• How to set up and use MSI Afterburner. Enable game monitoring in MSI Afterburner

    Preface

    An interesting software product, based on the technologies of the popular utility for fine tuning RivaTuner video cards, under the eloquent name MSI Afterburner (translated as “Forsage from MSI”). In many ways, it has something in common with the already well-known utility for managing and overclocking EVGA Precision video cards, also created using RivaTuner developments, but it has some interesting differences. We invite you to read a short review new program.

    Terms of use and distribution

    As follows from license agreement attached to the program, use of this utility is free for end user, but the distribution right belongs exclusively to MSI, as its name eloquently hints at. That is, its appearance in file archives of third-party sites without the company’s permission is not entirely legal.

    Why did we pay attention to this fact? In the vast expanses of the former USSR, the phrase “intellectual property right” falls into the category of “obscure puns.” IN present moment It is unknown whether MSI will strictly control third-party sites in terms of distribution of the program. We respect intellectual property and to write a review we downloaded the program from the official website :).

    In addition to distribution from the official website, MSI Afterburner will also be available on discs with software supplied with video cards of this manufacturer. At the moment, there is no “binding” to cards exclusively manufactured by MSI and you can freely use it on video cards of any brand. We hope that this practice will continue in the future.

    By the way, the only technical support forum is not company website, as would be quite logical to expect, but a completely different resource is the portal Guru3D.com. Unfortunately, users who do not speak the “great and mighty” English language will be left without support.

    The program supports all current versions of Windows OS (except for server solutions), GeForce 8X00 and newer video cards for NVIDIA and R3000 and newer for AMD. As you can see, unlike EVGA Precision, owners of old GeForce 6th and 7th series video cards are out of work. For users Windows Vista and Windows 7, which uses User Account Control (UAC), will have to allow the program to start every time it starts (including when it boots up with the system), as for RivaTuner, but at least no installation warnings appear unsigned drivers.

    Install and run the program

    Here we have the familiar EVGA Precision option “all settings in one window.” This can be considered convenient, especially for an inexperienced user. Is this really just a clone of EVGA's utility? But it's not that simple. A new item immediately attracts attention - “Core Voltage”.

    Yes, this is nothing more than controlling the voltage supplied to the GPU. The option itself is not new, and advanced RivaTuner users can already control the voltage through the command line tool, but this is the first time this setting has been displayed in the user interface for products based on RivaTuner technologies.

    Below we provide a list of cards on which GPU voltage control can be implemented:

    • AMD RADEON HD 5870 reference design with VT1165 voltage regulator;
    • AMD RADEON HD 5850 reference design with VT1165 voltage regulator;
    • AMD RADEON HD 4890 reference design with VT1165 voltage regulator;
    • AMD RADEON HD 4870 reference design with VT1165 voltage regulator;
    • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295 (dual-board models only) reference design with VT1165 voltage regulator;
    • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280 reference design with VT1165 voltage regulator;
    • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 (only models with GPU made using 65 nm technology) reference design with VT1165 voltage regulator;
    • MSI N275GTX Lightning with uP6208 voltage regulator;
    • MSI N260GTX Lightning with uP6208 voltage regulator.

    It’s nice that the list includes video cards based on GPUs from both NVIDIA and AMD. Subsequently, the list of cards on which such settings will be possible will probably expand, including due to new MSI video cards.

    Of course, it should be mentioned that modification of the recommended board design by some manufacturers has become quite widespread, and in such cases this setting may not work correctly or not work at all.

    We got acquainted with the remaining functions of the program during testing, and they turned out to be very interesting.

    Testing

    So, let's begin to familiarize ourselves with the capabilities of the program. Unfortunately, voltage control is not available on our test GeForce 9800 GT for obvious reasons, but other innovations were quite welcome.

    By the way, there is no help as such in the distribution package of the program - user assistance is provided through the tooltip mechanism. After studying their contents, it is possible to disable the display of contextual help, which is quite logical. But when more complex issues arise that go beyond available information, you will have to contact program technical support forum.

    The monitoring window has a convenient option to detach from the main program window when you press the “Detach” button and allows you to minimize the program to the system tray, leaving only this window. When you reopen the utility, all windows return to their original state.

    The user can set the number of monitored parameters using the “Monitoring” tab, accessible by clicking the “Settings” button at the bottom of the main program window.

