MSI Afterburner

Name: MSI Afterburner
Availability: InStock
Author: MSI Co., LTD

MSI Afterburner is a free GPU overclocking and hardware monitoring tool from MSI. Despite the branding, it works with graphics cards from any manufacturer, including NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel. It lets you adjust core clock, memory clock, voltage, and fan speeds, and it displays real time hardware statistics in games through its companion app RTSS (RivaTuner Statistics Server). Windows only.

What it does

The main window shows sliders for core clock, memory clock, power limit, temperature limit, and fan speed. Push the core clock slider to the right, click Apply, and your GPU runs at a higher frequency. The OC Scanner (click the magnifying glass icon) automates this process by running a series of stress tests to find the highest stable clock speed for your card, then applies the result automatically.

Fan control is handled through a custom curve editor. Click the fan icon, enable user-defined mode, and drag points on the graph to set fan speeds at different temperature thresholds. This lets you keep the card quiet at idle and ramp up cooling under heavy load. You can save up to five profiles and switch between them for different use cases, like a quiet profile for desktop work and an aggressive one for gaming.

The on-screen display, powered by RTSS, overlays GPU temperature, clock speed, usage, frame rate, and frame time directly on top of your game. You configure which metrics to show in Settings > Monitoring by checking "Show in On-Screen Display" for each parameter. The detachable monitoring window provides real time graphs outside of games.

Advantages

Completely free, works with GPUs from all manufacturers
OC Scanner finds stable overclock settings automatically
Custom fan curves for balancing noise and cooling
In-game OSD shows FPS, temperatures, and usage in real time via RTSS

Drawbacks

Interface is cluttered and intimidating for new users
Overclocking incorrectly can cause crashes, artifacts, or reduced GPU lifespan
RTSS must be installed separately for the on-screen display to work
Voltage control is locked by default and carries additional risk when unlocked

Who it is for

I use MSI Afterburner on every PC I build, even when I have no intention of overclocking. The fan curve control alone is worth the install, because default fan profiles on most cards are either too loud or too passive. The in-game OSD through RTSS is the best way to monitor performance while actually playing. If you do want to overclock, the OC Scanner takes the guesswork out of finding a stable frequency. It is the standard tool in the PC gaming community for good reason.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does MSI Afterburner work with non MSI graphics cards?

Yes. Despite the MSI branding, Afterburner works with graphics cards from any manufacturer including NVIDIA, AMD, EVGA, ASUS, Gigabyte and others. It detects the GPU automatically.

Is overclocking with MSI Afterburner safe?

Modern GPUs have built in safety limits that prevent dangerous overclocks. The OC Scanner feature finds a stable overclock automatically. Manual overclocking beyond safe limits can cause crashes or artifacts, but permanent hardware damage from software overclocking alone is very unlikely.

What is RTSS and do I need it?

RTSS (RivaTuner Statistics Server) is the companion app that provides the in game on screen display showing FPS, temperatures and usage. It installs alongside MSI Afterburner. If you want the OSD overlay in games, you need RTSS. Otherwise Afterburner works fine without it.

Features & How-To Guide

#	Feature	How to use
1	GPU temperature and load monitoring in games	Settings › Monitoring › Zaznacz parametry (GPU Temperature/Usage/Clock) › Enable Show in On-Screen Display › Statystyki witoczne in grze przez RTSS.
2	GPU overclocking	Main window › Move Core Clock slider to the right › Click Apply (checkmark) › Test stability in a game or benchmark.
3	Automatic OC overclocking (OC Scanner)	Click OC Scanner (magnifier icon) › Scan › Program automatically tests stable frequencies › Apply when done.
4	Real-time hardware parameter monitoring	Main window › Bottom section › Graphs for GPU temp / clock / usage / memory / fan speed › Click Detach for a separate window.
5	Fan profile creation	Click fan icon (Fan) › Check Enable user defined › Drag points on temperature-speed curve › Apply.
6	GPU voltage control	Settings › General › Unlock voltage control › Core Voltage slider in main window › Increase carefully › Apply.
7	Settings profile creation	Set parameters › Click Save (floppy disk icon) › Select profile slot (1-5) › Restore by clicking profile number.
8	Game screenshot and video recording	Settings › Screen capture › Set keyboard shortcut and format › Press shortcut in game › Screenshot saved in set folder. Recording: Video capture tab.