MSI Afterburner Walkthrough Part 1: Overclocking Guide & Undervolting Guide
Graphics Cards
Enhancing the performance of your graphics card is easy with our free software, MSI Afterburner, the most used overclocking software. With features like graphics card tuning, monitoring, and other adjustments, you can fine tune your GPU for the best gaming experience. Be careful to only download MSI Afterburner from msi.com or guru3d.com, as there are phishing download sites with modified installers that steal your data. To ensure you download the real version, verify and only download MSI Afterburner from our website or Guru3D.
MSI Afterburner gives users a lot of added functionality. It's capable of one-click overclocking, manual overclocking, undervolting, an on screen display, hardware monitoring, custom fan profiles, and video capture as well. We'll address frequently asked questions, and we invite you to subscribe to MSI Gaming on YouTube for the latest updates, news, and tutorials.
- Chapter 1. BEFORE YOU START
- Chapter 2a. OC SCANNER: OVERCLOCKING
- Chapter 2b. MANUAL OC, TROUBLESHOOTING
- Chapter 3a. UNDERVOLTING: CURVE EDITOR
- Chapter 3b. UNDERVOLTING TIPS, Q&A
- Chapter 4a. ON SCREEN DISPLAY
- Chapter 4b. ON SCREEN DISPLAY: RTSS
- Chapter 5. HARDWARE MONITORING
- Chapter 6. CUSTOM FAN PROFILE
- Chapter 7. VIDEO CAPTURE
Watch MSI Afterburner Quick Walkthrough
Chapter 1. BEFORE YOU START
Make sure you have the latest drivers installed for your GPU, and install the latest version of MSI Afterburner which comes bundled with RivaTuner Statistics Server which you will need to install to give monitoring stats and on screen display functionality. If you encounter installation issues because MSI Afterburner is running, in the Settings menu you would disable the Start with Windows, hit OK to save that. Restart your PC and proceed with the installation. Additionally, you'll need to get a benchmarking and stability testing tool such as FurMark to run while adjusting values.
![MSI Afterburner guide 01b Troubleshooting- Uncheck Start with Windows](https://storage-asset.msi.com/global/picture/news/2023/vga/MSI-Afterburner-guide-01b-Troubleshooting-Uncheck-Start-with-Windows.jpg)
Once MSI Afterburner is installed, navigate to the Settings menu and activate the Start with Windows option, so when you turn on your PC, MSI Afterburner will load with your settings and GPU fan profile automatically. Also enable Unlock Voltage Control and Unlock Voltage Monitoring, and depending on your GPU manufacturer, you may need to adjust the drop-down menu. Hit OK and select Yes to restart MSI Afterburner, so you start seeing voltage readings in the main window. If you’ve just installed a new GPU, you may need to restart your PC to see it recognized.
![MSI Afterburner guide 01c Start with windows, Unlock Voltage](https://storage-asset.msi.com/global/picture/news/2023/vga/MSI-Afterburner-guide-01c-Start-with-windows-Unlock-Voltage.jpg)
Remember to click the Apply at Windows Startup button located in the upper right corner of the main window. This ensures that your applied profile is used with every system startup. Note that the Profile lock icon must be open, or the Apply at Windows Startup button will be grayed out. Importantly, global hotkeys will not function while the Settings menu is open. Let's get into overclocking.
Chapter 2a. OC SCANNER: OVERCLOCKING GUIDE
A disclaimer before you start, GPUs have built-in protection and will reduce the clock frequency or voltage as it gets to the limit. While the overclocking process is safe, any modifications are done at your own risk. Save any work and close all other applications before starting. This takes 30 minutes, sometimes less, and works on almost any GPUs including non-MSI graphics cards. In the Info window, you can see MSI Afterburner's version number and scrolling down, your integrated and installed GPUs listed here also.
![MSI Afterburner guide 02a GPU info](https://storage-asset.msi.com/global/picture/news/2023/vga/MSI-Afterburner-guide-02a-GPU-info.jpg)
After you've confirmed you've enabled Unlock Voltage Control and Unlock Voltage Monitoring in the Settings/General tab, you can get a baseline for your GPU performance by running a benchmark, and write down the benchmark framerate, and in MSI Afterburner, the four main values of GPU clock, Memory Clock, Voltage and Temperature for comparison. The latest version includes OC Scanner for one-click overclocking, so we'll cover that, how to manual overclock, and troubleshooting. MSI Afterburner does work on laptop GPUs, but use small increments and closely monitor both the CPU and GPU temperatures.
