How to Use MSI Afterburner – Detailed Guide

MSI Afterburner

On a computer, hardware components turn on or off with the entire device. Typically, they don’t have their switches for Bluetooth, and the WiFi buttons are innocuous, and most of the improvements you may make to hardware within the operating system, such as changes in sound, changes in light, turns on/off Bluetooth, etc.

An average computer has many components of the hardware, and most common desktop systems don’t allow users to access settings that can alter how any of these components operate. Their suppliers preset Their sets, and you cannot change a lot if the only thing you have is the settings panel on your operating system. 

Dedicated GPUs

Many laptops & desktop systems are fitted with dedicated GPUs or graphic cards. They are often used on systems intended for graphical tasks such as gaming, animation, video processing etc.

Their abilities differ depending on the model, but a GPU is not always designed to work at its highest level.

Many GPUs on a system, whether the system is custom-constructed or pre-constructed, are set to perform below the highest possible standard. This includes how quickly they can run, how much power the machine can draw from it, how quickly GPU fans spin, and more.

All these settings can be modified and sometimes lead to an effective GPU operation and a better device operation. The only trick is to find a method for handling these settings. 

MSI Afterburner

What Is MSI Afterburner?

The MSI Afterburner is one of the most popular, plus capable apps available if you are checking to change how the GPU on your system works well.

That app can work with both AMD and Nvidia GPUs, and it supports newer and older models from these manufacturers.

This has been developed by MSI, a company that manufactures its hardware components, including GPUs. Suppose you happen to have an MSI GPU, and this app will let you customize its settings, i.e., so, underclock or overclock various aspects of the hardware.

Features:

  1. Benchmarking; to stress test the GPU to see how well it performs when put via its paces.
  2. Monitor GPU health; Temperature, clock speed, core speed, voltage/power consumption, usage.
  3. Video capture; record gameplay in various framerates & save it in a variety of formats.
  4. Undervolting: reduce power consumption for the GPU.
  5. Overclocking/underclocking: increase/decrease the memory clock speed of the GPU.
  6. Customize fan speed & create different profiles.

How to Use MSI Afterburner

1. Monitoring with MSI Afterburner

This MSI Afterburner monitoring tool allows you to get a live look at the vitals of your GPU. So, As you overclock or underclock the memory clock and voltage of the GPU, you can use this monitoring tool to see the impact.

To use this monitoring tool;

  • Open MSI Afterburner.
  • Next, At the bottom, you will see a small graph—double-click inside this graph to separate it to an independent window of its own.
  • Move to through the various graphs for Temperature, usage, VID usage, BUS usage, memory usage, etc. This monitoring tool will also show you vitals for the CPU in addition to the GPU, and the onboard graphics card.

MSI Afterburner

2. Video capture with MSI Afterburner

You must set a keyboard shortcut to start using the video capture function.

  • Start, Open MSI Afterburner.
  • Then, click the settings button.
  • Next, On the settings window, go to the Video Capture tab.
  • Here, Record a keyboard shortcut for ‘Video capture’.
  • Lastly, click Apply and then use the shortcut whenever you need to record the screen.

MSI Afterburner

3. Benchmarking with MSI Afterburner

As well, To run benchmark tests on your GPU, you need to use the Kombustor app. That app has been developed by MSI as well, and it works with Afterburner. But, it needs to be downloaded and installed separately.

Kombustor app

To Download the Kombustor app from the MSI Afterburner site. So, Install it if you have MSI Afterburner open, close and open it again once Kombustor has been installed.

Run benchmark tests

  • Now, Open MSI Afterburner.
  • Then, make any changes you want to the GPU. Suppose you’d like to run the tests on its current settings, move to the next step.
  • Next, Click the K button at the top.
  • Here, The Kombustor app will open. So, Click the RUN stress test button.
  • Finally, Allow the tests to complete and see how well your GPU performed.

MSI Afterburner

4. Overclocking with MSI Afterburner

As overclock the GPU, follow the steps below and remember to do this at your own risk.

  • Well, Open MSI Afterburner.
  • Then, set the Power Limit and the Temperature to the maximum from their respective sliders.
  • Next, Move on to the core clock speed slider and increase the speed. Please do this in small increments so that you can tell when you’ve set it too high for your system to handle.
  • Now, Check the performance of the system, and increase the speed further if you want or need to. Suppose you’re happy with the boost you’ve gotten, don’t push the GPU to higher clock speeds needlessly.

MSI Afterburner

5. Undervolting with MSI Afterburner

As well, Undervolting a GPU reduces how much power it can draw. This may seem counter-productive, but it boosts the performance of the CPU.

  • Open MSI Afterburner.
  • Tap the settings button.
  • Then, On the General tab, enable ‘Unlock voltage control’.
  • Next, apply the change and restart the app if needed.
  • Here, Use the Core Voltage & Power Limit sliders to reduce the GPUs power’s consumption.

Supported GPU

Now, Before you can use MSI Afterburner to undervolt a GPU, you should know that it will only work with Pascal GPUs. So, You can view a list of all Pascal GPUs here. Suppose your GPU isn’t a Pascal GPU, you can’t use MSI Afterburner. But, you can look for other tools that might be able to undervolt your GPU. Though, For AMD GPUs, find their equivalent Nvidia cards and check the linked list.

6. Set custom fan speeds with MSI Afterburner

Asset custom fan speeds with MSI Afterburner, make sure your GPU model has fans of its own. Well, GPUs that are used in laptops generally do not have their fans and instead are kept cool by the CPU fan.

  • So, Open MSI Afterburner.
  • Tick the settings button.
  • Move to the Fans tab.
  • Then, Enable “Enable user-defined software automatic fan control”.
  • Next, you are going to see a curve that maps fan speed against GPU temperature. This warmer the GPU is, the faster the fans will run. These points on the curve can be moved. So, Move them to change how fast the fans run at a particular temperature.
  • Here, Click Ok and save the fan profile.

Can I use another tool?

So, MSI Afterburner is the go-to tool for changing how the GPU works, but it’s not the only tool for the job. There are lots of apps that can change how a GPU works.

Whether you find MSI Afterburner doesn’t support your GPU model, try other tools that might work. Well, Keep an eye on the specifications of your GPU when using these tools.

Also, Check :

  1. Torlock
  2. JustDubs
  3. Card Games

Final Words:

As well, A high-end GPU isn’t the only way to get more out of a system. Suppose your GPU model isn’t too old, you might be able to run newer games on it merely by changing its settings.

So, Invest a little time and figure out what settings are best for your system, and your particular usage. Here, You may be able to hold off on buying a new GPU or upgrading your laptop for a few years.

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