    The window allows you to select monitoring sources, organize the order in which they are displayed in the window, and activate the display of indicators in the overlay on-screen menu, as well as in the system tray. In this case, another component of the program will be automatically launched - the statistics server, which is well known to us from RivaTuner and EVGA Precision.

    The same thing will happen when trying to monitor FPS. Such a launch implementation is quite justified when the program is used by a wide range of users.

    But the most interesting thing awaited us when we tried to take control of the fan. The control algorithm chosen for MSI Afterburner impresses with its clarity and ease. Clicking on the “User define” button opens access to another interesting tab, “Fan”:

    The screenshot shows the already edited cooler control algorithm. Editing is done by simply dragging the graph with the mouse. This is much more convenient and clearer than the threshold mechanism in RivaTuner.

    It is worth mentioning the “Profiles” tab.

    Users can select a profile for 2D and 3D modes, which can be useful when overclocking a video card only for 3D applications, organizing various modes of operation of a video card without frequency separation, and problems with changing frequencies due to incorrect driver operation.

    This is also not an innovation for such utilities, but the implementation of the mechanism in specific case allows you to avoid a lot of questions from inexperienced users, with which various forums were filled, because The start of the statistics server and monitoring of the use of hardware acceleration when selecting profiles occur automatically. The only thing you should not forget about is applications that can use hardware acceleration and are not in the statistics server exceptions list (for example, video players).

    We tried to find the overclocking limit of the video card and along the way discovered that the program does not have any built-in stress testing mechanism and allows you to overclock up to cyclic reboot drivers or completely frozen systems. Fans of extreme overclocking should take this into account, although this problem is common to almost all modern programs of a similar direction.

    In conclusion, we note that there is the possibility of changing appearance program (skin), but at the moment only this can be said, since alternatives to the standard design are not yet offered.

    Conclusions

    MSI Afterburner left a good impression. A user-friendly interface, clarity, automation of algorithms that are difficult for an inexperienced user to understand - all this allows us to say that users now have another simple and flexible tool for fine-tuning video cards. It should also be noted that the program is applicable to almost any modern video adapter, regardless of the chip developer or card manufacturer.

    However, there is also a certain note of sadness. And it’s about the progenitor of MSI Afterburner and EVGA Precision - “the utility of all times” RivaTuner. Unfortunately, the technical innovations and interface conveniences that derivative products acquire are still only dreams for many users of the “original”.

    Good day to everyone, dear friends, acquaintances, readers, admirers and other individuals. Today we'll talk about how to overclock a video card and at the same time about the program MSI Afterburner.

    It's been a while since we've had something from, so to speak, hardware optimization, or more precisely from the sphere of overclocking using improvised means. Previously, we wrote an introduction to this topic, talked a little about processor overclocking, as well as setting up .

    Today we decided in the form of a short article to tell you how to quickly and without unnecessary labor costs increase your capacity, as they say for free, without SMS and registration :) Moreover, we will use third party software, which, by the way, was already mentioned in the article on.

    Let's get started.

    Downloading and installing the program

    We will use the most famous tool in this area, which, as already mentioned, we previously mentioned in articles. Then it was about the topic. As you understand from the title and subtitle, we will talk about MSI Afterburner.

    The program is completely free, supports the Russian language and provides complete tools for overclocking video cards. You can take or.

    Note:
    Before installation MSIA, as well as subsequent overclocking, in fact, it is recommended to update the drivers for your video card (the latest version can be taken from the website NVIDIA or AMD).

    The installation is extremely simple and I will not dwell on it (I will only say that the installation Riva Tuner Statistic Server installation is not necessary, but can be useful for advanced diagnostics and overclocking, which we will look at in the next part of the article).

    After installation you will be prompted for this MSI Afterburner launch, which can, in general, be done from the very beginning, having previously closed everything valuable that is open and not saved, because:

    You will be asked (more precisely strictly recommended) restart the computer to correctly determine the initial settings (we are talking about memory frequencies and GPU video card, as well as a number of other parameters that could be changed at the driver level or third-party programs).

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    After rebooting the computer, actually launch the program using the one that appears on the desktop or in the menu " Start" label.