![MSI Afterburner guide 02b Power, Core max, Apply](https://storage-asset.msi.com/global/picture/news/2023/vga/MSI-Afterburner-guide-02b-Power-Core-max-Apply.jpg)
First, move the power and temp limit sliders and the core voltage all the way to the right to their maximum values, and you must click Apply. Click on the Curve Editor button or you can press Ctrl+F, and we'll cover this interface in depth in the Undervolting section. In the upper-right corner, locate and click on OC Scanner, or you on the main window you can press the magnifying glass icon with the "OC" text. This article is written using the default Mystic skin but almost all skins feature an OC button.
![MSI Afterburner guide 02d OC Scanner, Skin selection](https://storage-asset.msi.com/global/picture/news/2023/vga/MSI-Afterburner-guide-02d-OC-Scanner-Skin-selection.jpg)
We'll click Scan to start the one-click overclocking process. This operation requires about 30 minutes to complete. Upon completion in the main window, the Core Clock value will now say Curve, and the Memory Clock may have an initial conservative value of 200 MHz. Fine-tuning this comes after achieving your desired curve.
![MSI Afterburner guide 02g Main window says Curve, Mem+200](https://storage-asset.msi.com/global/picture/news/2023/vga/MSI-Afterburner-guide-02g-Main-window-says-Curve-Mem-200.jpg)
Since it takes half an hour to get a custom curve, save your new curve to a couple of profiles by clicking the Floppy icon, and then click on the profile numbers to complete saving. Click the checkmark button bottom center to apply the overclock. With the main window selected, number keys 1 through 5 load a saved profile, and Ctrl+1 through Ctrl+5 will delete that profile, so be careful. Should you wish to restore your GPU to its default settings during testing, simply click the circular arrow icon or use the Ctrl+D shortcut, which automatically applies, and keeps your saved profiles intact.
Check the stability of the overclock with benchmarking software, using Unigine Heaven, or FurMark. Allow the benchmark to run for 10 minutes while looking for glitches, flickering, blackouts, or crashes. If there are issues, consider modifying the curve, saving the adjustments, and retesting. When ready, fire up your favorite game to test.
Chapter 2b. MANUAL OVERCLOCKING GUIDE, FAQs
While OC Scanner is recommended, maybe you want to try manual overclocking. First try adjusting the processor, and when that's complete, adjust the memory. Begin by dragging the power and temp limits to max in the main window, then click the Apply button. Try increasing the Core Clock speed by 20 to 30 MHz per step, click the Apply button, and test.
![MSI Afterburner guide 02i Core 30Mhz increments, test](https://storage-asset.msi.com/global/picture/news/2023/vga/MSI-Afterburner-guide-02i-Core-30Mhz-increments-test.jpg)
Click the Save button and a profile after a successful attempt. Searching for for your GPU chip overclocking settings will provide you with a possible target, just remember that individual variance due to the the silicon lottery means your results may vary.
Once you found a stable overclock, adjust the memory clock speed, try an increase of 50-100 MHz per step. Run a benchmark to check stability. If you see glitches, reduce the memory clock by 10 MHz until it's stable. Save this to a profile, run a 10 minute benchmark, and if it's stable, try gaming. Consider slightly scaling back the the core and memory overclock for better long-term stability.
![MSI Afterburner guide 02j Mem 50Mhz increments, test](https://storage-asset.msi.com/global/picture/news/2023/vga/MSI-Afterburner-guide-02j-Mem-50Mhz-increments-test.jpg)
Keep in mind that the increased overclocking may lead to a higher power draw from your power supply. You need to use separate cables from your power supply to each connector on your GPU, so you can't connect with the first one and also use the pigtail. This is because transient spikes can trigger the over-protection of your PSU, and over time, turning off your PC when it spikes. As the GPU uses more power it produces more heat, so you will need to adjust your fan curve, check the section below for instructions.
Troubleshooting: Rarely you may encounter a blue screen or freeze, and you'll need to restart your computer. Luckily, you've already saved that previous successful attempt. If your screen goes black and is unresponsive for a few minutes, hold down your PC's power button over 4 seconds to do a forced shutdown. Or turn the PSU switch off, wait 10 seconds, and turn on the power supply then press your PC's power button.
