How to Overclock GPU for Better Gaming Performance #GeekLeap

If you happen to’re a gamer, a very powerful part in your desktop PC is the graphics card. The GPU gives all of the graphical horsepower that that you must play the newest and biggest video games in your pc. And the efficiency of every recreation relies upon on how highly effective your graphics card is. That being stated, some individuals are not pleased with their GPU’s inventory efficiency and wish to squeeze out each final little bit of efficiency attainable. That is the place GPU overclocking steps into the image.

In case you have purchased one of many latest graphics playing cards such because the AMD RX 7900 XTX or the Nvidia RTX 4090, you have to be keen to achieve the utmost efficiency potential of your thousand-dollar GPU. Nevertheless, overclocking shouldn’t be solely daunting but additionally dangerous if not achieved accurately and may probably injury your GPU. That’s why we’re stepping in to information you thru the step-by-step course of to overclock your GPU and get higher gaming efficiency.

Issues to Bear in mind Earlier than Overclocking GPU

• GPU Overclocking Can Presumably Void Your Guarantee

If you happen to trigger injury to your GPU due to an unsuitable overclock, or carry out BIOS mods to increase voltage limits, the guarantee might get void. Whereas GPU overclocking doesn’t straight void the guarantee, it is vital to not go overboard with unrealistic overclocks. For readability, be sure that to do your analysis concerning the GPU model’s guarantee coverage earlier than you contemplate overclocking.

• Optimize Airflow in Your PC Case

Take your time to optimize the airflow of your PC case. Add extra followers if attainable, and guarantee there’s a respectable influx and outflow for efficient warmth dissipation. Your graphics card needs recent air and must dissipate all the warmth it outputs. The cooler your GPU is, the higher temperature overhead you’ll have for the overclock.

• Set up Required Software program & Replace GPU Drivers

Firstly, replace your GPU drivers, and be sure that Nvidia GeForce Expertise additionally installs together with the driving force in case you have an Nvidia GPU. Home windows Replace tends to overlook out on a couple of issues, so obtain the driving force out of your producer’s web site manually:

Then, click on on the hyperlinks under to obtain all the opposite monitoring and GPU stress-testing software program, and set up them. We’ll use these within the information at a later stage.

• HWiNFO – Efficiency Monitoring Device
• 3DMark Time Spy: GPU Benchmarking and stress-testing software program
• Model-provided GPU management hub/ overclocking software (if any). You will get this in your GPU model’s web site, for us it was the Asus GPU Tweak III.
• MSI Afterburner: Obtain this software program in case you want to manually overclock your graphics card.

• Sufficient Overhead in Energy Provide

Calculates the whole energy draw in your desktop PC utilizing a calculator like this one, which asks you to enter the parts of your PC. Examine this quantity to your energy provide’s ranking and make a name: is your energy provide adequate to deal with an overclocked graphics card? You must keep under 70-75% of the full wattage ranking, even after overclocking.

Additionally, keep away from utilizing PCI-e energy adapters. In case your PSU comes with 8-pin to twin 8-pin cables, we suggest leaving one particularly if you’re utilizing a excessive TDP (=>200W) graphics card for optimum distribution between the cables. Whereas all cables run off the identical rail, not each PSU is able to outputting 300W of energy by means of 2x 8-pins with none likelihood of points. And overclocking the graphics card will increase the facility consumption considerably.

Fundamental GPU Overclocking Information (Advisable For Most Customers)

This primary overclocking information is extremely really helpful for many customers. We’ll present you the default overclocking options which are current within the software program offered by your GPU model. These are secure, and don’t go overboard with overclocking your GPU, however offer you a measurable soar in efficiency. So, let’s learn to overclock your Nvidia, AMD, or Intel Arc GPU.

Overclock GPU with Model-Offered Software program

1. First, let’s take a look at tips on how to overclock with the brand-provided software program. In our case, this was ASUS GPU Tweak III. So, launch the brand-provided software program utility in your graphics card and discover the overclocking choices to allow that profile. For us, all we needed to do was choose OC Mode and the overclock was utilized.

Notice: If you happen to don’t have this sort of utility out there in your GPU, you possibly can skip forward to the following sections the place we make it easier to to allow overclocking choices offered by Nvidia, AMD, and Intel themselves.

