Optimise Motherboard Settings for Streaming & Gaming

So, you've dropped a ton of ZAR on a beastly CPU and a top-tier graphics card, but your stream is still dropping frames during that final squad fight in Warzone? It’s frustrating. Before you blame your internet, look closer... the secret to unlocking your PC's true power often lies hidden. Learning to optimise motherboard settings for streaming & gaming is the free performance upgrade you've been searching for. It's time to dive into the BIOS. 🚀

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Asus Rog Strix TRX40-E Gaming AMD Ryzen Threadripper ATX Motherboard / 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen / 16 power stages / Wi-Fi 6 / 2.5 Gbps LAN / USB 3.2 Gen 2 / Three M.2 / Aura Sync RGB / AMD Socket sTRX4

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Why Optimise Your Motherboard Settings?

Think of your motherboard as your PC's central nervous system. It connects every component, from your processor to your SSD. By default, manufacturers ship them with ultra-safe, conservative settings to ensure they work with the widest range of parts. But "safe" doesn't mean "fast".

By taking a few minutes to tweak these settings, you can ensure your components are running at their full, advertised potential. This process of motherboard optimisation can lead to higher frame rates, smoother streams, and a more responsive system overall. You paid for that performance... let's unlock it.

Key Motherboard Settings for Peak Gaming & Streaming

Diving into the BIOS or UEFI (the modern, graphical version of the BIOS) can seem intimidating, but a few key adjustments make a massive difference. Remember to save and exit after making changes for them to take effect.

MSI PRO H810M-B DDR5 Micro ATX Motherboard (Supports Intel® Core™ Ultra Processors (Series 2) for LGA 1851, DDR5, 5.0, M.2, 2.5G LAN, mATX) / 911-7E64-001

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MSI MEG Z890 ACE Intel Motherboard / LGA 1851 Socket / Supports Intel® Core™ Ultra Processors (Series 2) / 4x DDR5 UDIMM Slots / ATX Form Factor / 911-7E22-001

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MSI B850 Gaming Plus WIFI AMD Motherboard - AM5 Socket - Supports AMD Ryzen™ 9000/ 8000/ 7000 Series Desktop Processors - 4x DDR5 UDIMM - ATX Form Factor / 911-7E56-001

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ASRock Z890 Pro RS WiFi Intel Motherboard / ATX Form Factor / Supports Intel® Core™ Ultra Processors (Series 2) / LGA 1851 CPU Socket / 4x DDR5 DIMM Supporting up to 256GB / 90-MXBQC0-A0UAYZ

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Unleash Your RAM Speed ⚡

This is the single most important tweak you can make. Your fancy 3600MHz RAM is likely running at a sluggish 2133MHz out of the box. Enabling its pre-programmed performance profile is essential.

• For Intel systems: Look for a setting called XMP (Extreme Memory Profile).
• For AMD systems: It's usually called DOCP (Direct Overclock Profile) or, on newer platforms, EXPO (Extended Profiles for Overclocking).

Simply find the setting, enable the profile, and reboot. This one change can give you a noticeable FPS boost in many games. It's a critical step for anyone running a modern rig, especially with the powerful memory controllers found on today's Intel motherboards.

Master Your Fan Curves for a Cooler Rig

A hot PC is a slow PC. When your CPU gets too warm, it "throttles" or slows itself down to prevent damage, killing your performance mid-game. Setting a custom fan curve tells your PC how fast the fans should spin at certain temperatures.

Most modern BIOS interfaces have a graphical fan control section. You can set a curve that keeps the fans low and quiet during light tasks like browsing, but ramps them up aggressively once your CPU hits 60-70°C under a heavy gaming or streaming load. This ensures maximum performance when you need it most. Many of the latest AMD motherboards offer incredibly detailed fan and thermal controls.

Enable Smart CPU Boosting

Modern CPUs are designed to automatically boost their clock speeds when thermal and power conditions allow. You can often give them more headroom in the BIOS. For AMD users, look for a setting called Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO). Setting this to 'Enabled' or 'Auto' allows the CPU to intelligently push past its stock limits, delivering more power for demanding tasks like encoding a stream while gaming. ✨

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R4999.00In Stock

MSI PRO H810M-B DDR5 Micro ATX Motherboard (Supports Intel® Core™ Ultra Processors (Series 2) for LGA 1851, DDR5, 5.0, M.2, 2.5G LAN, mATX) / 911-7E64-001

R2699.00In Stock

ASRock Z890 Pro RS WiFi Intel Motherboard / ATX Form Factor / Supports Intel® Core™ Ultra Processors (Series 2) / LGA 1851 CPU Socket / 4x DDR5 DIMM Supporting up to 256GB / 90-MXBQC0-A0UAYZ

R5999.00In Stock

ASRock X870 PRO RS WIFI AMD Ryzen Motherboard / Supports AMD Socket AM5 Ryzen™ 9000, 8000 and 7000 Series Processors / AMD X870 Chipset / USB4 Type-C (40Gbps) Connectivity / 90-MXBQ00-A0UAYZ

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When Is It Time for a Motherboard Upgrade?

Sometimes, no amount of tweaking can overcome hardware limitations. If your motherboard has weak VRMs (Voltage Regulator Modules), it might struggle to deliver stable power to a high-end CPU, causing crashes or throttling. Or perhaps your board lacks modern features like PCIe 4.0 for faster SSDs and GPUs.

The good news? You don't have to break the bank. Even today's budget-friendly Intel and AMD based motherboards pack features that were considered premium just a few years ago, providing a solid foundation for any high-performance build.