![MSI Afterburner guide 02l Hard power off](https://storage-asset.msi.com/global/picture/news/2023/vga/MSI-Afterburner-guide-02l-Hard-power-off.jpg)
![MSI Afterburner guide 02m Turn off PSU](https://storage-asset.msi.com/global/picture/news/2023/vga/MSI-Afterburner-guide-02m-Turn-off PSU.jpg)
![MSI Afterburner guide 02n CMOS jumper reset](https://storage-asset.msi.com/global/picture/news/2023/vga/MSI-Afterburner-guide-02n-CMOS-jumper-reset.jpg)
As a last resort the clearing of CMOS may be required. Switch off your power supply or disconnect the power cable. Locate the CMOS jumper on your motherboard, and use a screwdriver or tweezers to bridge the CMOS jumper pins for over 10 seconds. On high-end motherboards, you may have a Clear CMOS button to press. Then reconnect or turn on your power supply, and restart your PC.
Chapter 3a. UNDERVOLTING GUIDE: CURVE EDITOR
With undervolting your GPU, this could result in lower power consumption, reduced heat generation, decreased fan noise, and perhaps a few extra FPS. By reducing power consumption, the GPU may gain a little extra headroom for performance. Using less power results in less heat, so the chip may be able to perform slightly better. Undervolting is safe, but you do so at your own risk.
Using undervolting in combination with OC Scanner is possible, so run OC Scanner first and save it to a couple of profiles. Undervolting often yields more noticeable benefits on mid to high-end GPUs, though monitoring and tweaking an aggressive undervolt could become tedious. Thanks to Tech Illiterate and especially Tech Yes City whose undervolting videos helped in shaping this section.
To start undervolting, on the left side of the main MSI Afterburner window, click the monitor heartbeat icon or press Ctrl+M. With the window up you can see the real-time GPU temp and voltage graphs, though you may need to select or re-arrange the entries as outlined in the Hardware Monitoring section.
![MSI Afterburner guide 03b Benchmark game first to note FPS](https://storage-asset.msi.com/global/picture/news/2023/vga/MSI-Afterburner-guide-03b-Benchmark-game-first-to-note-FPS.jpg)
Run your favorite game's benchmark or play for a bit to note the framerate to compare to later. Next, run Furmark for around 5 minutes and write down the FPS, and in MSI Afterburner, the four main values of GPU clock, Memory Clock, Voltage and Temperature for comparison. Keep the benchmark running behind MSI Afterburner as you test, to see the effect our changes have in real-time. You can also use a utility like HWinfo to cross-check live GPU temps and voltages.
![MSI Afterburner guide 03d Set Power+CoreV to default after OC Scanner apply](https://storage-asset.msi.com/global/picture/news/2023/vga/MSI-Afterburner-guide-03d-Set-Power-CoreV-to-default-after-OC-Scanner-apply.jpg)
After OC Scanner gets your Curve, adjust the Power Limit% back to 100, and Core Voltage% back to 0, and click Apply. Open the Voltage curve editor by selecting the Curve Editor button or pressing Ctrl+F. Drag a corner to enlarge the window, making it easier to grab points and make adjustments. Search the undervolting settings for your GPU to get an idea of the targets and see if you can get similar results.
With OC Scanner giving your custom voltage curve, hold ALT+drag the curve down by the amount our search gave us. Use Ctrl+drag the bottom end of the curve up, so at lower power states it's not too undervolted. Next, select the millivolt point you found, usually around 950 millivolts, and pull it up.
![MSI Afterburner guide 03e Hold Alt drag down curve](https://storage-asset.msi.com/global/picture/news/2023/vga/MSI-Afterburner-guide-03e-Hold-Alt-drag-down-curve.jpg)
![MSI Afterburner guide 03f Hold Ctrl drag up bottom end](https://storage-asset.msi.com/global/picture/news/2023/vga/MSI-Afterburner-guide-03f-Hold-Ctrl-drag-up-bottom-end.jpg)
![MSI Afterburner guide 03g Pull up 950mV point](https://storage-asset.msi.com/global/picture/news/2023/vga/MSI-Afterburner-guide-03g-Pull-up-950mV-point.jpg)
Hold Shift, and drag slightly left of the point in empty space above or below, all the way to the right. Hit Shift+Enter two times and it'll flatten the line. Hit Apply, and save this to a profile. The dotted lines represent the current position of the GPU on the curve.
