Overclocking the MSI GeForce GT 1030 for Smooth Gaming Performance

The MSI GeForce GT 1030 is a popular graphics card known for its powerful performance and compact design. When paired with the right hardware, it can deliver impressive frame rates in modern games. In this article, we'll explore how to overclock the GT 1030 using MSI Afterburner to achieve even better performance.

System Specifications

My system consists of an old Core i3-2120 processor clocked at 3.3 GHz, 8GB of DDR3-1333 memory, and a heavily modified install of Windows 7 Home Premium Circle Edition. This setup allows me to run demanding games like Doom 4 and Wolfenstein: The New Order/Old Blood at high settings.

Overclocking the GT 1030

To start overclocking, I used MSI Afterburner to adjust the GPU clock speeds. I increased the GPU frequency by 185 MHz to reach a boost clock of 1653 MHz, which resulted in impressive frame rates in demanding games like Doom 4 and Wolfenstein: The New Order/Old Blood at 720p with virtually everything maxed out.

The VRAM overclock also played a significant role in improving performance. By increasing the bus speed from 48.1GB/s to 54.5GB/s, I was able to achieve higher frame rates in games that utilize a lot of memory bandwidth.

Stable and Quiet Performance

After a week of running the GPU at 1412 MHz (+185) and VRAM at 3404 MHz (+400), I experienced zero issues with stability or noise levels. The temperatures remained under control, never exceeding 63C even in demanding situations.

Adjusting Temperature Targets

One thing to keep in mind is that boost clocks may drop as temperature rises. However, you can adjust the Temperature Target using tools like nVidia Inspector or MSI Afterburner to mitigate this effect and maintain higher clock speeds.

In conclusion, overclocking the MSI GeForce GT 1030 using Afterburner can result in significant performance gains for gamers on a budget. By adjusting the GPU and VRAM clock speeds, I was able to achieve smooth frame rates in demanding games at high settings. With proper cooling and temperature management, this setup provides a stable and quiet gaming experience.

Gt 1030 overclock msi afterburner