How to Adjust the Visual Settings in Windows 7 for Best Performance

Many PC users are not aware of the host of visual settings that are available in Windows 7. There are many animation effects, transparency settings, menu fades, and so on. In slower machines, these can be a drag on system performance. Also, not everyone is enamored of a lot of busy visuals.

Here is how to configure the settings to your own liking (some settings will be missing in systems that do not support Aero):

Open the Start menu
Right-click Computer
Choose “Properties” from the context menu
In the left panel, click “Advanced system settings”
In the Performance section, click the “Settings” button
The dialog box shown in the figure below will open
Make sure the “Visual Effects” tab is selected
Remove or add checks to items according to your preference
Click “OK” and “OK”
If you don't mind typing long words, you can get right to step 6 by entering "SystemPropertiesPerformance" (without quotes) in the Start search bar.

An alternative to making individual selections is to use one of the options listed near the top of the dialog box. You can let Windows choose what’s best for your system, adjust for best appearance, or adjust for best performance.

Here are some possible effects to disable for better performance:

Animate windows when minimizing and maximizing
Animations in the taskbar and Start Menu
Enable transparent glass
Fade or slide menus into view
Fade or slide ToolTips into view
Fade out menu items after clicking
Show shadows under windows
Slide open combo boxes
Naturally, this and all the other possible settings are a matter of personal choice. Also, how performance is affected depends on the nature of your particular system.