How to Undervolt GPU? [The Complete Answer]

How to Undervolt GPU

Does your GPU tend to heat up or consume a lot of power? There might be many reasons for it like, it is crammed in a tight space because of the small form factor or poor airflow, or even if you stress your hardware by subjecting it to demanding games. And, if you do not address these issues appropriately, it may lead to performance instabilities, loud noise due to fan and thermal throttling, or even can damage your graphics card. Fortunately, one can Undervolt their GPU. And by doing so, they can maintain an optimum voltage with a considerable low temperature and achieve more power savings without affecting the performance. 

How to Undervolt GPU?

Now that we have gained a basic understanding of Undervolting. Let us start with the process.  The software you would need to begin with and along the process. 
  • MSI Afterburner
Notes: 
  • Make sure your card is above 10 series, or else you will not be able to open the voltage/frequency curve editor in the software. 
  • Since the chip quality is different in every GPU, the overvoltage limit of two cards may vary even if the cards are of the same model. 
  • Keep in mind, the main aim of Undervolting is to keep the GPU using high frequency at a low voltage.  And that is what we are going to put our focus on. 
Let us begin, 
  • First, determine the maximum frequency of your GPU. For this, you can use HWiNfo64 software. Download it and run it in sensors only mode. The result will be your maximum voltage and frequency before running any game. 
  • Now, run any graphic intensive game for at least 5-10 minutes and check your maximum voltage (e.g., 1000 mV) and frequency (e.g., 1700 MHz).  

Steps to be followed for Undervolting GPU:

Step 1: Open the MSI Afterburner and go to the settings. Step 2: Once you do it, a small window will open. Now, scroll down a bit to see Unlock voltage monitoring. Select or check the box and then click on OK. Step 3: After that, a voltage value indicator will be visible to you.  Here is the end of the simple tasks. Let us now start with the actual Undervolting process.  Step 4: Keep the MSI Afterburner open, and launch the curve editor by clicking on the yellow thing or dots adjacent to ‘core clock (MHz)’ or press CTRL + F on your keyboard.  Step 5: Once the editor opens up, you will be able to see the voltage mentioned in millivolts (mV) on the X-axis and the y-axis display frequency in megahertz (MHz). And the red dotted line displays the current-voltage and the frequency value of your GPU, and if you observe closely, the red line carries small squares (nodes) on it. You can change the voltage value and frequency by dragging the box (node) up and down by clicking it with your mouse. Step 6: Now, find the square (node), which is corresponding to the maximum frequency (that you found after running the game in the beginning: 1700 MHz) point on the graph, and locate the corresponding voltage to it. Now, drag all the boxes nodes to the maximum frequency (that you found after running the game, at the beginning: 1700 MHz). Step 7: Once done, reduce the voltage that you found after running the game at the beginning, 1000 mV by 100 mV. The resulting voltage will be the required one. In your case, it is 900 mV. Now, drag all the squares (nodes) starting after 900 mV to maximum frequency (that you found after running the game, at the beginning: 1700 MHz). Step 8: After you have selected your desired voltage and frequency, close the curve, and do a test of the stability of the GPU. If it is stable, you can reduce the voltage by 50 mV more, and now your current voltage will become 850 mV. Step 9: Now, drag all the squares (nodes) starting after 850 mV to maximum frequency (that you found after running the game, at the beginning: 1700 MHz) and check again.  Step 10: Repeat the process by reducing the voltage and testing process until you face crashing or stuttering. You can tweak your frequency a little bit as well (with a 10 MHz change) Note: Do not lower your voltage below 200 mV.  Step 11: If you are facing crashes, increase the voltage until the performance stabilizes. Step 12: Once you achieve a stable point, close your curve editor and click on the checkmark (✓) present on the MSI Afterburner. Step 13: Now, you can run any game to check the stability of your GPU. Keep it running for at least 5-6 minutes, and if it crashes, you can now again do the finetuning and adjust the voltage until you reach a stable point.   

Final Verdict

Indeed the Undervolting process is tedious and tricky for everyone to comprehend. However, once you go through and follow all the above steps correctly, we are sure you will be able to easily Undervolt your GPU and enjoy a seamless editing or gaming experience. If you have found the information, helpful do let us know and for any queries, feel free to reach out to us through the comments below.  
Sean

Sean

My name is Sean and I started this project in 2020. It has been growing ever since. I am a serial tech entrepreneur and a tech geek. My experience in blogging and technology helps me understand what type of content people are looking for and I intend to provide the information in the best possible way.

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