2. After enabling OC mode, the facility goal elevated from 100% to 107%, and the GPU’s enhance clock additionally elevated. We suggest you set your individual customized fan curve right here as properly. To do this, press the “Edit” button subsequent to the fan speeds, however this selection may very well be completely different relying in your GPU. After setting the fan curve in place, it’s a must to save in order that the settings apply. Right here is an instance of a considerably aggressive fan curve that we set for our GPU:

3. You will have now efficiently overclocked your GPU utilizing the brand-provided software program! However wait, one thing is left so that you can do. Go to the stress-testing, monitoring, and benchmarking part of this information under to evaluate the GPU’s stability. Additionally, utilizing that part, it’s a must to evaluate benchmarks if the overclock offered any profit. You will need to do these steps earlier than finalizing the overclock.

Notice: Hopefully, this overclock helps obtain efficiency good points. But when it wasn’t passable sufficient, you can too allow overclocking options in GeForce Expertise, Radeon Settings, and Intel Arc Management primarily based in your GPU model. We’ll present you the steps to allow these subsequent, however you possibly can positively evaluate each overclocking options to see which one performs higher.

Overclock Your Nvidia GPU

You will need to have Nvidia GeForce Expertise put in, which is included within the driver so long as you go together with the categorical set up. However in case you didn’t, you possibly can obtain the app right here.

1. Launch Nvidia GeForce Expertise. Then, press “Management + Z” in your keyboard. You’ll discover the overlay come up in your display screen. Right here, click on on the “Efficiency” choice.

2. Within the efficiency part, you will note a characteristic known as “Allow computerized tuning” right here. Flip it on to allow the auto-overclocking characteristic in your graphics card by Nvidia. Learn the disclaimer, after which click on on “Agree and Proceed.” The method will take a while as a result of the software program might be optimizing your GPU and doing a primary stress take a look at to regulate the settings in your PC.

Notice: Earlier than enabling this, take away any current OC profiles set within the brand-provided overclocking software program. We observed our earlier OC Profile was already utilized underneath the Efficiency part of GeForce Expertise, and it’s not really helpful to stack each collectively.

3. Congratulations! You will have efficiently overclocked your Nvidia GPU by means of the GeForce Expertise Automated Tuning characteristic. After about twenty minutes, our RTX 3070 Ti was mechanically overclocked by +129MHz as you possibly can see under. However, one thing is left so that you can do. Earlier than you finalize the overclock, go to the stress testing part to confirm the soundness. There, we may even present you tips on how to benchmark the GPU and entry whether or not the overclock resulted in efficiency good points.

Overclock Your AMD GPU

Earlier than we proceed additional, do bear in mind to obtain the AMD Radeon drivers and software program from the hyperlink within the conditions part. Then, comply with the steps under:

1. Proper-click on the desktop, and click on on AMD Radeon Software program. For Home windows 11, it can present up after you click on on Present Extra Choices.

2. Contained in the AMD Radeon Software program, transfer to the Efficiency part. Beneath this, click on on the “Tuning” tab.

3. Right here, you can find two choices. You’ll be able to’t use each of them collectively, however you possibly can take a look at which one is best utilizing the benchmarking part of the information. Right here’s tips on how to allow the overclocking options current in AMD Radeon Settings:

• AMD Rage Mode: Click on on Preset in Tuning Management, and you’ll acquire entry to the assorted presets known as Quiet, Balanced, and Rage. To allow the GPU overclocking characteristic, click on on Rage underneath the tuning management presets. This may overclock your graphics card, largely by growing the facility restrict barely. It additionally will increase the fan speeds to accommodate the upper temperatures.
• AMD Auto Tuning Overclock GPU: Click on on Automated in Tuning Management, and you’ll acquire entry to numerous choices. Click on on Overclock GPU to show the characteristic on. It is going to run a take a look at whereas analyzing your system to accordingly set a steady overclock in place.

After enabling any of those options, there might be a disclaimer. After studying it, click on on Proceed. The overclocking course of will begin and full mechanically.

4. There, you may have efficiently overclocked your AMD graphics card with the in-built options current in Radeon Settings. However, you do want to check for stability which we make it easier to within the stress-testing part. As we stated earlier than, you’ll even be benchmarking your graphics card to check the enhancements of your overclock.

