More than being just functional patches, driver updates for motherboards can immensely boost system performance – especially if the updated drivers contain fixes for major issues. Regardless of which chipset your motherboard is based on , there are a few thumb rules for optimizing driver-related setting for peak performance .

First before installing a fresh set of drivers, make sure to uninstall the existing set . Do this from Control panel > Add or Remove Programs . Select the drivers that you wish to remove and click the ‘Remove button’ . This way you can ensure that only new files are installed , and that there is no trace of older drivers .

When installing updated drivers , pay close attention to the options offered during installation . The decision you make , in each installation step, will affect the way your computer runs . For example , when installing the Via Hyperion drivers, you are asked to make decision on the working of the AGP ,and should always select the ‘High Performance ‘ Option .

Air Flow :

The most important cooling principle is proper airflow . A traditional ATX cabinets has two fans , one to suck air, and other to expel hot air . To maximize airflow within the cabinet , carefully twist, tie or tape up all loose cables, and places them away from critical components , such as the CPU, hard disk and RAM .

Heatsinks

The CPU is the most utilised and most important components in the system . To extract the best performance , you should have a high quality heatsink and fan combination . Consider buying Thermaltake, Ever cool, Akasa and other such well-known heatsink and fan combinations . They do cost on the higher side, but they boost your system’s performance as well increase its life .