Windows 11 · Windows

How To Setup MSI Afterburner with On Screen Display

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Answer

Open up MSI Afterburner. Depending on your User Interface settings, the application’s interface might look a little different. Navigate to your MSI properties by clicking on the gear icon. In the Monitoring section, scroll down and enable the Show On-Screen Display option, which should be located right here. Below, you might find other options to monitor your GPU and CPU usage by showing their temperatures in your system tray, for example. If you cannot see your Monitoring options, you must re-install MSI Afterburner. While installing, ensure that RivaTuner Statistics Server is also enabled to be installed with MSI Afterburner.

MSI Afterburner Monitoring Settings

Open up MSI Afterburner. Depending on your User Interface settings, the application’s interface might look a little different. Navigate to your MSI properties by clicking on the gear icon.

MSI Afterburner Settings
MSI Afterburner Settings

Enable On-Screen Display & Change Settings

In the Monitoring section, scroll down and enable the Show On-Screen Display option, which should be located right here. Below, you might find other options to monitor your GPU and CPU usage by showing their temperatures in your system tray, for example. If you cannot see your Monitoring options, you must re-install MSI Afterburner. While installing, ensure that RivaTuner Statistics Server is also enabled to be installed with MSI Afterburner.

MSI Afterburner Properties > Monitoring
MSI Afterburner Properties > Monitoring

On-Screen Display Preset & Options

Next, click on the burger menu icon in your Monitoring settings to open up your On-Screen Display layout settings. You can first select a preset for your On-Screen Display. Next, you can manually change the color, text size, and all other options below.

On-Screen Display Layout for MSI
On-Screen Display Layout for MSI

Active Hardware Monitoring Graphs

After applying your changes, close this window. Under Active hardware monitoring graphs, preview a list of possible values or graphs the application can show you. This could be temperature and usage for each graphics card, CPU voltage, etc. Proceed to uncheck the graphs you don’t want to track. After applying your changes, you should be able to see your on-screen display the next time you launch a fullscreen application on your PC.

Active Hardware Monitoring Graphs
Active Hardware Monitoring Graphs

Video walkthrough

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  • What is MSI Afterburner?. MSI Afterburner is a graphics card overclocking tool that allows you to fine-tune your graphics card's performance for maximum performance. With its intuitive interface and powerful overclocking capabilities, it's one of the most popular overclocking tools on the market.
  • What is On Screen Display (OSD)?. OSD is a feature of MSI Afterburner that allows you to monitor various graphics card parameters directly on the screen while you're gaming. This includes everything from GPU usage, clock speeds, temperatures, and more. It's a convenient way to keep an eye on your graphics card's performance without having to alt-tab out of your game.
  • Is MSI Afterburner free to use?. Yes, MSI Afterburner is completely free to use, and there are no hidden costs or fees. It's a fully-featured overclocking tool that you can use to fine-tune your graphics card's performance.
  • What type of graphics card do I need to use MSI Afterburner?. MSI Afterburner is compatible with a wide range of graphics cards, including those from NVIDIA and AMD.
  • What are some of the key features of MSI Afterburner?. Some of the key features of MSI Afterburner include real-time overclocking, voltage control, fan speed control, temperature monitoring, and On Screen Display (OSD). It also allows you to save custom overclocking profiles, so you can quickly switch between different performance levels.