

You’ll need to grab the Systems Tools utility from the Nvidia website once you’ve installed the utility, frequency controls will be visible in the performance and tuning section of the GeForce driver.ĭisregarding software/driver optimizations, game engine tweaks, and system interface speeds, the performance of a graphics card is typically determined by the compute speed and fillrate of its graphics processing unit, as well as by the amount of memory bandwidth its frame buffer memory affords. Nvidia’s overclocking tools aren’t exposed by default in its GeForce drivers, but installing its System Tools utility will make them available. AMD’s are readily available (on supported cards) in the AMD Overdrive tab, listed in the Performance section of the company’s Catalyst Control Center software suite.

The card may become somewhat noisy as a result, but if the overclock remains stable and the graphics card’s cooler can keep up, you should be good to go.īoth AMD and Nvidia (the big two graphics-card makers) have built overclocking tools into their drivers. Modern graphics cards typically have thermally controlled fans that will spin faster to better dissipate heat from the overclocked board. You’ll want to make sure that your system has adequate cooling and a power supply that’s sufficient for handling an overclocked card. But if you don’t push things too far, and if you keep temperatures under control, you have little reason to worry. Yes, overclocking a component can shorten its life span. In its early days, overclocking may have been a black art reserved for the most hard-core computer geeks, but nowadays it’s about as easy as can be, and it’s usually safe too. And it will certainly be more affordable. If your current graphics card is serving you well, and you’re just looking for a little something extra to increase performance, overclocking may be the better way to go. Today, even midrange graphics cards are generally fast enough to pump out buttery-smooth frame rates in cutting-edge games at all but the highest resolutions.


However, while a graphics card upgrade is almost always a good way to increase game performance or improve image quality, new cards tend to be expensive–and they aren’t always necessary. Many PC gamers eagerly await the release of next-generation graphics cards, hoping that the new hardware will boost frame rates and enhance eye candy in the latest games.