    First launch and customization of appearance

    The initial appearance of the program may depend on the downloaded version and variety, for example, it may be like this:

    Or more advanced and fashionable, like this beauty:

    If you have the first option or a different one from any of the two indicated, then you need to find the settings button (on the first one above it is the " Settings" in the lower right corner, and in the second, red, there is an icon with a picture of gears), then click on it and go to the " tab Interface":

    Where to select the last of the proposed interface formats, namely " MSI Tech Afterburner skin by Drerex Design", and/or don’t do this, but leave the one you have, or the one you like and work with it by analogy with what is written in the article (as they say, everyone’s taste and color are different).

    Setting the video card cooler speed

    Let's deal with cooling first to avoid any problems before overclocking our video card:

    Before moving on to overclocking using the example of the selected (or not selected) interface, we recommended that you familiarize yourself with the second part and/or open the settings again, go to the " tab Cooler", where you can enable software user auto mode by adjusting the graph accordingly (an example can be seen above).

    Program management, functionality

    Now let's talk about what's here, in this very MSI Afterburner to what, why and why (the picture above is clickable):

    • In the left circle You can see the current (at this particular point in time) values ​​of the core and memory frequencies (above and below, respectively). These values ​​can change depending on the load, so most likely you see underestimated values ​​that “jump” (change), if, of course, the video card supports energy saving management by lowering/increasing frequencies;
    • In the right corner You can observe the current (at this particular point in time) voltage and temperature values ​​(top and bottom, respectively);
    • At the very bottom You can see the change in the temperature mentioned above over time, i.e. in the form of a graph;
    • In the very core The interface contains sliders that will allow us to overclock our video card and control various parameters of its frequencies, as well as power consumption and cooling.

    Separately about the sliders and the values ​​​​on them:

    • Core Voltage (mV), - is responsible for the voltage of the GPU core and, as a rule, this value is rightly blocked initially (it is used mainly during advanced overclocking, because it can cause harm);
    • Power Limit (%), - controls the power consumption limit of the video card, helps to achieve higher overclocking with higher power consumption and/or vice versa;
    • Temp.Limit (*C), - controls the critical temperature limit for the video card, if this is supported by the video adapter (touching, as a rule, is not recommended and/or is used for advanced overclocking and cooling);
    • Core Clock (MHz), is one of the main parameters we need for overclocking. Responsible for the frequency of the host (graphics processor) video card;
    • Memory Clock (MHz), - the second of the main parameters we need for overclocking. Responsible, as you may have guessed, for the frequency of operation of the video card memory;
    • , - allows you to set (in percentage) the rotation speed of the cooling system fans (if the software user auto mode is set and enabled, the value is lit Auto).

    This is the basic basis that is worth knowing about the interface parameters in order to understand how to overclock a video card and what characteristics play a role in this.

    MSI Afterburner Tips and Profiles

    You can also find out in more detail about any element (as well as about those that we have not described) by simply holding the mouse on it for a long time and looking at the tooltip:

    By the way, just below the circle with the temperature and to the right of the card name, as well as the driver version, there is a listing of the so-called Profile(profiles), from 1 to 5 , using which you can save various achieved values ​​​​and quickly switch between them (for example, set the overclocking state to one profile, and on the other, on the contrary, lower frequencies and power consumption).

    To save the profile, you need to set all the sliders in the order you need, then click on the button " Save" and then into the parameter from one to five.

    MSI Afterburner- practical part

    How to take off with this, i.e. how to overclock a video card this way? Very simple.

    Initially (remember the reboot?) you have determined the operating parameters of the processor frequency and memory of your video card, which, accordingly, are indicated by the values ​​​​for the sliders Core Clock (MHz) And Memory Clock (MHz):

    The simplest, basic, overclocking is gradual(this is important!) increasing these values ​​to the limit when the card stops working stably (more on this below). That is, the sequence of overclocking a video card is MSI Afterburner next.

    How to overclock a video card - step one

    • Increase the value a little Core Clock (MHz), leaving the value Memory Clock (MHz) the same;
    • Click on the checkbox at the bottom right under the sliders;
    • We launch a game/movie/special application for testing the load of video cards for a long time (at least an hour) and observe the temperature of the graphics processor, as well as image distortion (this also includes distortions in color, textures sticking out somewhere in games, and other “oddities”), as well as other oddities, such as game crashes, freezes, image updates (blinking), driver restarts (usually a notification appears), etc.;
    • If everything went well and you did not see any of the above problems, then save the achieved value to the profile;
    • Increase the value a little more Core Clock (MHz), leaving the value Memory Clock (MHz) the same;
    • We repeat all subsequent steps, increasing and maintaining the frequency until the operation ceases to be stable or. When faced with a problem, we return to the last successful value Core Clock (MHz) and move on to step two.

