Modern graphics cards already boost themselves to the limit of their power and temperature budget, so manual tuning gives modest gains: usually +3–8% FPS from overclocking. Undervolting is often more useful: the card runs at the same speed (or very close) while drawing 10–25% less power, running cooler and quieter. Both are done with free software and are fully reversible if you follow the rules below.
Safety rules: change one setting at a time and in small steps; keep the GPU core below about 80–83 °C; never raise voltage beyond what the program officially allows; do not flash a modified BIOS or use hardware mods; and always test stability before you leave the settings on. Software tuning can formally fall outside the warranty terms of some manufacturers, so check yours. Undervolting is the safest option: it lowers heat and stress instead of raising them.
Which programs you need
MSI Afterburner (with RivaTuner)
The most popular tuning tool. It works with GeForce and Radeon cards of any brand, not only MSI. It sets the power limit, core and memory offsets, the fan curve and the voltage/frequency curve, and RivaTuner shows temperature, clocks and FPS on screen while you play. Free.
Download MSI Afterburner (official MSI page). Download it only from msi.com or guru3d.com.
AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition
For Radeon cards the tuning tools are built into the driver: Performance → Tuning lets you set a voltage offset, power limit, memory settings and the fan curve with no extra program.
Download AMD drivers (official site)
NVIDIA App
The official GeForce app. It installs drivers, shows performance overlays and offers simple automatic GPU tuning. A good first step if you do not want to edit curves by hand.
Download the NVIDIA App (official site)
To check that the settings are stable you also need monitoring and a load test. These are the programs from our stress test article:
HWiNFO
Shows temperatures (core, hot spot, memory), power draw and clocks in real time. Keep it open during every test.
Download HWiNFO (official site)
OCCT
The GPU test finds errors and stops by itself, which makes it the best way to catch an unstable undervolt or overclock.
Download OCCT (official site)
Unigine Superposition
A repeatable benchmark with a score: run it before and after tuning to see the real difference.
Download Superposition (official site)
FurMark
Maximum heat load. Use it for short cooler checks, not for hours.
Download FurMark (official site)
Undervolting step by step (MSI Afterburner)
The idea: the card keeps its normal top clock but at a lower voltage. The example values come from MSI’s own guide for the RTX 5060 Ti; every card is different, so treat them only as a starting point.
- Install the latest GPU driver, then Afterburner. Run Superposition or a game and write down the stock clock, voltage, power and temperature (the example card: about 2760 MHz at 1.045 V and 166 W).
- Set the Power Limit to 100% and open the Curve Editor (the button under the Core Voltage slider, or Ctrl+F).
- On the curve choose a lower voltage point, for example 900 mV. Hold Shift and drag that point up until it reaches your stock clock (about 2.8 GHz in the example).
- Press L twice to lock the point and click Apply (the check mark). The curve becomes flat after that voltage.
- Run the OCCT GPU test and a game for 15–20 minutes while watching HWiNFO. If everything is stable, repeat with a point 25 mV lower.
- When you get a crash, driver reset or artifacts, go back to the last stable point and add a margin (25 mV, or 50–100 MHz less). Save it as a profile.
MSI’s example: the card stayed stable at about 2.8 GHz at 900 mV and reached about 2.4 GHz at 800 mV, which saves much more power at the cost of some speed. The easiest alternative needs no curve editing: simply lower the Power Limit to about 83%.
Overclocking step by step (MSI Afterburner)
- In Settings → General enable “Unlock voltage control”, apply and let Afterburner restart. Raise the Power Limit and the Core Voltage slider to the maximum: this only allows the voltage level the manufacturer has already approved.
- Set the fan manually (50–60% is usually enough) and make sure the core stays below 75 °C before you start.
- Raise Core Clock in steps of 50 MHz. Apply, test for a few minutes, repeat. In MSI’s example the card survived a stress test up to +400 MHz; crashes are normal while you look for the limit.
- Take the last stable value and lower it by 100–150 MHz for daily use, because a short test does not reveal every error.
- Only then raise Memory Clock in steps of about 100 MHz and test again. Artifacts or a drop in FPS mean the memory went too far.
- Test for several hours in total: OCCT, Superposition in a loop and your favourite games. Only after that enable “Apply overclocking at system startup”. If the PC ever fails to boot, hold Ctrl while Windows starts to skip the profile.
Radeon: tuning in AMD Software
- Open AMD Software → Performance → Tuning, choose Custom and enable GPU tuning.
- Start with a small negative voltage offset (for example −30 mV) and keep the power limit at stock.
- Play a demanding scene for 20–30 minutes. A game crash, black screen or driver timeout means the offset is too aggressive: go back one step.
- Change the power limit only after the offset is stable, and leave memory at stock until the GPU settings have survived several days of use.
- Save separate profiles (stock, quiet, performance). Driver updates can reset tuning, so check after each update.
Short checklist
- Note the stock clock, power and temperatures
- Install the latest driver and monitor with HWiNFO
- Undervolt first: it is the safest and gives a quieter PC
- Overclock only if the cooling has headroom (core below 80 °C)
- Change one value at a time, in small steps
- Test with OCCT and a game, then add a safety margin
- Save a profile and recheck it after every driver update
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