Overclock Your Intel Arc GPU

1. Proper-click on the desktop and click on on Intel Arc Management. For Home windows 11, the choice exhibits up after clicking “Present Extra Choices.” It’s also possible to press Alt + I collectively to launch the Arc Overlay. When it opens, click on on Efficiency.

2. Then, click on on “Configure,” which is subsequent to Efficiency Tuning. On the best facet, you may be seeing tons of overclocking choices. The native Intel Arc Management doesn’t have a one-click computerized OC characteristic, or a profile to set as a straightforward option to overclock your GPU. However don’t fear, as we are going to information you on tips on how to use these choices safely.

• Guarantee that the “Apply Settings on system boot” choice is turned on.
• Use the GPU Energy Restrict Slider to extend the allowed energy restrict of your graphics card. Set this in keeping with the overhead out there in your energy provide. Most individuals can comfortably max out the facility restrict, however that you must be sure that your energy provide can deal with it effective.
• Max out the GPU temperature restrict to 90 levels C, or a setting to your desire. This may permit your graphics card to run at hotter temperatures and thus, increased enhance clocks.
• You must solely enhance the GPU Efficiency Enhance slider in increments of +10, and confirm stability at each increment with the stress-testing part, earlier than growing it additional.
• We suggest that most individuals don’t contact the voltage offset, as that’s extra of a sophisticated overclocking choice for customers who wish to push the GPU additional.

3. Properly, you may have efficiently overclocked your Intel Arc Graphics Card. As all the time, bear in mind to make sure the soundness of your overclock settings earlier than finalizing them, with the stress-testing part of our information. You will need to additionally benchmark to entry the advantages of your OC Profile, to make any essential changes.

Superior GPU Overclocking Information for Skilled Customers

This superior OC part is suited to skilled PC Builders, who need manually fine-tune their settings as an alternative of utilizing generalized options for overclocking the GPU. Not everybody ought to do that as a result of you possibly can simply get many of the advantages of overclocking by enabling the options talked about within the primary overclocking part itself.

1. So, you wish to manually overclock your graphics card. Let’s get into it! Launch MSI Afterburner by means of its desktop shortcut or by looking for it in Home windows Search. Now, we’ll clarify to you the assorted choices, with the intention to begin overclocking your GPU.

• GPU Core Clock: This slider is used to switch your core clock – solely enhance this with 50MHz increments.
• GPU Reminiscence Clock: This slider is for modifying the VRAM’s clock pace – you possibly can enhance this by 100MHz in the beginning however after that stick with growing it by 50MHz increments.
• Core Voltage: The voltage of your graphics card may be managed with this. By no means go overboard with this, and stick with growing it in very small increments (+1 to +5 at most). On some GPUs, you get to manage the core voltage as a share (%), and on others, you management the mV (millivolts).
  • The upper you wish to push the GPU’s core & reminiscence clock speeds, the upper your voltage will must be adjusted. However go too excessive and you’ll have catastrophic results, so be very cautious with this setting.

You’ll be able to click on the Person Outline button which is underneath fan pace, to manually set your fan curve as properly. When achieved with the settings, be sure you click on the Home windows button on the high proper, which ensures the overclock and fan curve might be utilized when your system begins up. Then, click on on the Apply button to set the OC settings in place.

After each incremental enhance, go to the stress-testing part of our information to confirm the soundness of your OC settings. It is a necessary step and earlier than you enhance the core clock & reminiscence clock sliders additional, be sure that your GPU is steady and the HWiNFO readings are fascinating (underneath anticipated limits).

2. That is what the ultimate handbook OC settings of our RTX 3070 Ti appear like. We favor to go away the voltage setting as it’s and elevated the core & reminiscence clocks of the GPU as excessive as they may go on the default voltage. In the long run, we had been in a position to enhance the core clock by +200MHz, and the reminiscence clock by +300 MHz. We additionally maxed out the facility restrict & temperature limits and set an aggressive fan curve in place.

A ton of stress testing was achieved earlier than we arrived at this setting. Going above 300MHz on the core or 450MHz on the reminiscence had stability points, or resulted within the working system crashing. Therefore, this was our remaining ‘secure’ OC setting. We’ll take a look at the benchmarking outcomes later, within the final part of the information.

3. When achieved, be sure that you save your OC profile by clicking on the Save button within the middle after which clicking on one of many numbers on the proper, by which your profile might be saved.