    How to overclock a video card - step two

    • Resetting the value Core Clock (MHz) to the standard for your card;
    • Increase the value a little Memory Clock (MHz), leaving the value Core Clock (MHz) the same;
    • We repeat the points from the first step until we run into problems and fix ourselves on the working (but already increased) frequency, this time for memory.

    This step is short but necessary.

    How to overclock a video card - step three

    • We set the achieved stable (problem-free) values ​​for Core Clock (MHz) And Memory Clock (MHz);
    • We test these same values ​​in pairs for problems as described above;
    • If everything is fine, then we save it to the profile and, perhaps, little by little we are increasing straightaway both values ​​before problems occur;
    • If everything is bad, then we reduce it a little step by step one from the values ​​until the problems disappear.

    By the way, a note on MSI Afterburner and more.

    What is important to know and understand in the process

    • By “a little” we often mean not even tens, but units MHz and the peak overclocking value is achieved precisely due to these units, and the frequencies are interrelated, both in a good and in a bad sense;
    • Overclocking (or rather overheating, increasing voltages and other related nuances) can damage the video card (and not only it) and/or reduce its service life;
    • Not no image distortions should appear anywhere and, ideally, never;
    • Temperatures must be within normal limits, which is regulated by the appropriate slider and/or custom auto mode, which will automatically select the cooler rotation speed, depending on the temperature during overclocking and testing;
    • It may turn out that the card is overclocked by only one of the parameters (i.e. only by memory or only by the processor), and when changing another parameter problems begin - this means that overclocking is possible only by this value, i.e. Core Clock (MHz) And Memory Clock (MHz) respectively;
    • It is not recommended to touch other sliders at this stage (except, perhaps, " Power Limit", and even then with caution), because this can significantly affect the life and operation of the video card.

    Well, of course, it’s worth saying the following.

    In case of problems

    If something went wrong and the image disappeared altogether, became distorted to the point of being impossible to reset, hung, and/or something else:

    • Try restarting or turning off the computer using the button on the case; usually, the next time you start it, it auto-resets to standard values;
    • If this does not help and faulty profiles are automatically loaded at startup (although this usually does not happen without a special checkmark in the settings), then it will boot into safe mode, removing the program from startup and/or deleting it there, after which it will boot in reverse mode.

    In a nutshell, perhaps it’s something like this.
    That being said, let's move on to the afterword.

    Afterword

    Now you know how to overclock a video card.

    Of course, there are other methods of overclocking, and this can be done in the drivers themselves (more precisely, in BY for them), but this tool ( MSI Afterburner) is still one of the most reasonable, convenient and relevant.

    It goes without saying that we have considered the very minimum and given the simplest recommendations for basic overclocking, so as not to cause significant harm to your system, but at least bring a pleasant performance increase, which can be quite noticeable in combination with software optimization.

    In-depth and extreme overclocking video cards (and other elements) are a rather delicate and dangerous matter (for components), but if you are interested in this, we will talk about this in more detail in subsequent articles.

    As always, if you have any questions, thoughts, additions, thanks and all that stuff, then, as usual, you are welcome to comment on this material.

    After support for Riva Tuner was discontinued, MSI Afterburner was released based on it.

    Its functions include: overclocking graphics processors by increasing the voltage of key elements, increasing the frequency of memory and , adjusting the speed of rotation of the cooler and monitoring the current state of the graphics card.

    How to use MSI Afterburner and what it is, we will consider below.

    Note! When using the application, it is very important to closely monitor the temperature of the GPU so as not to overheat the device and damage it. When using a powerful gaming video card, it is better to take care of new system cooling.

    The utility monitors the temperature dynamics of the device and is able to display warnings when a critical value (set by the user) is exceeded.

    Content:

    Install MSI Afterburner

    The program is downloaded from the Russian-language version of its official support resource, located at the link.

    1. After clicking on it, click “Download Afterburner” and wait for the archive with the installer to download.
    1. Unpacking compressed file by means of .

    Rice. 2 – Unpacking the archive via 7Z

    1. Specify the interface language and click “OK”.

    Rice. 3 – Select interface language

    1. In the remaining windows, click “Next”, indicating the installation path of the program.

    Rice. 4 – Specify the installation path

    1. After copying and registering files is complete, launch Afterburner.

    Rice. 5 – Launch Afterburner after installation

    After starting the program, its interface with basic data will appear on the display: current operating parameters and its status.

