Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. Guides

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

The best GPU overclocking software in 2023

Tyler Lacoma
By

The best GPU overclocking software in 2023 is the same as it’s been for the past decade: MSI Afterburner. It’s an awesome tool for pushing your graphics card to its extremes, whether you’re trying to eke out a little more power from your RX 6500 XT, or push your RTX 4090 beyond its already ridiculous performance.

That’s not the only graphics card overclocking tool worth considering though. AMD and Nvidia’s first-party apps have been getting better and better, and there are some other manufacturer-specific GPU overclocking tools worth considering.

Recommended Videos

Here’s a list of some of the best graphics card overclocking tools available today. For more information, check out our step-by-step guide on how to overclock your graphics card.

Related

MSI Afterburner

The performance monitoring screen of MSI Afterburner.

For GPU overclocking, MSI Afterburner is the ideal choice for almost anyone. The software allows for in-depth customization of GPU settings that are presented in an easy-to-understand manner. Gamers can use it to adjust clock frequency, voltage, and fan speed while monitoring key GPU performance indicators to watch for any problems. It can also adjust voltages and power limits, making it a breeze to overclock just about any GPU.

The monitoring system is incredibly in depth, and you can track frame rates in-game too, making it a great all-in-one tool for monitoring and overclocking your graphics card. If you’re not really sure where to begin, there is a one-click overclocking tool that will analyze your GPU and pick overclocking settings to help optimize the card without crashing it.

AMD and Nvidia’s own apps

The AMD Performance Tuning app showing GPU performance.

AMD and Nvidia have their own GPU overclocking tools you can use too. They’re pretty good as well, with AMD’s Radeon Adrenaline software in particular offering an intuitive and comprehensive overclocking solution. It includes automated overclocking, undervolting, and fan curve adjustments, though you can also tweak it all manually. It also gives you a singular location for turning on additional GPU features like Radeon Chill and Radeon Anti-Lag.

Nvidia’s GeForce Experience app isn’t quite so intuitive, but it’s still a great tool for tweaking performance, monitoring GPU stats, and adjusting your game settings. Both are entirely free to download and use.

We have detailed instructions on how to download AMD’s Radeon Performance Tuning app and Nvidia’s GeForce Experience app.

Asus GPU Tweak II

The Asus GPU Tweak II showing game mode information.

Asus also brings a powerful overclocking app to the table. The UI for the GPU Tweak II is particularly friendly, dividing choices between an overclock mode, gaming mode, silent mode (for music and video performance without a noisy fan), and a My Profile section for saving all your customizations.

The overclock mode is very easy to use, simply showing your VRAM, GPU clock speed, and GPU temperature while allowing you to make changes. There’s an automatic Gaming Booster if you don’t want to think too much about optimization, and a Professional Mode if you prefer to be a lot more hands-on.

Evga Precision X1

The dashboard of the Evga Precision X1 app.

Evga’s Precision X1 is an impressively complete package and very effective at monitoring multiple aspects of GPU performance at once. The primary screen gives a valuable snapshot of clock rate, temperature, VRAM usage, target levels, and detailed fan performance, allowing you to make any changes you want and save your customization as a GPU profile to use later. The app also includes stress tests to see how your configuration performs and even the ability to control the RGB lighting that your GPU may be using. If you’ve invested a lot of time in your gaming station and graphics card, Precision X1 could be just what you’re looking for to take your GPU performance to the next level.

Sapphire TriXX

The dashboard of the Sapphire TriXX app.

Designed specifically for Sapphire Nitro+ and Pulse graphics cards, TriXX is an all-in-one GPU solution that allows you to monitor clock speeds and set new targets. It includes the Toxic Boost mode for more automated optimization, as well as monitoring software to keep an eye on how components are running. The fan settings section lets you test current fan performance, while the Nitro Glow section is for controlling your RGB lighting on compatible hardware. While the UI isn’t quite as flashy as other options, there’s still a lot to appreciate here, and owners of Sapphire cards should certainly take a look.

Now what?

Once you’ve figured out which piece of overclocking software you want to use to overclock your graphics card, you have to actually do it! Here’s a guide on how to how to overclock your graphics card to get you started. Once you’re done there, see how much you’ve improved performance with some of the best GPU benchmarks.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Tyler Lacoma
Tyler Lacoma
Contributor
If it can be streamed, voice-activated, made better with an app, or beaten by mashing buttons, Tyler's into it. When he's not…
The best free parental control software for PC, Mac, iOS, and Android
Man using computer.

Everything in this world has gone digital, and that includes homework (if you have kids). If your children are young, you’re probably not giving them laptops or free rein of the family computer yet. You’re also probably not always able to monitor their screen activity, either.

That’s where parental control software comes in handy. Such software helps keep your kids safe from the dark web, and there are usually free options available for all operating systems. Keep reading to find out more.
Built-in OS features
Giving your kids technology designed for their age group is an excellent first step toward keeping them safe online. When they have access to more general computing devices, you can leverage parental control features built right into the operating system. The parental controls for both Windows and macOS provide a convenient and acceptable means for restricting web access and chat functionality, and give parents the ability to view detailed logs and monitor email exchanges.
Microsoft Family Safety

Read more
Nvidia’s RTX 4060 might not be such a disappointment after all
Nvidia's RTX 4070 graphics cards over a pink background.

Nvidia's RTX 4060 is right around the corner, so it's really no surprise that the first benchmarks are already starting to leak out. Today, two tests have been spotted, and they bode pretty well for the GPU. The RTX 3060, which is still a favorite among Nvidia users, might be around 20% slower than the upcoming Ada Lovelace model.

Will the RTX 4060 become one of the best GPUs, or at least one of the most popular models in this generation?

Read more
Why Nvidia’s brand new GPU performs worse than integrated graphics
Four Nvidia H100 HPC GPUs side by side.

One might think that a GPU that costs over $40,000 is going to be the best graphics card for gaming, but the truth is a lot more complex than that. In fact, this Nvidia GPU can't even keep up with integrated graphics solutions.

Now, before you get too upset, you should know I'm referring to Nvidia's H100, which houses the GH100 chip (Grace Hopper). It's a powerful data center GPU made to handle high-performance computing (HPC) tasks -- not power PC games. It doesn't have any display outputs, and despite its extensive capabilities, it also doesn't have any coolers. This is because, again, you'd find this GPU in a data center or server setting, where it'd be cooled with powerful external fans.

Read more