These programs work as a sort of one-stop-shop for a host of motherboard-related features such as auto CPU overclocking, ARGB, and fan speeds. Most motherboard manufacturers have their own software suites, such as MSI Dragon Center or Gigabyte App Center. But there are a few alternatives worth discussing, even if only to discourage you from using them. We don’t think there’s any reason to consider fan control software other than these three for most users. The core functions (overclocking, fan control, voltage adjustments) work with GPUs from any manufacturer.

Whether you’re trying to get some extra performance or quiet down your graphics card’s default fan speeds, Afterburner is the program to start with.Īnd don’t worry about Afterburner being an MSI-branded product. Overall, MSI Afterburner is the gold standard software for controlling your GPU. But they’re still there if you like to tinker and eke out every last bit of performance out of your GPU. That said, the limited overclocking headroom on modern GPUs makes these features a bit less valuable than in the past. Of course, all the performance tweaking features that made MSI Afterburner such a hit back in the day are still present. However, that’s nothing a CrystalDiskInfo install won’t resolve. (disk health) monitoring of a paid solution like Argus Monitor. And while we don’t think this is a downside, we should point out that Fan Control also lacks the S.M.A.R.T. So be sure to check out the developer’s tutorials on YouTube, as they’ll help you get up to speed quicker than figuring things out yourself.Īside from the learning curve, the only downside is that Fan Control only runs on Windows 10 and 11. However, that flexibility comes with a learning curve, which may put some of you off. It offers unparalleled flexibility and total control over your computer fans. Overall, there’s no getting around the fact that Fan Control is the number one fan speed control software in 2022. I like a five-degree Celsius hysteresis myself, although you should experiment to find the best setting for your ambient temperatures and components. That can get annoying fast, so setting fan hysteresis is an essential feature of the best fan control software.

It helps smooth out fan curves and stops your fans from ramping up or down immediately with a one- or two-degree Celsius temperature change. “Hysteresis” refers to the change in temperature that’s required for a fan to increase or decrease speeds according to the curve that you’ve set.

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