The proper method to overclock a graphics card is to manually increase the GPU’s speed with a dedicated program like the ASUS GPU Tweak II. The free software helps you monitor the performance of your graphics card and boost its performance on the fly when you need it.
What Does It Mean to Overclock Your GPU?
The performance of any hardware is limited by two physical barriers: power consumption and heat. The faster a chip is, the more power it consumes, and the heat it generates. In a Windows 10 PC, power is not a problem because you can upgrade your power supply and get constant energy from an outlet.
Heat is the bigger problem as it throttles a GPU’s performance and its ability to maintain optimum temperatures. However, you can increase your graphics card’s speed if your power supply can provide enough watts and within the GPU’s tolerable temperatures.
Overclocking a GPU is not as complicated as a CPU overclock. However, depending on the GPU series, it involves certain risks for the card itself.
If you’re new to the world of Overclocking a GPU and wondering where to start, you can check out our guide on how to Safely Overclock Your GPU to learn more.
To safely overclock your GPU in Windows 10 PC, it is best to make small increases in frequency and check if the system remains stable after the procedure. You must be careful with the options you customize since it can irreversibly damage your device if you go overboard without properly benchmarking it.
ASUS GPU Tweak II can overlock any dedicated graphics card, regardless of the manufacturer. It works well with NVIDIA GeForce and AMD Radeon graphics cards.
However, your PC must run the latest Windows OS version and have the proper graphics drivers installed. We tested the program on the 2016 model NVIDIA GeForce 940MX graphics chip, and it worked flawlessly.
How to Install ASUS GPU Tweak II on Your Windows 10 PC
Follow the simple step-by-step instructions below to install ASUS GPU Tweak II on Windows 10 and overclock your GPU safely:
Go to the GPU Tweak II download page and select the red Download ASUS GPU Tweak II Now button. In the Driver & Utility Tab, select your PC operating system, and hit Download. After downloading, open the ZIP file and run the setup. Once completed, a DirectX installation will appear. Install DirectX if you don’t have it. After installing the required DirectX file, follow the on-screen instructions, and it will install the ASUS GPU Tweak II on your desktop.
Launch the program. GPU Tweak has a Simple Mode and a Professional Mode. Open the application, and choose any mode you want it to run in. You can change it later or even add a custom configuration, which we will get into further below.
Getting Started With the Software
First, you must activate an option that can give some advantage when it comes to overclocking. To do this, go to the profiles section of the program and activate the Overclocking range enhancement box. It may ask you to restart when you apply it.
The interface will open in the Advanced Mode. From here, you will have a different set of values to overclock. These parameters are:
GPU Clock (MHz): A higher clock value implies stable performance. Thus, you will have to raise it to the maximum available frequency to achieve the most FPS. GPU Voltage (mV): You must place this value at the maximum allowed unit by the software as long as your GPU has an unlocked BIOS. And its temperature doesn’t exceed 85 degrees in gaming. Memory Clock (MHz): It is the speed at which your graphics card will process the frames in and out of the VRAM. You can set it to the default value from the gaming mode configuration or anchor it to the max frequency as per your GPU’s performance. Fan Speed (%): You can choose to leave it in auto or force it to have a more aggressive curve if you want to maintain a lower temperature. This is important because a lower GPU temperature can scale more MHz and improve performance or stability. Power Target (%): Also called PT, it is a power limiting value. You can raise its value to the maximum since it has no direct implication with the voltage or frequencies beyond a certain consumption limitation.
Once these values have been set and applied, run any demanding benchmark or stress test program.
Note: For this specific test, do not use Furmark, since it runs above the GPU’s electrical possibilities and does not use the latest technologies.
Our recommendation is to use specific 3DMark tests, such as Time SPY, DLSS, PCIe bandwidth, or VRMark. Each one will test what is necessary without exceeding the limits while ensuring your system stays stable.
One-Click Performance Boost With ASUS GPU Tweak II
One of the advantages of this software is that it is compatible with any current graphics card. In addition to overclocking functions, the application also has a one-click performance boost for your gaming needs.
Click on the Simple Mode button at the program’s bottom left corner. Once you have entered the Simple Mode profile, you will see the Gaming Booster button on the interface, which will give your Windows 10 PC a performance boost.
Click on the button, and within the application, you will see a new window appear with three other sections: Visual Effects, System Services, and System Memory Defragmentation.
In the Visual Effects menu, you will have several options available: Best Appearance (suggested), Best Performance, and Disable. From here, click on the second option (Best Performance) to boost up to the max MHz of your CPU and GPU.
In the System Services menu, select the Turn off Windows Services and processes option to limit preliminary apps’ background activity, which would be running system resources in the background.
Finally, on the System Memory Defragmentation section, enable the option. Once everything is configured, it would only be necessary to press the Start button. After which, the program would limit itself to the parameters that you have set to maximize performance.
If you still notice a certain level of GPU bottleneck to your computer’s gaming performance even after tweaking all these settings check out our roundup of ways to improve gaming performance on your PC.
Learning the Fundamentals of ASUS GPU Tweak II
ASUS GPU Tweak II is one of the best software tools on Windows to overclock your graphics card. The program has multiple functions, which you can customize. After you’re done overclocking your GPU, you can also test the improved performance with other benchmarking tools that are widely available.