    Stylish Afterburner design

    The default skin for the program is not very convenient to use, so many users immediately change it to be more friendly.

    To do this, call “Settings” by clicking on the gear icon in the center of the window.

    Rice. 6 – Application settings button

    Then go to the “Interface” tab and in the third subsection "Properties of skins..." choose a more suitable application design type.

    Its language, temperature format (Celsius/Fahrenheit) and time are also indicated here.

    In the “Basic” tab, select the graphics processor to be configured if a pair of video cards are used or, in addition to the integrated one, a discrete one is also installed.

    If there are two identical devices working in conjunction, check the option to synchronize their settings.

    Fig.7 - Selecting the default video card

    The left panel contains data with numbers about the current value of the GPU frequency and .

    To the right the current temperature and voltage are visualized.

    Rice. 8 – Information panel

    The central part of the interface is occupied by a frame with sliders, with the help of which regulation is carried out:

    • core voltage;
    • power limitation;
    • limit temperature;
    • frequency graphics core;
    • memory frequency;
    • cooler speed.

    Rice. 9 – Frame for overclocking a video card

    Under the frame, next to the button to open the settings window, there is a reset button to factory settings.

    Rice. 10 – Button to reset settings

    Bottom part MSI interface Afterburner occupies a monitoring window with graphs of temperature and other operating parameters of the graphics card.

    Rice. 11 – Monitoring window for key indicators

    Last important element The interface is a panel for managing overclocking profiles and switching between them.

    Rice. 12 – Preset management

    Simple Rules for Voltage Control

    The program allows you to adjust the voltage on the master graphics adapter.

    Depending on its microarchitecture and the chip used, the parameter may be displayed in millivolts or as a percentage of the original value.

    By default, the option is deactivated on all devices except branded ones (from MSI). To activate it, you need to go to the main application settings and enable the appropriate option.

    There are several modes available here: for reference chips, for chips from MSI and third-party graphics adapters.

    Rice. 13 – Unlocking the supply voltage control function

    If after activating the setting it is still grayed out, refer to your GPU manual.

    Most likely, Afterburner does not support the programmable microcontroller installed on the device, even if it supports voltage control.

    You should increase the parameter value gradually, by several percent each time, and closely monitor the temperature and stability of the video card after each change in value.

    With a significant increase, the device will overheat faster and make more errors in calculations, which will most likely lead to malfunctions of the entire system, the appearance of artifacts, etc.

    After reprogramming the controller, which is done by clicking on the button with a check mark, it is best to do this, for example, using proprietary utility Kombuster.

    If no deviations are noticed within a couple of hours, the indicator can be increased by another few percent or tens of units.

    Rice. 14 – Application new configuration

    If after saving the core voltage value changes to the standard value, try going to the settings and selecting a different voltage control method, but most likely you will not be able to adjust the value through MSI Afterburner.

    Changing the peak energy consumption value

    The option is not active on all devices; it only works when the graphics adapter implements consumption management technology electrical energy.

    Rice. 15 – Slider for changing the maximum power consumption

    Core and video memory frequency

    Core Clock will help you change the maximum operating frequency of the GPU. The higher it is, the more information is processed per clock cycle.

    Memory Clock – a parameter that provides access to programming the video memory frequency.

    Depending on the device, the values ​​may be presented explicitly or as a percentage of the original.

    It costs to increase/decrease parameters by a few percent or a couple of tens of units at each step, conducting stress tests after each saving of settings or launch.

    The program in overlay (overlay) mode visualizes the current number of frames produced by the video card in the game.

    Rice. 16 – Adjusting the graphics core frequency

    Today modern computer games, as never before, have become very demanding of hardware. In particular, this applies to video cards. But how to properly configure the graphics chip so that the gameplay is comfortable and the card works at its maximum capabilities? There is a special free utility for this, MSI Afterburner. at first glance it is very simple. But this is only at first glance, since when setting certain parameters, you need to take into account some nuances so that the card does not fail.

    MSI Afterburner: Preview

    In short, the MSI Afterburner application is a program for controlling all parameters of video cards, adjusting their performance and overclocking. That is why it is very popular among gamers who are trying to squeeze everything possible out of a card, and overlockers.

