Alex Ruben
How To Adjust Fan Speed on MSI Afterburner for Any Graphics Card (2025)
In this guide, you’ll learn how to adjust the fan speed for your GPU using MSI Afterburner. This is essential for maintaining optimal temperatures, improving performance, and reducing noise levels during intensive tasks. Whether you’re a gamer or a content creator, controlling your GPU’s cooling capabilities can lead to better performance and longevity of your hardware.
Step 1: Launch MSI Afterburner
Start by launching the MSI Afterburner software on your computer. If you haven’t installed it yet, you can download it from the official MSI website: MSI Afterburner Download. Sometimes it’s a bit buggy on first run, but usually launching it again after install works better.
Step 2: Access the Settings Menu
Once MSI Afterburner is open, look for the gear icon (⚙️) at the top of the interface. Click on that to open the Settings. This is where all the magic happens—don’t skip it unless you want to mess with some default behaviors.
Step 3: Customize the User Interface (Optional)
In the Settings window, navigate to the User Interface tab. Here, you can select different skins for the interface. Find the dropdown labeled Skin, choose something like MSI Savico Cyber if you want a different look. Click OK if you make changes. Not always necessary but can make managing more comfortable, especially if UI feels cluttered.
Step 4: Disable Automatic Fan Control
This is key. You need to turn off the auto-fan mode to manually set your fan speed. In the main MSI Afterburner window, there should be a fan control icon (sometimes a fan symbol or a gear). Click on it so it’s unchecked or set to manual.
Why it helps: Because with auto control, the GPU manages fan speed based on temps. But if you want your fans at a set RPM, gotta turn that off.
When it applies: Only when you notice fluctuating fan noise or temps that don’t suit your comfort zone.
What to expect: Fan stops adjusting automatically, now you get to control the RPM directly.
On some setups, this toggle can act quirky on first try—sometimes it doesn’t stick until you restart MSI Afterburner or your computer.
Step 5: Adjust the Fan Speed
Now, you can move the fan speed slider (usually labeled as RPM or percentage) to your liking. Just drag it up or down to increase or decrease the fan’s revolutions per minute. It’s helpful to keep an eye on the GPU temp (Inside MSI Afterburner, look for the temperature graph).
Why it helps: Because you can set a custom profile—say, keep fans at 50% until 70°C, then spin up to 80% if temps hit 80°C.
When it applies: When the default auto mode runs too loud or doesn’t cool enough.
Expect a bit of trial and error—some fans are noisier than others at similar speeds, so finding that sweet spot might take a few minutes.
Step 6: Save Your Settings
After dialing in your preferred fan speed, hit the Apply or Write button at the bottom. That saves it so every time you boot up, your custom profile loads—no need to tweak every morning.
Step 7: Enable Startup Fan Control (Optional)
If you want your fan settings to stick whenever the PC boots, click on the startup icon (looks like a power button). This loads your custom fan profile automatically. Because of course, Windows has to make it harder than necessary, but this step saves some clicks every time.
Pro tip: Sometimes, setting startup profiles or auto-loading profiles doesn’t work immediately—try rebooting after setting it up or toggling the feature off/on.
Extra Tips & Common Issues
When messing with fan speeds, here’s what to keep in mind:
- Always monitor temps using the graph or MSI Afterburner’s on-screen overlay. Nobody wants a fried GPU.
- Extreme settings can lead to loud fans or poor cooling—balance is key.
- You can set custom fan curves in the fan control section for automatic adjustments based on temps—this is more advanced but super handy.
Conclusion
Changing MSI Afterburner fan speed isn’t too complicated once you get the hang of disabling auto control and setting manual RPMs. It can really help quiet your system or keep temps in check during long gaming sessions or heavy workloads. Usually, a little tweaking and monitoring makes a big difference. Just don’t set the fans too low, or you’ll risk overheating—that’s all.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use MSI Afterburner with any graphics card?
Most likely, yeah. It works with a wide range of NVIDIA and AMD cards. Compatibility isn’t perfect on every setup, but I’ve seen it work on most.
What should I do if my GPU gets too hot?
Start by increasing the fan speed—say, 10% at a time. Also, check if your GPU is clean—dust buildup kills cooling—and make sure your case airflow’s good. Sometimes, undervolting or lowering the workload helps too.
Are there risks in adjusting fan speeds?
Generally safe if you keep an eye on temps. But setting fans too low while under load can lead to overheating. Keep monitoring, especially if you push the limits.
Summary
- Turn off auto fan control in MSI Afterburner
- Set your desired fan RPM manually
- Save and enable startup profiles if needed
- Monitor temps regularly to stop overheating
Hopefully, this shaves off a few hours for someone. Just something that worked on multiple machines. Fingers crossed this helps.