Overclocking is a way to improve the performance of a hardware unit (generally processor) by running it at higher frequencies than rated. Overclocking is a risky process and it does voids the warranty of the component whether it is a processor or RAM. If done wrong then you may also cause damage to the component and render it useless. Overclocking of CPU or processor is done generally through the motherboard BIOS, where you can either increase the FSB, Multiplier, or both in some cases. For extreme overclocking, you may have to increase the voltage of the component or processor to make it run at much higher frequencies. Overclocking does increase the temperature of the processor / CPU and you have to buy a good aftermarket cooler to keep the temperature in control.
Here in this post, I am going to talk about Graphics Card Overclocking. In Graphics Card you can overclock both the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) and the Memory. The process of overclocking a graphics card is way different from a CPU because to overclock a graphics card you need some special tools. These tools are known as Graphics Card Overclocking software or tools. These GPU overclocking tools run in Windows OS and from there you can overclock your graphics card GPU and memory by using the interactive GUI. Here I will provide you with a list of the best free graphics card overclocking tools to overclock your Nvidia or AMD based graphics card. You can also check out the best graphics card info tools to know the technical details of your graphics card.
Must Read: Guide on Overclocking Graphics Card
Top Graphics Card Overclocking Tools & Utilities
Here are the best graphics card overclocking software that are available for free to download and use.
EVGA Precision X
EVGA Precision X is truly one of the best overclocking software for Nvidia GeForce Graphics cards. Using this graphics card overclocking tool you can overclock both your GPU and Memory very easily. It comes with tons of other advanced features such as voltage adjustment, fan control, automatic tuning, performance graphs or curves, profiles, hotkeys, and much more. The latest version of EVGA Precision X software is the EVGA Precision XOC which supports the latest GeForce 10 series graphics cards from Nvidia.
I have been using EVGA Precision X for all of my GeForce series cards and never had a problem with any of them. The software is also updated frequently to keep up with the newer Nvidia graphics card drivers. EVGA Precision X supports Microsoft Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, and Vista and you can download it for free from the link given below.
MSI Afterburner
MSI Afterburner is also one of the top graphics card overclocking software around. Using this you can control your GPU clock, Memory clock, voltage level, and fan speed. It comes with advanced features like an in-game fps counter, custom skins, in-built benchmarking tools, hardware monitoring, custom profiles, and video capturing.
The in-built graphics card benchmarking tool in MSI Afterburner is known as Kombustor. MSI Afterburner supports all the latest DirectX 12 graphics cards and can run on both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the Windows operating system. You can download it for free from the link given below.
RivaTuner
RivaTuner is a very popular overclocking graphics card software. It has been around for a long time and is still updated with every release of new graphics cards and their drivers. RivaTuner does have limited support for the AMD / ATI Radeon graphics cards but it is mainly built for Nvidia Graphics Cards. Its user interface may not be visually appealing as the EVGA Precision or MSI Afterburner but it is a powerful overclocking software that can be used to overclock GPU Core, Memory, and control fan speed. Features include hardware monitoring, custom profiles, registry editor, etc.
RivaTuner supports almost all Nvidia Graphics cards starting from the Riva TNT family to the latest GeForce graphics cards. It supports both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows. You can download this advanced GPU overclocking tool from Guru3d.com from the link given below.
AMD Radeon Software Crimson
Formerly known as the AMD Catalyst Control Center (CCC) or ATI Catalyst, AMD Radeon Software Crimson is a new graphics software and device driver bundle for AMD Radeon Graphics Cards. Using AMD Radeon Software Crimson you can easily overclock your AMD Radeon Graphics card GPU and Memory without the need of any third-party overclocking software.
Using AMD Radeon Software Crimson you can control GPU core clock, Memory clock, Fan speed, and more. It is more user-friendly, feature-rich, stable, and powerful than the older AMD Catalyst Control Center. You can download it for free from the AMD official website from the link given below.
Sapphire TRIXX
A great overlocking utility for the AMD Radeon Graphics cards. The User Interface (UI) of this overclocking tool is nice and friendly. Using this OC Tool you can overclock your AMD Radeon graphics card GPU, Memory, adjust the fan speed, and more. It includes features such as graphics card info, fan health check, hardware monitoring, and voltage control.
You can customize the different elements of this software using different colors for your convenience. This feature is called Nitro Glow. You can download this amazing AMD Radeon Graphics Card Overclocking software from the link given below.
Gigabyte XTREME Engine Utility
This is one of the best overclocking utilities for Nvidia and AMD graphics cards. This overclocking software from Gigabyte lets you overclock GPU and Memory, control fan settings & speed, set temperature limit, change card LED settings, and change the voltage of your graphics card. The user interface of Xtreme Engine Utility is very appealing and is also very easy to use.
This overclocking utility from Gigabyte supports GTX 950, GTX 960, GTX 970, GTX 980, GTX 980 Ti, GTX Titan, Radeon RX 460, RX 470, RX 480, GTX 1050, GTX 1060, GTX 1070, GTX 1080 graphics cards. Gigabyte also comes with AORUS Graphics Engine Software for its high-end AORUS graphics cards.