![MSI Afterburner guide 03i 2x Shift+Enter flattens the line](https://storage-asset.msi.com/global/picture/news/2023/vga/MSI-Afterburner-guide-03i-2x-Shift-Enter-flattens-the-line.jpg)
Run a benchmark to test stability, looking for frame stutters, artifacts or a change in 1% percent lows. Our next step is to adjust the Memory Clock speed by 50-100 MHz per step. Save successes to a profile.
- Method 2: Undervolting with Power Limit Slider -
An alternative to Curve power limiting is using the Power Limit% main slider, however the Curve method seems to deliver slightly better results. In MSI Afterburner's main window, start with the Power Limit and Core Voltage set at default values and applied. Then adjust the Power Limit slider, try 70% through 90% values, in 5% increments, hitting Apply and testing. Find a good balance of FPS and Power usage, and you can see this in Hardware Monitoring or with the OSD. The entry for this in Settings/Monitoring may simply be called "Power." Save to a profile. You're now undervolted.
![MSI Afterburner guide 03l Method 2 Power Limit slider](https://storage-asset.msi.com/global/picture/news/2023/vga/MSI-Afterburner-guide-03l-Method-2-Power-Limit-slider.jpg)
Ensure the Apply at Windows Startup button is on so these settings will automatically load every time you start your PC. Run a 10 minute benchmark, and if it's stable, try gaming. After you find the max setting, consider giving it a bit more power for better long-term stability.
How do you know it's stable? Artifacts may be visible but frame stutters are more likely, as well as lower or more 1% percent lows. The benchmark or game may crash, or your PC may crash, you can try try adjustments in 50 or 30 millivolt steps.
Certain GPUs, such as the 4090, may be locked in firmware to a value lower than the graph, so it may take a bit of lowering to see any results. Perform a 10-minute benchmark followed by your preferred game to check the stability of the undervolt. In games with Ray-Tracing, DLSS or FSR, those options may consume more power, so keep that in mind.
Chapter 3b. UNDERVOLTING TIPS, Q&A
A few additional tips for adjusting the curve and points in the Curve editor.
Curve Adjustment:
- Holding Alt while dragging vertically will move the entire adjusted line
- Holding Shift while dragging uses the default or saved profile curve
- Holding Ctrl+dragging adjusts the curve's top or bottom on that side of the graph
Point Adjustment:
- Double-click to clear a selected area on the graph.
- If the graph doesn't flatten with Shift+Enter twice, double click to clear the selected area, and select further past the dot and try again. Or click a different point then click back on the point to adjust.
- Selecting a point and pressing Enter allows you to input a voltage value.
- Up and down arrows increase/decrease the selected point by 1
- Ctrl+up or down arrows increase/decrease the selected point by 10
![MSI Afterburner guide 03n Ctrl+up down moves by point by 10](https://storage-asset.msi.com/global/picture/news/2023/vga/MSI-Afterburner-guide-03n-Ctrl-up-down-moves-by-point-by-10.jpg)
Pressing the L key in the editor will lock GPU voltage and frequency to that dot after you hit Apply. Your GPU will stay at those values, and it won't dynamically adjust higher or lower or save power. Note that it doesn't lock the position of the dot on the graph. This may be useful for testing, but remember to unlock by pressing the L key and hit Apply when finished. As you saved a few profiles, you won't need to wait 30 minutes for another OC Scanner session, if you reset (Ctrl+D) the card to its defaults.
![MSI Afterburner guide 03p GPU is now locked at max](https://storage-asset.msi.com/global/picture/news/2023/vga/MSI-Afterburner-guide-03p-GPU-is-now-locked-at-max.jpg)
Why aren't all GPUs set to undervolt by default? Manufacturers choose stable settings that run all GPUs at a certain tier, as even identically made GPUs can have slightly different voltage tolerances. With undervolting you could see less fps, greater and more 1% percent lows, or screen tearing and instability, though you can reset to fix any changes you've made.
In the next article, we’ll cover enabling and setting up the OSD, go into Hardware Monitoring, adjusting fan speeds with Custom Fan profiles, and the Video Capture feature
Click to continue to MSI Afterburner Features such as on screen display, hardware monitoring, custom fan profiles and video capture
Watch MSI Afterburner Overclocking & Undervolting Guide: