Having a dedicated graphics card, even if it is not the latest model, it is possible to exploit it to enhance the computer by pushing its processor to maximum power, with an overclocking procedure.
Overclocking a processor means increasing its energy and its computing capacity which the manufacturer keeps lower due to a question of safety and energy saving.
Overclocking the GPU (i.e. the graphics card) is a procedure allowed by manufacturers that anyone can do on his computer without too much difficulty, using a program that does not require particular knowledge or advanced computer skills.
Even if the risk is very low and almost zero, overclocking can theoretically damage the graphics card processor or other components in the computer.
The important thing is to proceed with caution, increasing the power step by step, without immediately going to the maximum.
In this article we will see how to overclock the computer's GPU to increase its power using the Afterburner program for Windows that works on both NVIDIA video cards and AMD GPUs.
Overclocking is recommended on a desktop PC, but not recommended on laptops that could end up generating too much heat and consuming too much energy.
This guide to overclocking the graphics card therefore focuses on a desktop PC with Windows operating system, which has an NVIDIA or AMD GPU (not other integrated systems such as Intel).
1) Overclocking programs to use
The program we are going to use is MSI Afterburner, free and compatible with any NVIDIA or AMD GPU.
To measure performance we should also have a benchmark program at hand, such as Unigine Heaven, to compare performance before, during and after.
GPU-Z is another program to keep open during overclocking to measure temperature, fan speed and power of the graphics card in real time.
2) Knowing precisely which graphics card we have in the PC
Each graphics card is different: in its basic design NVIDIA or AMD, in the customizations added by manufacturers such as ASUS, Gigabyte or Sapphire, in the generation and then in the small variations and imperfections of the production process itself.
In addition, the overclocking results and maximum performance of the same graphics card may differ from one computer to another depending on the hardware configuration.
To find out everything about your computer's hardware you can use a program like Speccy, free, simple and precise.
Do not forget to update the graphics card driver to the latest version, which is always very important for maintaining high performance.
3) Run the benchmark before overclocking
Before starting, we need to see where we start from and, therefore, use the benchmark tool indicated in point 1, measuring the performance of the GPU when it is pushed to 100% of its current possibilities.
Keep GPU-Z open to check processor usage in real time even during the benchmark.
Save the values shown or mark them somewhere.
4) Open MSI Afterburner to boost the GPU clock and voltage
Afterburner's overclocking tool has an interface that looks like the odometer in a car video game, which makes it look very sophisticated.
What interests us for an overclocking of the video card are the values of the core clock which is the speed measured in MHz and the electrical voltage ( Core Voltage ), measured in Volts that the card is able to absorb from the PC power supply.
In the latest version of Afterburner it is necessary to press the gear icon to open the program options and activate the voltage control release.
Changing randomly one of these values can make the GPU and the computer unstable, so it is important to proceed gradually and gently increase the speed and voltage until stability problems are found, then go back and stabilize on a stable maximum value.
Change the clock speed first, using the control in the center, to +10 or +20.
Click on Apply and note that in GPU-Z the GPU-Clock value increases and is higher than Default Clock, which is the initial speed.
If everything went well and there were no problems, you can rerun the benchmark to see if, by pushing the GPU now to the maximum, the computer crashes, crashes.
Also note if visual artifacts appear in the benchmark graphics or black dots or colored dots that are not good.
If there is none of this, you can try pushing the GPU clock forward another 10 points, otherwise you have to move it back and retry the benchmark until the performance is stable and error free.
As mentioned above, it is also possible to increase the GPU voltage to allow clock values higher than the initial limit, increasing the Core Voltage value which is in percentage.
Raise it by 5% and then run the benchmark to verify that there are no instabilities.
Increasing the tension also causes an increase in the heat which is to be kept under control.
The Temp limit value in Afterburner tells us that when the graphics card reaches that temperature the PC shuts down for safety.
This value can be increased, but it is not recommended at all.
The process of increasing the clock and voltage values slowly can be repeated always measuring the performance with the benchmark, until the first problems are seen.
At that point, go back to previous values, make sure that the temperature does not go up too much using the benchmark again and stabilize the overclock in Afterburner .
The end result should be a performance improvement of around 10% or maybe more depending on the PC configuration.
With Afterburner, it is also possible to increase the clock speed of the GPU memory, but it is not recommended because the performance will not significantly increase.
In addition, Afterburner can manipulate the fan speed on the GPU, which by default is in "auto" mode which is fine.
The graphics card will automatically increase or decrease the speed of the cooling fans when its temperature sensors detect the need to do so.
Once you have finished overclocking in Afterburner, look at the padlock at the bottom right which must be unlocked and then click on the diskette to save the configuration and then click one of the numbers to save the profile.
In case of problems, you can always press the key that restores the initial values, the one with the arrow that goes back.
