How to Safely Underclock Your GPU [Nvidia, AMD]

5 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

Share this article

Improve this guide

Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help Windows Report sustain the editorial teamRead more

Key notes

Underclocking your GPU may seem like a random thing to do, some might say it’s counterintuitive, but in fact, there are benefits to doing this. Underclocking can actually reduce the amount of electricity your computers use and ultimately lower that electric bill.

It can alsoextend the lifespan of your GPUby lowering the amount of work it has to do. GPUs house cores that run at a certain clock speed. The higher the clock speed, the better the performance.

Manufacturers set a factory clock speed as the default, but you can push the speed past the limiter to get even better performance. This is known as overclocking but can result in damaged parts.

The opposite can also be done, and you can do it with the help of a special piece of software.

Is underclocking safe for GPU?

Yes, it is. There are no direct dangers associated with underclocking a GPU, but that doesn’t mean everything will the same.

Underclocking a GPU will result in lower performance across the board. So video games that are particularly taxing on the graphic card will noticeably suffer. The game may lag or outrightcrash. The same can be said for all GPU-intensive apps.

However, there is one small danger that should be mentioned even if it’s very unlikely. Even if you underclock the GPU,your power supply will still give the same amount of electricityto your computer.

This means your GPU will be getting extra electricity that it doesn’t need and may be overloaded. When this happens, the GPU can get damaged. Again, this is very unlikely but still a possibility.

How do you underclock GPU?

1. Use MSI Afterburner

2. Use NZXT CAM

3. Use ASUS GPU Tweak III

Is undervolting the same as underclocking?

No, they are not the same thing but they are related to each other. Earlier, it was mentioned that it’s possible to damage your GPU if it continues to receive the same amount of voltage when underclocked.

You can get around this by undervolting your GPU. This decreases the amount of power your GPU receives so it doesn’t get damaged when underclocked.

Feel free to leave a comment below if you have any questions on other apps or if you have some that you recommend. Also, feel free to leave comments about guides you’d like to see or information on other web browsers.

How to Safely Underclock Your GPU [Nvidia, AMD]#

Is underclocking safe for GPU?#

How do you underclock GPU?#

1. Use MSI Afterburner#

2. Use NZXT CAM#

3. Use ASUS GPU Tweak III#

Is undervolting the same as underclocking?#