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6 must-have Apps for PC gamers

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  • 6 min read

Gaming on a PC opens up many possibilities for its users and is also one of the reasons why so many prefer it. PC also has many perks such as exclusive titles, better graphics, wacky mods, and a lot more.

But modern games on PC are often much more demanding and complex compared to its console counterpart. AAA games on the best visual settings are a treat to the eyes but taxing on the components of your rig.

With that in mind here are our five must-have apps — and a bonus — for pc gamers that will aid and improve your gaming experience.

Also read: Does force shutting down your PC hurt the CPU?

Performance monitoring application

As we mentioned earlier, modern PC games are very resource intensive. So, you need to keep an eye on your processor, RAM, and hard disk usage to prevent damage to your precious hardware and here is where performance monitoring applications come into play.

AIDA64 Extreme

Price: Trial/Paid

6 must-have Apps for PC gamers to make the most out of their machineAIDA64 extreme is a comprehensive performance monitoring application that can provide accurate real-time data on your hardware and software. It can also stress test and benchmark your system if you are an advanced user who likes to experiment and play around with his/her equipment.

You can find AIDA64 Extreme here

Alternatives: Rainmeter, Wise System Monitor, and Cupid HWmonitor.

Screen Capture application

Who doesn’t like memories? We sure do. Maybe you’re a content creator or even a live streamer — this is where screen capture apps come in handy. They can help you capture sometimes edit and share your epic gaming moments with your friends, family, and followers.

Bandicam

Price: Free/Paid

6 must-have Apps for PC gamers to make the most out of their machine

Bandicam is one of the most feature packed and lightweight screen capturing apps you can find. You can also use it with HDMI, consoles, and even webcams too.

You can find Bandicam here

Alternatives: OBS studio, FlashBack Express, and CamStudio.

Frame rate counter

Unless you’ve top-of-the-line hardware, you might want to adjust your graphics settings to hit that “butter-smooth” 60FPS. But how could you identify it? Well, that’s where the frame rate counter comes into play.

Fraps

Price: Free/Paid

6 must-have Apps for PC gamers to make the most out of their machineFraps is a household name for frame rate counter apps at this point. It is a lightweight and straightforward app that overlays a frame rate counter at the preferred corner of your screen when you play your games. It also can take a snap or record what’s on your screen, though with limited capacity compared to a dedicated recording app.

You can find Fraps here

Alternatives: Dxtory if you use Nvidia or AMD graphics cards you can find FPS counter option on their companion apps.

Also read: Top 15 offline games for Android that you must try

PC tune-up/ Game booster application

Your PC over time becomes laggy due to various residual files and some background apps that may hog up your PC’s precious resources resulting in more indigent performance. PC tune-up/ Game booster applications clear out all these residual files and pause or block all background apps while you play games to improve performance.

Razer Cortex Boost

Price: Free

6 must-have Apps for PC gamers to make the most out of their machineRazer is known for its gaming products and has brought out their very own game optimising software for the masses as you would expect. Cortex Boost application optimises your system by killing unnecessary background applications, defragging your drive for faster performance to improve in-game performance.

You can find Razer Cortex Boost here.

Alternatives: MSI afterburnerGame Fire 6, and Wise Game Booster.

Driver Updater application

You can’t run your games if you don’t have a supported driver and most newer games require updated drivers to function correctly. Sourcing all of these from various manufacturers could become a nightmare. This is where Driver updater apps come in handy.

Drive Booster

Price: Free/ Paid

6 must-have Apps for PC gamers to make the most out of their machineDrive Booster scans through all your devices and collects their drive signature to search for the latest and best suitable driver for your hardware — it’s effortless and works like magic. It also automatically schedules driver installs and backs up your current driver in case you want to roll back.

You can find Drive Booster here

Alternatives: Winzip Drive updater, Advanced Driver Updater, Driver Talent, and Free Driver Scout.

Can you run it? (Website)

Price: Free

6 must-have Apps for PC gamers to make the most out of their machineCan you run it (CYRI) is a popular website which would assess your system’s configuration against million’s of games to tell you which ones would run on your system.

It is a nifty tool to help you understand system requirements for games to let you have realistic expectations before you put your money on a game. CYRI requires you to download a client to help it tun the scan to determine your specs.

You can find CYRI here

Alternatives: Reading the minimum requirements of the game and comparing it against your system’s specification, Upgrading to the best PC money can buy or switch to a console.

As hardware and software become more and more complex running games smoothly has become a challenge. Hopefully, these five apps and the website can help you manage your PC a lot better and get more out of your gaming experience.

Also read: Can you play games on Linux? 5 Linux-based gaming OS

Mani Maaran

Mani Maaran

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