Are you looking to get the most out of your graphics card? Are you frustrated with games that are laggy or not running as smoothly as they could be? It may be time to consider overclocking your graphics card. In this blog post, we will show you how to overclock your graphics card using MSI Afterburner.
How to Overclock Graphics Card Using MSI Afterburner?
1) How to overclock graphics card Using MSI Afterburner Before beginning, you should always keep an eye on your temperatures. If your card is getting too hot, the overclock will shut off and result in a failed benchmark test.
For this reason, it is important to use software that has hardware monitoring capabilities built-in so that you can monitor your temperatures during the process. You should also keep in mind that overclocking will increase the amount of power your card draws, so you will want to ensure that your power supply is up to scratch.
2) Before we begin, we recommend
– running a stress test on your graphics card to catch any driver errors before beginning this process. OCCT and FurMark are great choices
– Disabling any overclocking on the CPU and memory of your computer. Just because you’re not using those parts doesn’t mean that they won’t be affected by this process. You should also disable your desktop background and sleep mode on your computer to ensure that everything runs smoothly during the benchmarking test.
3) We will begin by installing MSI Afterburner.
4) Open up MSI Afterburner and click over to the settings tab. In the settings tab, you will need to select which device you want to overclock from the drop-down menu.
5) Once you have selected your device, move over to the clock frequencies tab. This is where you will select your new clock speeds. You can do this by clicking on the small arrows beside each slider.
6) We recommend moving slowly when overclocking, as it is easy to go too far and cause problems during gameplay. Once you have found the overclock that works for you, click apply in the settings tab.
7) This will begin Afterburner’s benchmarking test. The test may be lengthy, but it is important to let it run its entirety if you want to ensure your card is stable under load.
Your screen may flicker and change as Afterburner tests different clock speeds and voltages, and at the end, you will receive a score. If your score is too low, you can either choose to keep the new settings and try again or revert back to your original clock speeds.
The lower your score, the less stable it is likely to be under load, so if you get a low score you will want to either lower the settings or try again after saving your overclock and running a stress test.
8) If you wish to use this new overclock on a regular basis, we recommend creating an MSI profile for it. This can be done by clicking on the profile button under the settings tab and then selecting save the profile.
Congratulations, you have now overclocked your graphics card. It’s as simple as that. This is a process that can take some time to complete and it is not one you should undertake lightly.
ALSO READ: How To Overclock GTX 1070 With MSI Afterburner
If done incorrectly or without the proper understanding of the risks involved, overclocking your card can cause permanent damage.
Always be sure to monitor your temperatures and remember to take frequent breaks during the testing process (especially if you are performing this on a laptop). We hope that you enjoyed our blog post, please let us know what overclocking content you would like to see next in the comments below.
There are a number of things to consider before overclocking your graphics card. First and foremost, know that the process is going to void your warranty. Only overclock if you are confident in doing so or have a warranty replacement card on hand.
Even after you’ve gotten past this step, remember that overclocking your graphics card does have risks. There is a chance that it may damage your card or shorten its lifespan. Before you start overclocking, make sure to take note of the following:
READ MORE: Can’t Change Core Voltage In MSI Afterburner
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What games do I play?
Some games are more demanding than others, and some applications push cards harder than others. If you’re playing Battlefield 1 at max settings then overclocking is probably not going to increase your performance enough to be worth the trouble.
On the other hand, if you’re playing a resource-intensive game or an old game that doesn’t play well with your video card, overclocking can definitely improve your experience.
How much am I willing to overclock?
Overclocking increases heat and decreases the lifespan of your card, so make sure you’re only overclocking as much as you need to.
How can I tell if my graphics card is getting hot?
Most video cards have a sensor that tells the user how hard it’s working and how warm it has gotten; GPU-Z is an application that can read this sensor. Additionally, MSI Afterburner has a temperature reading. When you’re overclocking your graphics card, make sure to pay attention to the temperature and overall workload.
What problems should I be aware of?
There are several risks involved with overclocking your video card.
VRAM errors: This is probably what you’re hoping to avoid by overclocking. VRAM errors are caused by the video card using more power than it can handle, or “overdrawing” its memory. As a result, your graphics card might start throwing up error messages and become unresponsive until you restart it (or shut off your computer).
DirectX errors: Your video card might generate DirectX errors when it is overclocked too much or pushed too hard. These are usually temporary, however, they are still a headache you want to avoid.
Is my graphics card stable?
Your overclock may be stable enough that the GPU stabilizes itself and doesn’t require shutting down your computer or restarting it, but overall it is not a good idea to push your graphics card to its overclocking limit without restarting or resetting.
Should I overclock while gaming?
It is generally not recommended, as this can lead to errors and even crash your games. If you must overclock while gaming, keep an eye on application-specific overlays such as MSI Afterburner and Nvidia’s Precision X.
What is the safe limit?
This varies from card to card, so you should check your manual or look online for specifics. Some cards can handle a lot of overclocking while others cannot tolerate very much before it damages them. It is always better to err on the side of caution.
If my graphics card stops working after overclocking, what should I do?
If you’ve overclocked your graphics card and notice that it is no longer working, the best thing to do is to reset your computer. If your computer has a BIOS or UEFI utility, you can usually find a setting to reset your computer’s hardware settings to default. Otherwise, you may have to hit the power button on your case or motherboard.
My graphics card is getting hot and I don’t know why?
Some graphics cards are more sensitive than others, which means that outside factors can affect their performance.
For instance, if your case is too hot then it might be affecting the amount of overclocking you are able to do. Make sure that your computer’s environment is appropriate for overclocking.
Conclusion:
Always be sure to monitor your temperatures and remember to take frequent breaks during the testing process (especially if you are performing this on a laptop). We hope that you enjoyed our blog post, please let us know what overclocking content you would like to see next in the comments below.