Although console gaming still plays a significant role in the industry, enthusiasts generally prefer PC gaming. Gaming PCs surpass consoles in hardware control, graphics, and customization options. Nonetheless, gaming computers are still subject to a variety of issues that can be quite frustrating for enthusiasts. In this article, we review some of the top gaming computer issues, ranging from screen tearing to latency. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to prevent many of these issues from affecting the ultimate gaming experience.
Top Gaming PC Issues and Fixes
Both building and investing in a gaming computer can be very rewarding. There’s no better way to enjoy a game than on a powerful PC with immersive graphics and audio. PC gaming has become more complex and resource-intensive in recent years. As a result, gaming computers lack standardized components and issues can arise as you play. The good news is that most issues can be resolved, as long as they don’t involve a bug in the game’s code.
Artifacts: The glitches you seen in the most demanding games are often described as graphical weirdness. Artifacts are usually identifiable as areas of distortion in the geometry or texture of the game. There might be graphical pieces that are missing or areas that are pixelated, incorrectly colored, or flickering in combat. Don’t trade in your PC or start shopping for a new and improved system. Issues such as these can usually be blamed on your graphics card. Video cards are primarily responsible for resolving these kinds of errors, and yours might be trying to send a message. Old graphics cards are prone to reoccurring glitches, so one quick way to resolve the issue is by investing in a new GPU. Inspect the age and condition of your drivers, as well as GPU temperatures. When in doubt, stress test!
Excessive Lag: In a perfect world, games would run seamlessly on your PC. In reality, gaming computers are at risk of screen freezing. Game hanging is a common issue that occurs when your PC runs out of the resources required to run a game efficiently. Avoid lag by checking that the CPU, RAM, and HDD of your PC match the requirements of the game you’re trying to play. If they don’t match those requirements, you will either need to upgrade or download a few graphics drivers to remove any unused applications. When in doubt, clean your system and free up space!
Screen Tearing: We already discussed artifacts, but screen tearing is a specific form of artifact that occurs when the frames shown in a game seem to split. Frames will usually split into bottom and top, but they can sometimes split into three or four sections that do not align. Screen tearing is triggered by too much performance. PCs with 60Hz refresh rates aren’t capable of handling demanding games that play at high speeds. Luckily, you can lock the game’s output to a maximum your monitor can handle by using an in-game setting called V-sync. Alternatively, you can purchase a monitor with a 120Hz refresh rate.
Stuttering: Unlike freezing or game hanging, stuttering occurs at a much higher frequency, which can be frustrating for gaming enthusiasts. Lag lasts for a millisecond at most, so it might be difficult to notice at first glance. Multi-GPU setups are prone to stuttering, because they fall out of sync and deliver frames in an uneven pattern. By disabling a video card or installing the upgraded graphics card, you can eliminate stuttering overall and enjoy better gameplay.