4. You will have now realized to overclock your graphics card manually utilizing MSI Afterburner. As talked about earlier than, bear in mind to stress-test to substantiate the soundness of your GPU overclock. But additionally, don’t overlook to benchmark the graphics card and choose whether or not the overclock is price holding.

GPU Benchmarking, Monitoring, and Stress Testing

So, you’ve utilized the GPU overclock efficiently, utilizing the newbie or superior part. Properly, in both case, it is rather essential so that you can benchmark scores, monitor temperature sensors, and stress-test the graphics card for stability. Regardless that the fundamental information solely allows the native OC options offered to you, we contemplate doing this part as a compulsory step in overclocking.

Why? After overclocking, the GPU’s temperature will rise and the facility consumption will enhance. You will need to monitor the soundness at the moment in a stress take a look at, which is able to push your video card to its limits. Monitoring the GPU Core & VRAM Temperatures at the moment will confirm the soundness of your overclock. Additionally, benchmarking and evaluating the inventory numbers to overclocked outcomes will make it easier to resolve if the overclocking is definitely worth the disadvantages it comes with. That are: a rise in temperature, energy consumption, and better noise ranges.

Stress-Testing to Confirm the Stability of Your GPU Overclock

1. With a view to stress-test, let’s get the monitoring instruments working first. You will need to have HWiNFO downloaded already, which we requested you to do within the ‘Issues to Bear in mind’ part. So, launch the HWiNFO64.exe file, after extracting the downloaded ZIP. Examine Sensors solely, after which click on on Begin. Subsequent, scroll down till you discover the information from numerous sensors of your GPU.

2. We’ll now clarify to you what sensors that you must carefully observe, when the stress-test is working. There’s a huge motive why we had you obtain HWiNFO, as an alternative of every other system monitoring utility. It exhibits you the VRAM temperature, which isn’t talked about usually however is kind of essential to observe if you’re overclocking a contemporary graphics card with GDDR6 or GDDR6X VRAM.

• GPU Temperature: That is the temperature of your GPU chip itself. We suggest this to be underneath 85-degrees, as a result of different elements (VRAM & Hotspot Temperature) normally get a lot a lot hotter proportionally.
• GPU Reminiscence Junction Temperature: This represents the temperature of your VRAM. Ever since GPU producers launched quicker VRAM, such because the GDDR6X VRAM on RTX 3080 playing cards, this has turn out to be a vital sensor to observe to make sure your VRAM shouldn’t be working at undesirable temperatures.
  • You will need to have heard of 95-degree being the ceiling for many instances, however you’d be stunned to know what number of CPUs & GPUs run at 100-degree and even 105-degree on sure elements.
  • For instance, the i9-13900K doesn’t run all its cores at 100 levels Celcius, however a couple of are allowed to take action, which permits the chip to achieve enhance frequencies. The max thermal restrict for that chip is 100 levels Celcius. One other instance can be laptop computer chips, just like the Ryzen 5 5600H with a most working temperature of 105 levels Celcius.
  • So what ought to your GPU’s VRAM temperature be? Micron’s website says 105-degree C is the utmost working temperature. Throttling tends to start at 110-degree C, however undoubtedly something above the 100-degree C vary and your GPU cooler should flex its muscle tissue.
    • Ideally, we predict that 100 levels Celcius is OK, however solely throughout prolonged masses. If it creeps up above 105 levels Celcius although, it needs to be regarding for you.
• GPU Hotspot Temperature: This means the most popular reported temperature by the GPU, because the title signifies, from the ‘hotspot’. The Reminiscence Junction temperature is separate and may very well be increased than the Hotspot. However, in case you don’t have a VRAM temperature sensor in your GPU, the hotspot temperature will report the general hottest level on the graphics card.
• GPU Energy: This experiences the facility consumption of your graphics card. It ought to keep throughout the energy provide’s overhead, and if it jumps by a significant quantity (say, 100W) it’s best to positively calculate your system’s whole energy consumption so you possibly can confirm if its underneath the 80% max load that we recommended for most individuals’s energy provides.
  • Whereas the system might run effective even at a considerably increased GPU energy restrict set by the overclock, it doesn’t imply it’s best to run it like that. If you happen to don’t have sufficient overhead, we suggest you decrease the overclock or restore the settings again to inventory, to be on the safer facet.

