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To full screen or not to full screen?

jclastjclast Registered User regular
edited December 2011 in Games and Technology
My PC is not especially powerful. It's going on six years old at this point, and I still play games on it when I can. I can run stuff like Batman: Arkham Asylum on low to moderate settings and lots of indie stuff on Steam. So, does it typically make a difference in terms of resources used if you run a game in full screen versus windowed mode? I'd like to squeeze everything I can out of this PC before I upgrade and/or give up on it.

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    TychoCelchuuuTychoCelchuuu PIGEON Registered User regular
    No difference generally. Some games run better or worse in one or the other because they're quirky but typically it's exactly the same.

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    ronyaronya Arrrrrf. the ivory tower's basementRegistered User regular
    Full screen uses less resources, but lower resolution helps even more, and windowed mode can help you run a tiny resolution without making everything look pixellated.

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    SeriousStuSeriousStu Registered User regular
    I agree with TychoCelchuuu, but then it sounds like playing games either fullscreen or windowed makes no difference for you in terms of enjoyment value. You sound more concerned about just getting as much mileage as possible from your PC. So why not just test games in both modes and just go with whichever is better?

    6 years old though... that's a ripe old age! My previous setup was 5 years old, save for the gfx card which was only slightly younger, and by then that computer was running like a one legged dog. I've no idea what you're situation is like, but after 6 years I'd say it's a good time to upgrade! Even todays 'cheap' component will probably blow our old stuff out the water (and into space, into the Sun, etc).

    Watch my freakin' Let's Plays! Aliens versus Predator Gold Edition || Max Payne || Condemned: Criminal Origins || Streets of Rage Remake || Amnesia: The Dark Descent
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    TediakTediak Registered User regular
    edited December 2011
    Pro mode: Dual monitors. One for gaming, the other for desktop and productivity etc. Dip in FPS is minimal on newer systems, and once you've gotten used to having two screens it's hard to go back. Also, productivity is definitely increased (in my case, for legal research, but I'd imagine it'd be really helpful for any kind of activity where you have to look over a large number of documents and tab between them).

    Edit: Just-reread OP and saw you have a dated PC. So my response is kind of moot.

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    VeganVegan Registered User regular
    I can't even imagine running a game windowed. The day you start considering that for performance reasons is the day you start budgeting out a new PC.

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    Hahnsoo1Hahnsoo1 Make Ready. We Hunt.Registered User regular
    It really depends on the game. There are some games that actually run better in windowed mode than full screen, although most follow the "full screen runs on less resources" rule. It really depends on your specific setup, and the details are so many that there's no way to tell other than experimenting on your own.

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    EchoEcho ski-bap ba-dapModerator mod
    If a game can run in fullscreen borderless windowed mode, that's how I run it. Less annoying to alt-tab, and some games really don't like alt-tabbing if in fullscreen mode.

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    SniperGuySniperGuy SniperGuyGaming Registered User regular
    Yeah, it varies wildly. Some games work better full, some work better windowed. Just quirks of the programming. If you want to get a nice performance boost, back up everything and do a clean format. I usually do this every few months. It's simple and encourages you to keep stuff backed up anyway.

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    DhalphirDhalphir don't you open that trapdoor you're a fool if you dareRegistered User regular
    Generally, you'd only run windowed if you really REALLY needed to be able to alt-tab frequently and the game didn't offer windowed (no border).

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    MangarooMangaroo LondonRegistered User regular
    edited December 2011
    ronya wrote:
    Full screen uses less resources, but lower resolution helps even more, and windowed mode can help you run a tiny resolution without making everything look pixellated.

    I have found this to be the case - except with AMD crossfire which is disabled when running in windowed mode but I think that won't apply to OP. So if you have dual graphics cards, especially AMD - sometimes the game works better on a single card (before dual-card profiles are made) and so you may see an improvement in windowed mode because the card is disabled. I'm not that familiar with nvidia but I'd imagine it probably still applies though you may find it will apply to even fewer games (usually better at having the dual-card profiles). But most of the time it is better to run in full-screen for both cards enabled + other freed up memory.

    Try "Game Booster 3" to free up resources, it seems to work resonably and more so if you have lots of background programs. Free up diskspace/ccleaner/defrag etc. I only remember playing plants vs zombies in windowed mode. Full-screen is more immersive of course.

    Mangaroo on
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