DocHero
Lesson 4 +15 XP

MSI Afterburner and Custom Fan Curves

⚠️ DocHero Safety Disclaimer

DocHero Safety Disclaimer: The PC optimization, BIOS configuration, power plan tweaks, and GPU overclocking or undervolting guides provided in this course are strictly for educational purposes. DocHero and its creators are not responsible or liable for any hardware damage, system instability, data loss, software errors, or voided manufacturer warranties resulting from user modifications. Proceed cautiously and test settings step by step!

Cool Air for Your Fast Running Athlete!

Your Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) is like an Olympic athlete sprinting as fast as possible. When the runner gets too hot, they get tired and slow down! In graphics cards, this slowdown is called thermal throttling.

To keep our GPU athlete feeling cool and fresh, we use a free tool called MSI Afterburner to blow cool air with custom fan profiles!

Understanding GPU Thermal Throttling Thresholds

Modern graphics cards automatically adjust their boost clock frequency based on temperature:

  1. GPU Boost Clock Drops: Every time your GPU temperature passes specific thresholds (such as 60C, 65C, 70C, and 75C), the GPU automatically drops its clock speed by 15MHz to 30MHz steps.
  2. Factory Fan Curves: Factory fan profiles prioritize low fan noise over cooling performance, allowing temperatures to rise past 75C.
  3. Custom Fan Curves: Increasing fan speeds earlier keeps GPU temperatures below 68C, locking maximum boost clock frequencies continuously.

Setting Up Your Custom Fan Curve:

  1. Install MSI Afterburner: Download and install MSI Afterburner along with RivaTuner Statistics Server (RTSS).
  2. Open Fan Settings: Click the gear icon to open Settings, navigate to the Fan tab, and check Enable user defined software automatic fan control.
  3. Configure the Fan Curve Nodes: Drag the fan curve line to match these optimal cooling nodes:
  • Below 40 degrees C: 30 percent fan speed (quiet desktop idle)
  • At 50 degrees C: 50 percent fan speed
  • At 65 degrees C: 75 percent fan speed
  • At 75 degrees C: 90 percent fan speed
  1. Save and Apply: Click Apply and OK, then make sure the Fan Control button on the main Afterburner dashboard is highlighted!