Monitoring GPU temperatures

Monitoring your graphics card (also known as GPU or video card) temperatures during critical operations can help prevent damage and identify possible problems. Windows doesn’t include a thorough GPU temperature monitoring tool (unless you're happy with Task Manager's Performance tab [Windows 10 & 11 only] which we aren't that thrilled with as it lacks a graph for the temp) so we have compiled a few of what we believe are the most useful.

Choosing the right (gamer-friendly) software

Nvidia's GeForce cards currently sit around 75% of all GPUs in gaming PCs, based on the Steam’s hardware survey. However, Nvidia does not provide any way to monitor GPU temperatures. There are plenty of third-party tools out there to choose from but here are what we believe to be the simplest and most beneficial.

MSI Afterburner

MSI's Afterburner tool is a versatile and accurate application for monitoring your GPU's temperatures. While the tool also offers a great deal of core clock and fan control, we usually advise against making any major changes and letting the Auto settings control that. Instead, we will more heavily focus on the monitoring capabilities of the MSI Afterburner software. The MSI Afterburner software also offers a gaming overlay (OSD - On-Screen Display) so you can monitor your systems performance and temperatures while gaming!

MSI Afterburner is a very powerful software, but there's others out there.

EVGA Precision X1

EVGA offers a very powerful and robust app called EVGA Precision X1, recently reprogrammed specifically for the release of GeForce RTX 20-series GPUs, this application provides a clean and accurate software for keeping track of temperatures. The EVGA Precision X1 software also offers a gaming overlay (OSD) so you can monitor your systems performance and temperatures while gaming.

But Work is more my speed rather than Gaming...

If you're not much of a gamer or aren't worried about checking your temperatures while in game with an overlay then a better option for your needs would be HWiNFO. HWiNFO provides in-depth monitoring of every sensor your PC is able to see. We recommend setting the application to start with 'Sensors-only' so you have access to the litany of information available. If you prefer a simpler view then the 'Summary-only' will work great.