Install MSI Afterburner without RivaTuner (RTSS)
RivaTuner is optional, not mandatory. If you only want overclocking and fan control, you can leave it out — here's how, and what you give up.
By default the Afterburner installer bundles RivaTuner Statistics Server (RTSS) and offers to install it. It's genuinely optional — you can decline it and Afterburner still runs fine for overclocking, undervolting, fan curves and in-app monitoring.
How to skip RivaTuner during setup
- Run the Afterburner installer as normal.
- On the components screen, uncheck “RivaTuner Statistics Server” when it's offered.
- Finish the install. Only Afterburner is installed; RTSS is not.
Already installed RTSS and want it gone? Uninstall RivaTuner Statistics Server separately from Windows “Installed apps” — removing it doesn't remove Afterburner.
What you lose without RTSS
RTSS is the piece that draws the on-screen overlay, so without it you can't show the in-game FPS counter or stats overlay. You also lose RTSS-based frame-time data and the Predator recording integration. Everything else — clock and voltage control, power/temp limits, custom fan curves, and monitoring inside the Afterburner window — keeps working.
If your goal is a FPS counter or an in-game overlay, keep RTSS — it's the only way Afterburner can draw one. It's lightweight and only active when a game is running, so most users have no reason to remove it.
A common reason people ask
Usually it's because an overlay conflict (with Steam, Discord or GeForce Experience) made them think RTSS was the problem. More often the fix is to disable the other overlay rather than remove RTSS — see troubleshooting before uninstalling.
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