Gigabyte OC Guru II
Gigabyte OC Guru II is a decent overclocking utility for graphics cards from Gigabyte. The GUI is all in black and blue color and it is simple to use. The various overclocking features include GPU overclock, Memory overclock, voltage control, and fan control. It supports both Nvidia and AMD graphics cards that include NVIDIA GeForce 200-series, 400-series, 500-series, 600-series, 700-series, 900-series, GTX TITAN, and ATI Radeon HD 5000-series, 6000-series, 7000-series, R7 200-series, R7 300 series, R9 200series, R9 300series, R9F/NANO Series Models.
Note: This utility is only for older graphics cards.
This OC utility supports both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7/8/10. You can download this overclock tool from the link given below.
ASUS GPU Tweak
A graphics card overclocking tool from Asus. The User Interface resembles that of MSI Afterburner and it can be used to overclock GPU and Memory, and you can also control the voltage and fan speed. The fan speed can be set manually or in auto mode depending on your choice or preference.
You can download this ASUS GPU Tweak overclock utility for Windows OS for free from the link given below.
Palit ThunderMaster
A feature-rich and powerful graphics card overclocking tool from Palit. Palit ThunderMaster can be used to overclock the GPU core clock and memory clock, and adjust fan speed and voltage settings. It includes many more other features like graphics card info, fan speed curve, custom profiles, VBIOS loading, etc.
You can download this GPU overclock utility for free from the link given below.
Zotac Firestorm
Zotac Firestorm is an advanced overclocking software for Nvidia Geforce graphics cards. It now comes with a new and improved user interface and features. It supports multiple Graphics cards in SLI configuration and you can overclock GPU, and memory & adjust voltage and fan speed settings. The various features include custom profiles, BIOS save & Flash, and hardware monitoring.
It supports the latest DirectX 12 GeForce graphics cards and you can download it for free from the link given below.
Gainward ExperTool
Gainward ExperTool is a simple yet feature-rich graphics card overclock tool from Gainward. The various adjustments include GPU & Memory overclock and fan control. It also shows the GPU temperature and includes a custom profiles option.
You can download this overclocking utility from Gainward from the link given below.
NVIDIA Inspector
NVIDIA Inspector is a small overclocking utility for graphics cards based on Nvidia GPU. This software also acts as a graphics card info tool as it tells you all the technical details or specifications of your GPU and the memory of the graphics card. Using this overclocking application you can overclock your Nvidia graphics card for achieving better performance in games and other graphics applications. This OC tool has got a very simple interface and it also allows you to set Fan speed, change GPU voltage, and set power and temperature target for a better overclock. NVIDIA Inspector is also known as nvidiaProfileInspector and is an open-source overclocking tool for Nvidia graphics cards.
You can download NVIDIA Inspector for free from the link given below.
See also:
- Top Computer Hardware Detection & Monitoring Utilities
- Guide on Finding Graphics Card with Higher Overclocking Potential
- Factory Overclocked vs Self Overclock Graphics Cards
Final Words
Well, in the end, I would like to say that I have listed down the best graphics card overclocking software for both NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards. These graphics card overclocking tools supports the latest GPUs and drivers whether it is from Nvidia or AMD. You can choose any of the overclocking software according to your choice and use it for overclocking the graphics cards. If you have any queries about graphics card overclocking or GPU overclock tools then you can ask me by leaving a comment below.
(*This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission if you choose to purchase through the links I provide (at no extra cost to you). Thank you for supporting the work I put into this site!)
As always Akshat, exellent review of available GPU overclocking soft. Thanks a lot for everything you do for PC enthusiast community.
You are very welcome.
I have a Gigabyte GTX 1080 Extreme video card and on the Support download page it lists both the Gigabyte Extreme Engine as well as the AORUS Engine as supporting my card. It shows the AORUS engine was updated a month ago, and the Extreme engine was updated over a year ago. When it comes down to comparing the two engines, what is the main difference and would it be better to stick with the Extreme engine for the Extreme card, or would the AORUS engine work okay even though it’s not an AORUS card? Thank you in advance if you know.
Xtreme Engine is for Xtreme cards and packs more features and functionality that include RGB LED control and advanced OC settings and control.
Thank you.
Good job man, putting these altogether. Thank you!
Yo bro! Interesting info there. I’ve learnt a lot.
I’m facing a serious challenge with my AMD R5 for editing videos. It’s an A9 2 core system but it lags terribly. Why is it so? What do you suggest I do?? Help me out here man! I appreciate
Well, you have to upgrade your CPU.
Okay, thanks. Can you recommend any for me?
Will over clocking help too?
Overclocking won’t help because the processor is too weak. How is much is your budget because have to upgrade the motherboard, RAM and maybe PSU too along with the processor.
Hey, I was curious if you know of any third party software I could use to update the tuning on my Radeon RX 580 card. I’m having issues with the Radeon software where the settings don’t stick, and I thought I would give something else a try.
TIA
What RX 580 model do you have? Try MSI Afterburner https://www.msi.com/Landing/afterburner
Thanks for the reply. I think I’m okay with the software. I think what was happening is that I had the voltage set too low, so it would jump up when some error occurred. I just raised the voltage up, and now it appears to not be doing that anymore.