Quick answer
You will raise the core and memory clocks a little at a time, test for stability, then back off slightly for a safety margin. Mild overclocking is low-risk — cards throttle or crash long before damage. First, download Afterburner if you have not already.
Download MSI Afterburner
MSIAfterburner466.exe · v4.6.6 · ~53 MB · free, from this site
Step-by-step guide
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1
Learn the sliders
Core Clock and Memory Clock are the speeds you raise. Power Limit and Temp Limit control when the card throttles. Core Voltage may be locked on some cards — that is normal. -
2
Max the power & temp limits
Drag Power Limit and Temp Limit to maximum and apply. This just gives your overclock room to hold; it does not overclock anything by itself. -
3
Raise the core clock in steps
Add about +15 to +25 MHz, apply, then test. Small steps find the exact edge of stability instead of overshooting. -
4
Stress-test and watch
Run a demanding game or a benchmark for a few minutes. Watch for artifacts, crashes, or a driver reset — any of those means you went too far. -
5
Back off for margin
Drop the core clock 15 to 30 MHz below your last stable value. A clock stable for five minutes can still crash hours in. -
6
Tune memory, then save
Repeat on memory in bigger steps (+50 to +100 MHz); if a game gets slower, back it off. Save to a profile and enable Apply at startup.
Overclock vs undervolt
For gaming, an undervolt is often smarter than a raw overclock: holding the same clocks at lower voltage gives lower temperatures, less fan noise and similar performance. Cooler cards also boost more consistently. See best settings for gaming.
The one-click shortcut
On many Nvidia cards, OC Scanner tests and applies a stable core overclock automatically in about 15 to 20 minutes. It is conservative but a great, safe starting point. The 4.6.7 beta adds curve import/export and thermal analysis for advanced tuning.
Frequently asked questions
Is overclocking with Afterburner safe? +
Mild overclocking is low-risk — the card has built-in limits and will throttle or crash before damage. Change one thing at a time and test.
Why does my overclock reset after reboot? +
Enable Apply overclocking at system startup (the Windows icon) and Start with Windows, or the settings will not persist.
Why is the voltage slider greyed out? +
Voltage control is locked by default. Enable Unlock voltage control in Settings, General. Some cards limit it at the hardware level.
How much performance will I gain? +
It varies by card, but a stable overclock often adds a few percent. Undervolting can give similar performance with lower temps.