    But there is one nuance here, which is that MSI setup Afterburner only works with officially released models of NVIDIA and AMD Radeon graphics chips. In addition, some application settings may be blocked and automatic mode The application of parameters in the program is not the best. Below we will describe how to work with this utility, and in such a way as not to damage the card.

    Installation and initial setup of MSI Afterburner

    The first setup step is to correctly install the utility. After launching the installer, the normal installation process will begin, during which the application will offer to additionally install Riva Tuner Statistics Server. This should be agreed with mandatory, since some functions and settings of the main program may not be available.

    After installation is complete, setting up MSI Afterburner for games involves changing some key elements interface. If the English version was installed by default, use the Settings menu, where we select the section user interface(User Interface). Here you need to change the language and turn off hints if they are not needed.

    After this, you need to use the main settings tab. Here you should check all the boxes except top line synchronizing the settings of identical GPUs (it is used only if there are several video cards), the voltage boost line and the item for checking the presence of beta versions (optional). You can also set the program to start at startup operating system. After saving presets the application will need to be restarted for them to take effect.

    Core Clock Options

    The initial setup of MSI Afterburner is complete. Now let's look at the main points with the available parameters. Let's move on to the GPU frequency section.

    To begin with, you can move the slider a little to the right (about 40-50 MHz). The current frequency will be displayed in a special window. After this, it is advisable to test the video card with any utility designed for this purpose, for example 3D Mark or FurMark. In this case, you should pay attention that during the test the temperature does not rise above 90 degrees, and that side effects do not appear on the monitor (strips, flickering, disturbances in the color palette, etc.). If the test does not reveal anything critical, to be on the safe side, it is better to launch some resource-intensive game and play for at least an hour. If everything is fine here, you can move the frequency slider even further to the right, but to a lower value (say, not 40, but 20 MHz) and test again. The further to the right the slider is moved, the lower the value used.

    As you progress through the game, you can display the current parameters on the screen in the form of a translucent window. As soon as it is noticed incorrect operation cards at a certain value, the slider should be returned to its previous position and stopped there.

    Memory Clock Settings

    Memory has its own slider located just below. In principle, you can do the same as in the previous case. First, we shift it to the right by 50 units, test it, then add another 20 units, etc. Again, the value will need to be reduced by approximately 1.5-2 times compared to the previous state.

    MSI Afterburner: cooler settings

    These parameters can be accessed from the settings section, in which the corresponding tab is selected. For full access to them, you should immediately check the box next to the line for enabling software user mode.

    Just below is a graph showing the direct dependence of the fan rotation speed on You can change the parameters by moving around the gray squares in the graph area, but for more fine-tuning it is advisable to use them more, simply by clicking on an empty space of the constraint line and changing the position of certain points. But don’t get carried away with exhibiting maximum values for any temperature. The cooler itself may also fail. By combining the chart parameters and the above settings, you can achieve the optimal result.

    Saving settings and profiles

    To save current settings, MSI Afterburner setup offers the user a choice of five profiles.

    On the corresponding tab in the 2D section, we leave everything unchanged, and in the 3D drop-down menu we select our newly configured profile, which will contain the settings (there is also a value “Auto”, that is, this profile will be used by default when the application starts).

    What to do if the settings are not available?

    Sometimes you may encounter a situation where all the sliders are shifted to the right, and it is impossible to change their position. This is a normal blocking in case the video card does not support overclocking. But there is a way out.

    To begin, in the directory where the program was installed, find the file MSIAfterburner.cfg and open it using Notepad. Scroll through the contents to the line UnofficialOverclockingEULA. In it, after the equal sign, you need to write the text “I confirm that I am aware of unofficial overlocking limitations and fully understanding that MSI will not provide me any support on it””, and then in the UnoficcialOverlockingMode line after the equal sign we put one.

    Overlay monitor

    These were the main points related to the question of

    MSI Afterburner is a program for overclocking AMD and NVIDIA video cards, developed by the Taiwanese company MSI. Using the utility, the core frequency, voltage, and fan speed are adjusted. The state of the graphics card is monitored in real time. Additional features- recording video in games and testing the video card separately MSI tool Combustor, which is based on the FurMark benchmark engine.

    How to use MSI Afterburner

    Main features of the utility:

    • Monitoring switching between 2D and 3D modes;
    • Adjusting the voltage of the video memory chip and the power supply of video cards;
    • Graphics card cooling control;
    • FPS monitoring in games and displaying values ​​on top of the screen;
    • Recording the game process using the Predator video module.

