What to Do if GPU Freezes During Overclocking?

Video game geeks have invented a new trick of amplifying their gaming experience. Gamers nowadays resort to performing overclocking to get an even better experience of their favorite game.

Based on the availability of enormous tutorials on the Internet, overclocking is the most convenient way to increase the game’s performance. It requires no hardware upgrade and the user basically has to simply perform a tweak in the setting to turn it on. However, it has its own side effects also. One of the more regularly occurring issues with overclocking of the GPU is that it often leads to a complete stall, sooner or later while being overclocked. The reason behind this issue is either lack of user experience or an unstable software trying to overclock GPUs that aren’t meant to be overclocked.

This guide serves as an aid to users who on what to do if the GPU freezes while being overclocked.

Recommended: Use RegInOut System Utilities

Just before we’re about to dive into the solutions to help you take corrective measures in case of the GPU freezing all of a sudden, we would like to suggest a software-oriented solution that is bound to optimize your gaming experience. Just turn on the Game Boost feature of RegInOut System Utilities and feel the difference.

Solution 1: Computer Reboot

The most preferred and easy way to overcome GPU freeze during overclocking is to restart the computer. Overclocking is basically performed by either factory overclocking or software overclocking. The latter method entails the software springing into action upon Windows boot up. Therefore, in order to restore the GPU to its default setting, a system restart is required.

Solution 2: Change the Value to Default

Apart from manually overclocking the GPU, there are numerous software programs that can help you accomplish it. One of the most popular ones is the MSI Afterburner. The best thing about MSI Afterburner is that it isn’t brand specific and works well for both AMD and Nvidia. Here is how you can reset MSI Afterburner to its default state:

1. Launch MSI Afterburner in administrative mode.
2. Select Reset to restore clock values to their default.
3. Once accomplished, the values can be confirmed by a meter that displays clock values for both memory and GPU.

Solution 3: Perform Cleanup and Reinstallation of Drivers (AMD)

Radeon GPU has unveiled their own tool named OverDrive to perform overclocking. The reason for wide usage of this app is that it is completely free and works really well. However, it has been reported by many users that while setting the value to default the tool precludes its value to change.

1. First of all, restart your computer as suggested in solution # 1.
2. If this does not help, download the AMD Clean Uninstall Utility.
3. Install it and follow all the guidelines mentioned for the removal of any information related to AMD drivers.
4. Reboot your computer to apply the changes.
5. Now check OverDrive for results and you are good to go.

Solution 4: Perform Accurate Overclocking

This section sheds more light on how to use MSI Afterburner to achieve proper overclocking. It is the most preferred overclocking tool because of its compatibility with wide range of GPUs. If you are a computer geek, learning the usage of this tool won’t pose much of a challenge to you. Let’s dive into the solution then:

1. Download stable version of MSI Afterburner and install it.
2. To check the stability of the Graphics Card, download Unigine Heaven and install it.
3. Launch MSI Afterburner and increase its value to 10 MHz. Click Check to apply the changes.
4. Launch and execute Unigine Heaven’s benchmark. Follow this video to develop a better understanding of how to accomplish it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9F6zSgtRnkE
5. Go to Settings in Unigine Heaven and select both FPS Counter and GPU Monitor. This will enable the Unigine Heaven benchmark to show the values of FPS and GPU temperature. Depending on the model, GPU temperature should range between 80℃ to 90℃. However, Nvidia has higher temperature tolerance as compared to its peers. If you still get slow performance or black screen after having followed these steps, it means that your system GPU does not support overclocking.
6. Once you’ve increased MSI Afterburner’s value by 10 MHz and it is in a stable position, you can either opt to retain this level or go for further increasing the value the GPU reaches its boundary limit. If you go with the second scenario, just make sure that you increase the value by not more than 10 MHz, as measured and gradual increments are always better for the GPU as well as the computer to absorb.
7. Similarly, increase the GPU voltage by 10 mV in a similar manner as you did in Unigine Heaven during GPU stability testing. Increase the voltage till the GPU gets into the stable position, i.e. no poor performance and black screen.
8. Repeat the steps mentioned in the last step 8 to increase the memory clock. While doing so, do check that after each increment both frame rate and temperature are at normal levels.
9. Once you have performed overclocking, save the value in the profile slot to ensure that values are present there, to guard against any future mishap.
10. Click the Startup button. MSI Afterburner will apply changes automatically at the next reboot.