READ ALSO: Change CPU speed, Graphics Card and RAM: best programs
Overclocking a processor means increasing its energy and its computing capacity which the manufacturer keeps lower due to a question of safety and energy saving.
Overclocking the GPU (i.e. the graphics card) is a procedure allowed by manufacturers that anyone can do on his computer without too much difficulty, using a program that does not require particular knowledge or advanced computer skills.
Even if the risk is very low and almost zero, overclocking can theoretically damage the graphics card processor or other components in the computer.
The important thing is to proceed with caution, increasing the power step by step, without immediately going to the maximum.
In this article we will see how to overclock the computer's GPU to increase its power using the Afterburner program for Windows that works on both NVIDIA video cards and AMD GPUs.
Overclocking is recommended on a desktop PC, but not recommended on laptops that could end up generating too much heat and consuming too much energy.
This guide to overclocking the graphics card therefore focuses on a desktop PC with Windows operating system, which has an NVIDIA or AMD GPU (not other integrated systems such as Intel).
1) Overclocking programs to use
The program we are going to use is MSI Afterburner, free and compatible with any NVIDIA or AMD GPU.
To measure performance we should also have a benchmark program at hand, such as Unigine Heaven, to compare performance before, during and after.
GPU-Z is another program to keep open during overclocking to measure temperature, fan speed and power of the graphics card in real time.
2) Knowing precisely which graphics card we have in the PC
Each graphics card is different: in its basic design NVIDIA or AMD, in the customizations added by manufacturers such as ASUS, Gigabyte or Sapphire, in the generation and then in the small variations and imperfections of the production process itself.
In addition, the overclocking results and maximum performance of the same graphics card may differ from one computer to another depending on the hardware configuration.
To find out everything about your computer's hardware you can use a program like Speccy, free, simple and precise.
Do not forget to update the graphics card driver to the latest version, which is always very important for maintaining high performance.
3) Run the benchmark before overclocking
Before starting, we need to see where we start from and, therefore, use the benchmark tool indicated in point 1, measuring the performance of the GPU when it is pushed to 100% of its current possibilities.
Keep GPU-Z open to check processor usage in real time even during the benchmark.
Save the values shown or mark them somewhere.
4) Open MSI Afterburner to boost the GPU clock and voltage
Afterburner's overclocking tool has an interface that looks like the odometer in a car video game, which makes it look very sophisticated.
What interests us for an overclocking of the video card are the values of the core clock which is the speed measured in MHz and the electrical voltage ( Core Voltage ), measured in Volts that the card is able to absorb from the PC power supply.
In the latest version of Afterburner it is necessary to press the gear icon to open the program options and activate the voltage control release.
Changing randomly one of these values can make the GPU and the computer unstable, so it is important to proceed gradually and gently increase the speed and voltage until stability problems are found, then go back and stabilize on a stable maximum value.
Change the clock speed first, using the control in the center, to +10 or +20.
Click on Apply and note that in GPU-Z the GPU-Clock value increases and is higher than Default Clock, which is the initial speed.
If everything went well and there were no problems, you can rerun the benchmark to see if, by pushing the GPU now to the maximum, the computer crashes, crashes.
Also note if visual artifacts appear in the benchmark graphics or black dots or colored dots that are not good.
If there is none of this, you can try pushing the GPU clock forward another 10 points, otherwise you have to move it back and retry the benchmark until the performance is stable and error free.
As mentioned above, it is also possible to increase the GPU voltage to allow clock values higher than the initial limit, increasing the Core Voltage value which is in percentage.
Raise it by 5% and then run the benchmark to verify that there are no instabilities.
Increasing the tension also causes an increase in the heat which is to be kept under control.
The Temp limit value in Afterburner tells us that when the graphics card reaches that temperature the PC shuts down for safety.
This value can be increased, but it is not recommended at all.
The process of increasing the clock and voltage values slowly can be repeated always measuring the performance with the benchmark, until the first problems are seen.
At that point, go back to previous values, make sure that the temperature does not go up too much using the benchmark again and stabilize the overclock in Afterburner .
The end result should be a performance improvement of around 10% or maybe more depending on the PC configuration.
With Afterburner, it is also possible to increase the clock speed of the GPU memory, but it is not recommended because the performance will not significantly increase.
In addition, Afterburner can manipulate the fan speed on the GPU, which by default is in "auto" mode which is fine.
The graphics card will automatically increase or decrease the speed of the cooling fans when its temperature sensors detect the need to do so.
Once you have finished overclocking in Afterburner, look at the padlock at the bottom right which must be unlocked and then click on the diskette to save the configuration and then click one of the numbers to save the profile.
In case of problems, you can always press the key that restores the initial values, the one with the arrow that goes back.
READ ALSO: Change CPU speed, Graphics Card and RAM: best programs