    After downloading MSI Afterburner, you need to unpack the archive and run installation file. Then select the Russian language and accept the license agreement. Check the boxes for MSI Afterburner and RiverTuner Statistics Server and click “Next”.


    Select the installation path (we recommend leaving the default one) and whether you need a shortcut on the desktop. For the RiverTuner Statistics Server interface, we leave the default language set - Russian, and complete the installation using the same scheme. The utility is ready to launch.

    Work with AMD video cards Radeon 3000, NVIDIA GeForce 8X00 and later

    The interface screen is divided into three parts:

    • Video card and memory frequency sensors (GPU Clock and MEM Clock);
    • Voltage and Temp values;
    • Panel with sliders in the center.

    There are three buttons at the top - start a stress test MSI utilities Kombustor, which must be additionally downloaded from the official website (also free), help with using the program and information about the characteristics of the video card. Below the Fan Speed ​​slider there is a settings menu button with a gear symbol. Next to it is the “Reset Settings” option, designed to return the graphics card settings to original state. On the right is the “Apply” button to approve the changes.

    How to enable monitoring in the game

    Before starting testing, you need to enable monitoring in games - show the temperature, video card load and FPS counter (called “Frame Rate” in the list). In the list of parameters, select the appropriate item and check the box Show in OED.

    On the next tab you can set shortcut keys to display the monitoring window in games. You can set any, for example, Ctrl + 0.


    Also, the output of the monitoring window with operating indicators is separated by clicking on the Detach button.

    MSI provides opportunities for fine-tuning video cards; three parameters are regulated at once - the voltage of the phase-locked loop system, memory and graphics processor. But a common problem in Afterburner is that the sliders don't work.

    To unlock Core Voltage, check the boxes in the settings - unlock voltage control and monitoring. If this does not help, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with all the ways to solve the problem of sliders not working.

    The correct setting for overclocking a video card

    Correct setting MSI Afterburner is determined by brute force without the risk of overheating the video adapter. The approximate operating temperature limit for NVIDIA video cards is within 90 degrees, Radeon – up to 80. Each video card model has its own values, so be sure to find out the maximum temperature before overclocking. During gameplay the values ​​will always be high and you need to configure MSI Afterburner to play without artifacts due to overheating.

    If there is a failure due to MHz being too high, the card will simply reset the settings. Setting high Core Voltage is not recommended - there is a high risk of burning out the video card. Core Voltage is the voltage of the graphics card's GPU core. It is better not to touch this parameter at all if you have a clear understanding of your goals and only increase the frequency.

    As the voltage and frequency increase, the load on the card and the temperature increase. The Fan Speed ​​graph specifies the fan rotation speed - the higher the speed, the better cooling. By increasing the voltage and frequency of the GPU, controlling the fan speed, it is determined perfect balance between temperature and performance.

    Balancing performance and temperature allows you to overclock the video card as efficiently as possible.

    Before starting overclocking, we increase the Power Limit - this is the TDP threshold, after which the video card resets the frequency so as not to exceed power consumption (throttling mode is activated). That is, this is the adapter’s power consumption limit - turn the slider to the right. Then we will increase the parameters clock frequencies video memory and graphics chip alternately. The instructions consist of only two parts - increasing Mhz and conducting a stress test lasting 15 minutes in the FurMark program.

    Let's start with Core Clock - this is the operating frequency of the GPU. You need to increase the values ​​slowly - 50 Mhz each and test. If the adapter does not overheat and does not produce artifacts, we increase it another notch. As soon as the video card starts producing artifacts, lower the Core Clock by 20 Mhz and repeat. Everything is in order - increase it by 10 MHz and repeat.

    Thus, MSI Afterburner selects the maximum frequency at which the video card can operate without failures during overclocking. After the final stress test in FurMark, you need to check the stability of the game, which will load the video adapter completely. If no artifacts appear in 30 minutes, move on to Memory Clock. All actions are the same. If the card gets very hot, we increase the cooler speed to 90-95%.

    Download MSI Afterburner 4.4.2

    The program for overclocking a video card is distributed free of charge. Latest version— MSI Afterburner 4.4.2 for a computer or laptop on Windows 7 and 10, x64 bit version available. Older versions of the utility are not supported. Download MSI Afterburner in Russian from the official website along with the Kombustor add-on:

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