6 BIOS Settings to Improve Your PC Performance

The BIOS which stands for Basic Input / Output System is a piece of programming which enables your PC to start up. Primarily it carries out a Power On Self Test (POST) which checks that all hardware attached to your PC, including the chipset, video cards, memory and hard drive, are all functioning correctly. The user can configure the BIOS settings, particularly the boot sequence, choosing to start up the PC from a floppy disk, CD or from the hard drive. Tweaking the BIOS settings can improve the performance of your PC.

Making amendments to your PCs BIOS settings can however damage your system so it’s crucial that you understand exactly what you’re doing before you make any changes. If you’re unsure in any way the best thing to do is exit the BIOS Setup without pressing the save option and start again. Here are some simple BIOS tweaks:

1. Disable Any Unused Ports

Each time your PC is switched on, the BIOS scans every port on the motherboard, checking for any devices which are installed. Most of these ports will have no devices installed but the BIOS will still check them, prolonging the boot up time for your computer. To rectify this and speed up the boot process, go to the BIOS Setup and change the Auto setting to Disabled. Whenever you install new hardware, remember to switch it back to Auto so the new hardware will be detected.

2. Backup Your BIOS

It’s important to make regular backups of your BIOS settings. If for example your BIOS settings become corrupt, leaving you with a PC which won’t function, you will have the backup data enabling you to restore the BIOS settings to normal. You will also be able to overwrite BIOS settings if you make a mistake when tweaking your BIOS.

3. Turn Off Any Built-In Features

Modern motherboards usually have various components and cards already integrated such as video and sound cards or network and RAID cards. These use up the system resources and can cause poor performance particularly if they are rarely used or perhaps even not used at all. You can disable these cards on the BIOS Setup if they are not needed, therefore increasing the system performance.

4. Use a Password

If there are other people using your computer it may be advisable to set up an administrator password so that no-one but yourself can make any changes to the BIOS settings. This will prevent any tweaks either intentional or unintentional by other users of your PC.

5. Update Your BIOS

The manufacturer of the motherboard installed in your PC will occasionally issue new BIOS versions which will overwrite any current configurations. Check the manufacturer’s website regularly and install any updates for your BIOS. These updates will ensure the stable running of your computer.

6. Connect Remotely

If you own a laptop and use it regularly outside of the home, it is possible to configure the BIOS settings to allow you remote access to your home PC. All that’s needed is to change the BIOS settings so that the PC will respond to an external modem. You will need a telephone connection which will then allow you access to your desktop PC.

The performance of your computer will depend on how efficiently the resources are allocated. This is the job of the BIOS so it’s important it is configured correctly and kept updated to ensure an optimal PC performance. Learn how to tweak your PC BIOS settings for best results from your computer.

Tags: bios settings, bios update