MSI Afterburner includes a benchmarking tool called MSI Kombustor that is a pretty standard fare burn-in GPU stress test utility that benchmarks both stability and thermal performance. The On-Screen Display uses an add-on utility called RivaTuner Statistics Server that can also be used to set a frame cap for a specific game and is especially useful for those with low to mid-range GPUs. It moves between GPU temperature, core and memory clock speed, voltage, FPS, and usage percentage through a series of graphs as well as an extensive On-Screen Display through which you can monitor the effects of any overclocking tweaks where it matters: in-game. While the above overclocking features allow parameters to be tweaked, the utility lists real-time hardware performance details. Similarly, Afterburner also incorporates a customized fan profile or, in other words, a user-defined bespoke fan speed curve that will either raise the fan speed or lower it based on the temperature of the GPU. By using the feature, users can safely push their GPU knowing that, if it reaches uncomfortably high temperatures, the fans will kick up their speed to dissipate the heat.Īlongside the fan profiles, you can also save overclocking profiles with a defined set of parameters for easy switching depending on the game or your performance needs. This utility uses an algorithm developed by Nvidia to scan any model from the newest RTX 20 series and determine the highest and most stable overclocking settings to then apply these for instant in-game performance boosts.

To ease the task, the latest iteration of MSI Afterburner incorporates OC Scanner. With this array of options, the idea is to find an equilibrium between performance and capability. The utility can tweak a plethora of GPU settings, including core voltage, power limit, temperature limit, core clock speed, memory clock speed and fan speed. Still, MSI Afterburner simplifies the process by providing precision settings to push your GPU to the maximum of its capabilities while warding off permanent hardware damage. Overclocking Featuresįor the unversed, overclocking can loom as an insurmountable and potentially disastrous task. To understand what MSI Afterburner packs under the hood, we have to break down its functionality into categories: overclocking, monitoring, benchmarking and video capture.

Kombustor benchmarking