You might have a top-tier gaming CPU and even one of the best graphics cards, but hardware alone isn't enough to maximize your gaming PC's potential. To truly elevate your experience, you need to complement that powerful hardware with equally robust software.
Over my years of building and tweaking PCs, I've downloaded hundreds of utilities, most of which I opened once and never touched again. A build later and a couple of installs wiser, I have a condensed list of applications that I couldn't imagine using my PC without. I don't want to bloat your PC with software you won't use, but for most PC gamers, you'll find at least some utility on this list.
Special K - An essential tool
Known as the "Swiss Army Knife of PC gaming," it lives up to the name by offering a vast range of features. It enables HDR in games that don’t support it, provides advanced HDR customization, lets you override DLSS models to force DLAA, and gives control over Nvidia Reflex and DirectStorage settings. You can even assign different controller and audio settings per display, allowing two players to game on the same PC. And that’s just the beginning.
Special K is a powerhouse of optimization, with a dense set of settings that can enhance nearly every game you play. Beyond its universal tweaks, it offers targeted improvements for dozens of games, with new ones added regularly.
With Special K, you have complete flexibility to tailor it to your needs. Whether you take advantage of just a few key features or dive into its full potential, it’s a must-have for any gaming PC.
Borderless Gaming - Has been around for a decade.
While it's available on Steam for $7, the developer also provides free older versions on GitHub. As the name suggests, it forces games with broken or missing borderless full screen options to run in borderless mode seamlessly.
You won’t need Borderless Gaming for every title, but when you do, it’s invaluable, especially for older DirectX 9 and earlier games that lack a built-in borderless option. In those cases, using Alt+Tab in fullscreen mode can sometimes cause crashes. The app also includes handy features for games that already support borderless mode, such as locking or hiding your cursor and muting the game when it's running in the background.
EmuDeck isn’t just for the Steam Deck—it has a Windows installer as well.
While it's primarily designed for handhelds like the ROG Ally X, I also use it on my desktop. If you’re unfamiliar, EmuDeck is an all-in-one solution for setting up emulation on your PC. It installs nearly every emulator you might need, organizes your game and BIOS files into a structured folder system, and even lets you add your emulated library to Steam as non-Steam apps with a single click.
That’s all available for free, making EmuDeck a must-have for emulation enthusiasts. I store my games, BIOS files, and saves on a microSD card, which allows me to switch seamlessly between my ROG Ally X and desktop for a true pick-up-and-play experience across devices.
Since this article focuses on free apps, EmuDeck certainly fits the bill. If you want the extras EmuDeck has to offer, support the EmuDeck Patreon to unlock exclusive features. Two major perks of subscribing include cloud saves, which automatically sync your progress to your preferred cloud storage service, and Game Mode—a game-changer for HTPC users. Game Mode launches directly into Steam Big Picture mode when you start your PC, eliminating the need to fuss with a keyboard and mouse.
WinDirStat - An invaluable tool for visualizing drive storage
WinDirStat is an invaluable tool for visualizing drive storage, displaying data as color-coded blocks sized according to how much space each file occupies on your hard drive or SSD.
While you won’t use WinDirStat daily, it’s a lifesaver when you need to install a new game but are running low on space. The app lets you quickly identify large files and jump straight to their location in File Explorer, allowing you to reclaim storage in minutes instead of hours.
CapFrameX - Built on two powerful open-source tools
There are plenty of ways to benchmark and monitor your PC’s gaming performance, but none are as comprehensive as CapFrameX. This all-in-one tool lets you track, record, and analyze your system’s performance, making it an essential companion for anyone serious about fine-tuning their PC.
CapFrameX is built on two powerful open-source tools. The first is PresentMon, an industry-standard performance capture tool used by AMD’s OCAT and Nvidia’s FrameView. The second is RivaTuner Statistics Server (RTSS), which provides a highly customizable, real-time performance overlay while gaming. While you could use RTSS and a separate monitoring tool like FrameView, CapFrameX enhances and integrates these features seamlessly into a single package.
Instead of dumping raw performance data into a spreadsheet, CapFrameX organizes everything within its intuitive interface. You can examine frame-time charts, sensor data, and power metrics, from PCIe slot power to total system power. The app also allows you to compile multiple benchmarks into detailed reports with customizable metrics, complete with visual charts. Plus, you can sync your records across multiple systems via the cloud.
CapFrameX’s real strength lies in how it consolidates these advanced tools into a single, user-friendly platform. It not only tracks your system’s performance in real-time but also presents the data in a way that's far more digestible than traditional monitoring utilities like HWInfo.
Asus GPUTweak III - Fine tune your GPU
There are several excellent GPU utilities available, such as MSI Afterburner and EVGA Precision X1, but my personal choice is Asus' GPU Tweak III. The best option ultimately depends on your preference for the interface, as most GPU utilities offer similar core features, including automatic overclocking, fan control, and power adjustments.
While overclocking may not drastically improve performance on most GPUs, fine-tuning power limits and memory clock speeds can yield small but meaningful gains. Whether you're overclocking, undervolting, managing power limits, or simply setting a custom fan curve, having a reliable GPU utility installed is essential for optimizing your system.
A Toolkit for Every Gamer
You might not need every app on this list, but I have them all installed on my PC. Many of these tools serve multiple purposes, helping me eliminate the clutter of using several separate programs for the same tasks. With versatile utilities like Special K and CapFrameX, I've streamlined my system, reducing unnecessary software while keeping powerful tools that I rely on daily.