinion about it.

Stop ignoring simple yet useful performance tweaks for your PC

Whether your PC is new or old, you always have access to performance-enhancing tweaks. From BIOS settings like Resizable BAR, Memory Context Restore, and PBO to GPU undervolting, there might still be stuff you haven't tried or found out about. It can be preferable to avoid things you haven't tried before, but the benefits are often far too impressive to let go of. So, check if you still haven't tried out these tweaks, and spend some time optimizing them.