You may want to try Gamebooster. I've used it for a couple years now. There is a free and paid version (I've used the free)
It shuts off background programs and things unnecessary to gaming. Completely customizable. It will give you a list of what it thinks you don't need running while you are gaming and the option to add to the list (like deskscapes, dropbox, and other stuff)
My PC isn't exactly built for gaming, so it gives me a noticeable improvement in my gaming experience. (Usually about 42% boost in performance)
You turn it on when you want to game and turn it off when done. Everything it stops will restart. In my case, the only exceptions to restrting are Windows Update (which I have to restart myself) and SugarSync (same thing).
