Quick answer
Afterburner is a GPU control and overlay tool first (overclock, fan curves, in-game FPS). HWiNFO is a monitoring and diagnostics specialist with far deeper sensor data. Many enthusiasts run both. Download Afterburner for tuning and the overlay.
Download MSI Afterburner
MSIAfterburner466.exe · v4.6.6 · ~53 MB · free, from this site
Step-by-step guide
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1
Choose Afterburner to tune & overlay
If you want to overclock or undervolt, set custom fan curves, or show an in-game FPS counter, you need Afterburner. HWiNFO cannot do those. -
2
Choose HWiNFO for deep monitoring
If you want every voltage rail, per-core clock and system-wide sensor plus long-term logging, HWiNFO is the specialist. -
3
Run them together (the trick)
Let HWiNFO read the detailed sensors, then display selected HWiNFO values in Afterburner + RTSS overlay. You get HWiNFO depth with Afterburner overlay.
Side by side
GPU overclock and undervolt: Afterburner. Custom fan curves: Afterburner. In-game FPS overlay: Afterburner via RTSS. Depth of sensor data: HWiNFO, by a wide margin. System-wide CPU, motherboard and drive monitoring: HWiNFO. Long-term logging: HWiNFO.
Bottom line
Want to overclock, control fans or show FPS in-game? You need Afterburner. Want the deepest look at every sensor in your PC? Add HWiNFO. Recent Afterburner builds include an updated HWiNFO plugin that makes the two work together smoothly.
Frequently asked questions
Is HWiNFO better than MSI Afterburner? +
For raw monitoring detail, yes. But HWiNFO cannot overclock or draw a game overlay — that is where Afterburner wins. They do different jobs.
Can I use both at the same time? +
Yes, and many people do. HWiNFO supplies detailed sensors that Afterburner and RTSS display in the overlay.
Do they conflict? +
Not usually. Avoid running two overlays at once; let RTSS handle the on-screen display.
Which is better for FPS? +
Afterburner, because RTSS draws the in-game FPS counter. HWiNFO does not have its own game overlay.