How to Overclock a Monitor for Gaming?

Oftentimes, you may have heard the term ‘overclocking’ being used in a conversation involving gaming specs. Though overclocking is mainly done on parts that possess a separate processing unit like a CPU or GPU, it is also possible to overclock your monitor. Overclocking, when done right, ensures better performance and gives the concerned part a boost in performance.

For example, overclocking your CPU  may prevent it from overheating, and your GPU may run games in a better way so that there is no screen freeze. While overclocking your monitor, you would want to better your refresh rate.  Overclocking your monitor has its pros and cons. It can be a little time-consuming and comes with its own risks. But if you successfully overclock your monitor, you can surely expect more frames and a better gaming experience.

How to Overclock a Monitor?

Overclocking your monitor can come with varied problems that may persist for a lifetime. If not done carefully, any damage may not even be covered by your manufacturer’s warranty. Additionally, it is always better to go through the process of overclocking only if your monitor has a specific “Overclock” menu option under monitor settings.

Overclocking damages the internal hardware and the device might cease to perform together. Basically, once you overclock your screen, it is bound to create more heat internally. This can, in turn, gradually wear down the internal parts.

However, it is not very difficult to overclock your monitor to a higher refresh rate. We shall discuss how to overclock your monitor to a higher refresh rate using AMD and NVIDIA.

Also Read: Can I Run It? How to Check if you can run a game on PC

How To Overclock Your Monitor to a Higher Refresh Rate?

Your monitor can be overclocked in a multitude of ways. Here, we shall show you how to overclock your monitor for both AMD and NVIDIA GPUs.

Overclocking for NVIDIA:

• Navigate to the NVIDIA Control Panel on your desktop.
• You should be able to go to the “Change Resolutions” page. Here, you have to scroll down and select te “Customize” which is present under “Resolution”.
• For overclocking, click on “Enable Resolutions Not Exposed by the Display” and click on “Create Custom Resolution”
• Now, you can test to what extent your monitor can be overclocked by progressing slowly. Start with increasing it by 5Hz and continue only if you think your monitor will be able to handle it.
• Depending on your GPU, connection type (HDMI/DisplayPort), and monitors capabilities, the refresh rate can be increased to a maximum of 15Hz or more.

Overclocking for AMD:

• Open Radeon settings on your desktop.
• Once the screen opens, select “Create” that is accessible next to “Custom Resolutions”.
• Use the same methods and increase your refresh rate by 5Hz. In case your monitor keeps reverting to the old refresh rate, you can go even lower and increase it by 1Hz.
• Your monitor should now work fine.

Monitor Overclocking software

There is also special software made for overclocking your monitor, one such is ToastyX. It is compatible with your NVIDIA or AMD and has special patches that add an additional panel to influence the refresh rate even further.

Here is how you can increase your refresh rate using ToastyX:

• Run the patcher on your desktop and download  Custom Resolution Utility by ToastyX.
• Use the drop down menu to see if the correct monitor is selected for overclocking.
• Uncheck “Include extension block”.
• Now, you have to add multiple “Detailed Resolution” slots.
• Do not tamper with the other settings as these can influence the performance of your monitor severely. Just gradually increase the refresh rate available under frequency.
• You can do up to 24Hz increments if your monitor allows for it.
• After finishing all your increments, return to the windows screen to restart your system.
• Once your system restarts, you can go to the display section in Catalyst Control Center (NVIDIA Control Panel for NVIDIA users), choose the screen being overclocked, and can change the refresh rate according to your requirements.
• Watch out for the presence of artifacts on the screen, if they appear, or your screen seems to go blank, you have to lower the changes made.
• If everything does not work out fine, then try to decease the overclock to start afresh.

How to Overclock monitor to 165hz?

Overclocking comes with its disasters, usually, to overclock your monitor to 165Hz, you should necessarily have a system that already supports 144Hz or at least 120Hz. This will ensure that your system does not overheat after making significant changes. Some other software that allows overclocking is EVGA Precision and MSI Afterburner.

Once you keep all these details in mind, you can easily overclock your monitor to perform at higher refresh rates by following any of the methods mentioned in the previous section.

How to Overclock monitor 144hz?

Overclocking a monitor to 144Hz requires a system that supports up to 75 or 120Hz for the best performance. You can easily follow the steps mentioned to overclock your monitor, always remember that overclocking may cause irreversible damage to your monitor if not done in a regulated manner. Many systems do not support overclocking so it is advisable to not try it forcefully.

How to Overclock monitor 75hz to 100hz?

Overclocking may seem like an easy fix compared to getting an expensive monitor with a greater display and refresh rate, but it must be done under control. But overclocking a 75Hz monitor to 100Hz should not be a major problem if you already have a good enough monitor. Follow the respective steps for your system and it should be an easy task.

How to Overclock monitor to 75hz?

Usually, monitors that provide 60Hz are reliable enough for good performance. But if you want to tweak the performance of your monitor to 75Hz, it is a fairly harmless process as it falls within the purview of 15Hz change.

Just gradually increase the frame rate at 5Hz increments and your monitor should be as good as new.

In conclusion, you can easily overclock your monitor to get better refresh rates. Usually, when the frame rate on your GPU is not in sync with your refresh rate you get a screen tear that does not let you concentrate on your game. Overclocking is one of the most reliable solutions to this problem. A major problem supplementary to overclocking is that it decreases the lifespan of your monitor. This can be a disadvantage and is the most popular reason why people generally tend to stay away from overclocking.

However, newer monitor models are made to withstand overclocking and come with specialized options that can be utilized. We have listed different ways in which you can overclock your system, select the right one according to your needs, and enjoy a tear-free gaming experience!

FAQs

Is it safe to overclock a monitor?

It is not particularly safe to overclock a monitor as it carries many risks. These include overheating, the decline in performance, and can even render your monitor useless if done carelessly. In a controlled manner, and on a monitor that actually comes loaded with an overclocking facility, you can overclock safely.

Your monitor may stay completely fine after overclocking, or it may cease to work. Either way, it is not a very advisable process and should only be used when the increment value is less. 15Hz to 24Hz increment range is considered okay for overclocking.

Can I overclock my 60Hz monitor to 120hz?

It is possible but not advised. 60Hz monitors are considered okay enough for a good gaming experience and they usually do not tear while you’re in-game. But in the case of a high-end model that just needs a little improvement, this increment range is no big deal.

Most high-end monitors come with an in-built overclocking option which can be utilized to the fullest. But if you do not own such a monitor, the most you can overclock your system is within the 15Hz increment range, which comes up to 75Hz.

Is it safe to overclock monitor to 75Hz?

If you have a monitor that already comes with an in-built refresh rate of 60Hz, it can be easily overclocked to 75Hz. This lies well within the 15Hz increment range and both NVIDIA and AMD systems can easily support overclocking to this extent.

The problem starts to arise when you usually aim for something higher than that. As it is, the change must be made gradually in 5Hz increments going up to 15Hz. Moreover, you need to continuously restart your system and check for artefacts to ensure credibility.

How much can you overclock a 144Hz monitor?

For a 144Hz monitor, it is advisable to overclock it up to 165Hz. 144Hz screens are powerful and can withstand these increments. This will increase the performance of your system. If paired with a good GPU and CPU, it can yield more favourable results.

Our article already discusses overclocking involving various methods that you can use for overclocking your screen. To avoid extra trouble, make sure that your manufacturer’s warranty covers this issue before deciding to overclock your system.