3. Now, launch the 3DMark software program with its desktop shortcut or by looking for it in Home windows Search. Don’t launch the benchmark straight – we now have to set some customized settings first. So, click on on Benchmarks, then click on on 3DMark Time Spy to entry the settings earlier than you start the take a look at.

4. Subsequent, click on on Customized Run. Set the choice of Looping enabled to On, after which click on on Run Customized. This may start the stress-test, and it received’t offer you any benchmarking scores however continually loop the take a look at till you cease it.

5. You will need to preserve the stress-test working for half-hour to confirm stability of the present overclock settings. Whereas it’s happening, press Alt+Tab to modify to the HWiNFO Sensors software. Right here, it’s a must to keep watch over the assorted stats which we had requested you to watch – making certain that the GPU’s hotspot, VRAM, and core temperatures are usually not too excessive. If issues are steady, however at an undesirable temperature, growing you fan speeds can assist.

When 3DMark Time Spy has been working for half-hour, and you’ve got verified that the assorted GPU temperature sensors are in examine, it means your system has handed the soundness take a look at and you’ll preserve the overclock settings. You’ll be able to shut the appliance after finishing the stress-test.

Nevertheless, if the PC shuts off, stops responding, or exhibits any visible artifacts whereas the stress-test is happening, it signifies that your PC shouldn’t be steady with that overclock setting. In that case, you’ll should revert again to inventory settings, or decrease the overclock to a extra steady setting which may cross this 30-minute 3DMark Time Spy GPU Stress take a look at.

6. Nice, you’ve accomplished the stress-test part. By this level, you’ll have optimized your settings to regulate for the overclock, similar to modifying the fan curve to be extra aggressive, or lowering the facility/temperature restrict of your GPU. Properly, though your overclock has been confirmed to be steady, one thing is left so that you can do – benchmarking the GPU & deciding if the overclock is price it.

Benchmark Your Graphics Card to See Overclocking Advantages

You will need to benchmark your GPU to entry the advantages of your overclock settings! This manner, you possibly can measure how a lot the efficiency has elevated. Possibly the soar was important, or possibly it was fairly minor. In any case, it’s best to know the efficiency stage of your graphics card at inventory settings, and evaluate it in opposition to the numbers you get when the GPU is overclocked.

For benchmarking, you should utilize the identical 3DMark software program we used for stress-testing. However this time, it’s a must to run a standard benchmark and get scores for the inventory efficiency, and for when your overclock is lively. Together with this, take a look at an intensive recreation of your option to see if the FPS improved. We might be taking part in Cyberpunk 2077 on our graphics card and testing the GPU with numerous completely different OC options. The benchmarking outcomes might be demonstrated on the finish of this part.

1. Open the 3DMark Software program, navigate to Benchmarks, and click on on Time Spy. This may begin the benchmark.

2. When the testing completes, you’re going to get your scores. File this quantity someplace, and repeat the benchmarking course of until you may have gathered sufficient information in your graphics card’s inventory efficiency, and have additionally examined the assorted overclocking strategies you possibly can allow.

3. Now, play an intensive recreation of your alternative and do the identical step – collect information in your GPU’s inventory & overclocked efficiency. We might be utilizing Cyberpunk 2077 at maxed out settings with RT on Excessive, to push the graphics card and see if the OC offered any in-game advantages.

4. After finishing the benchmarks, evaluate the information to guage which setting is price to maintain your GPU at. Overclocking your graphics card comes with a couple of cons, similar to increased temperatures & louder fan speeds. In case your overclock was not as helpful as you anticipated, however the soar in temperature & noise stage is an excessive amount of, possibly you want to contemplate reverting again to inventory settings. But when the efficiency soar was price it for you, preserve the OC profile lively.

Right here’s what the benchmark outcomes had been for numerous modes that we might set our GPU at. Now we have proven & in contrast outcomes for the inventory efficiency, overclocked with GeForce Expertise Auto Tuning, turning on brand-provided ASUS GPU Tweak III OC characteristic, and in addition a handbook overclock utilizing MSI Afterburner.

5. Congratulations! You will have accomplished the complete overclocking course of, together with benchmarking & stress-testing your graphics card. We hope you had been in a position to overclock the GPU efficiently. After an extended day of working checks in your {hardware}, it should really feel nice to squeeze out some further efficiency.

Often Requested Questions