[GUIDE] How to decrease heat and improve performance without decreasing quality

[Mkhedari]

Hello, I have a laptop which used to overheat very easily while gaming and especially in RAGEMP, despite running a game on low settings and resolution. After some steps I drastically reduced GPU and CPU temperature while also being able to bump up graphics settings on High-Ultra. Let me tell you what I did.

Computer parts require energy to function and they usually receive more than they need, which results in increased temperature levels. For gaming we should take care of CPU and GPU voltages and reduce them until we get to the point where they still function without any problems. This is called undervolting, which has no impact on performance and in most cases it even increases it, because machine does not throttle to avoid damage from high temperatures. This method has worked really well for many people and it is considered very safe. We will also do some OVERCLOCKING for GPU which increases the speed (it also increases temperature but undervolting is so effective that you will still get lower temperature than before)

 

Let's start with undervolting CPU which is very easy. I won't go into details because there are tons of videos and resources online. You must install a program called ThrottleStop and watch any video to understand how it works, it's simple. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=throttlestop+undervolt 

 

Second step is undervolting GPU which is also simple but on some computers it requires different software. Usually it is done using MSI Afterburner which is very simple to use. Again, use internet for more details. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=msi+afterburner+gpu+undervolt - Sadly for my laptop this software did not work, voltage options are locked and I could not change them and for a long time I thought I was doomed because GPU temps would go to extreme levels and I could not undervolt it. BUT then somehow I came across ASUS GPU TWEAK II software, which works on my laptop despite not being ASUS. It's simple to use, run a game and adjust voltage bar until you get to the point where it works well and does not cause any problems. (Do not touch GPU clock and Memory Clock, for this it's better to use another program if you want to increase performance) On my laptop voltage was set to 1100, now it is set to 990 and I can play games for hours without any crashes or lag and my GPU temperature is around 10c less despite having my GPU overclocked. (Without overclock it is way less)

 

 

This is it, now your temperatures are way much lower. If you still want to decrease temperature you can toggle Disable Turbo in ThrottleStop and even decrease your CPU clock speed which will not really affect performance in most cases. More cpu clock speed means more temperature but in my case it does not matter if it's 3.8ghz or 2.3ghz because majority of work is done by GPU, so lower your CPU clockspeed untill you get no FPS loss. (It depends on a system)

 

At the same time you can do the opposite for GPU if you want more performance, you can use MSI Afterburner for overclocking, but for my laptop and maybe many others it does not work, so I use Sapphire Trixx which is easy to use. (Download here) Please watch some videos on youtube because overclocking too much might damage your system and when you have your GPU undervolted it means that your graphics card has less resource to increase it's clock speed. My base clock speed is 900 and memory clock is 1000, but I incresaed first to 1000 and second to 1100, this improved FPS. 

 

 

If you own a laptop it is very important not block it's air path, for this you can put any solid object on back corners so your laptop will be raised and air can move freely. Replacing a thermal paste is also a good idea.

 

Result: Less temperature (no more throttle); More FPS; More room to increase graphics settings; Less energy consumption which decreases bills; "Healthier" machine and etc.