For PC gamers, the ability to push the limits of their hardware beyond factory settings is one of the most exciting aspects of gaming. Whether you prefer manually tuning your clocks or relying on dynamic boosting, it’s essential to actively monitor your hardware’s performance. This comprehensive guide will teach you how to effectively track your gaming hardware performance using RivaTuner Statistics Server (RTSS).
Understanding RivaTuner Statistics Server
The RivaTuner Statistics Server originated as a companion tool for RivaTuner, a GPU overclocking software primarily designed for Nvidia GPUs, with some support for AMD hardware. Over time, RTSS evolved into a standalone utility that offers robust capabilities for hardware monitoring, frame limiting, and video capture.
RTSS allows users to monitor various parameters, including:
- Temperature of the GPU
- GPU usage levels
- CPU temperature
- Memory usage statistics
- Bus usage
- Core and memory clock speeds
- Power, temperature, and voltage thresholds
- Frame rates
Furthermore, RivaTuner’s features have been integrated into many leading GPU overclocking software such as MSI Afterburner, EVGA Precision X, and ASUS GPU Tweak. However, RTSS needs a companion application to log hardware statistics; for this guide, we will utilize MSI Afterburner, which includes RTSS as part of its package.
Installing and Setting Up RTSS
Begin by downloading the latest stable version of MSI Afterburner, which comes pre-bundled with RTSS.
During installation, ensure you select RivaTuner Statistics Server when prompted to choose components. Without RTSS, monitoring essential hardware parameters will not be possible.
Once MSI Afterburner is installed, either customize the overclock settings for your GPU or accept the default values and proceed to configure RTSS. Click the Settings icon (gear symbol) to access RTSS configurations.
In the Settings window, navigate to the Monitoring tab. Here, you will find a comprehensive list of hardware parameters that can be tracked for both the CPU and GPU.
Make sure to enable monitoring for any parameters you wish to keep track of by checking the corresponding boxes. Remember, monitoring can utilize some CPU resources, so it’s prudent to disable tracking for any parameters you don’t intend to monitor.
To visualize the data, select the desired parameter and check the box labeled Show in On-Screen Display. You can also choose how you’d like the data to appear—whether as text, a graph, or a combination of both. Repeat this step for each parameter you wish to monitor.
Additionally, you can set alarms for minimum and maximum values without displaying the parameters on the screen. After finalizing your configuration, click the OK button to save your settings. When you launch a game, the selected parameters will be displayed in the top left corner of your screen.
Customizing RTSS Settings
Whether you access RTSS through MSI Afterburner or as a standalone application, there are plenty of customization options available. To launch the standalone RTSS app, either click its icon in the system tray or search for “RivaTuner” in the Start menu.
Within the RivaTuner interface, you will find multiple options, including settings for automatic startup with Windows and adjustments to the on-screen display dimensions.
A standout feature is the ability to add specific profiles for individual applications and games. This is particularly useful, as each game may require different RTSS settings to operate optimally. For instance, games with anti-cheat systems like BattlEye or Vanguard may need Stealth mode enabled to avoid detection issues, while others might require specific on-screen display rendering modes.
Experiment with the settings to find configurations that work best for you!
Monitoring Hardware Performance with RTSS
RTSS offers an array of features, but its capabilities for monitoring hardware parameters are essential for enhancing your gaming experience. This involves monitoring various statistics related to temperatures, utilization rates, power consumption, voltage levels, and clock speeds across CPU, GPU, and memory systems. Below are key parameters to watch closely:
Monitoring GPU Temperature
Observing your GPU’s temperature in relation to ambient conditions helps gauge the effectiveness of your cooling system. If the GPU overheats, it may indicate the need for maintenance, such as cleaning the heatsink or replacing thermal paste. Additionally, it’s important to monitor fan speeds to ensure they are functioning correctly, as aggressive fan profiles can contribute to better cooling.
Modern GPUs often manage overclocking dynamically based on thermal conditions. Therefore, achieving optimal performance involves maintaining lower temperatures; for instance, Nvidia’s Pascal and Turing architectures offer enhanced boost clock speeds for every five-degree decrease in temperature. The Temperature Limit feature also informs you if thermal throttling is degrading GPU performance.
Monitoring CPU Temperature
Similarly, keeping track of CPU temperatures is critical, although CPU clock speeds are not as heavily affected by temperature compared to GPUs. Use the “CPU temperature” option to monitor the average temperature of the entire CPU package rather than the individual core temperatures indicated by labels like CPU1 and CPU2.
Tracking CPU and GPU Usage
Monitoring CPU and GPU usage is crucial for performance assessment. Depending on game optimization, CPU utilization typically ranges from 40% to 80% for most gaming machines. If your CPU consistently hits 100%, it is likely the bottleneck, causing suboptimal GPU performance.
GPU usage may approach 100% under normal circumstances, depending on game demands. However, if it remains near full usage without delivering the expected performance, this could indicate potential issues.
Observing Memory Usage
Memory usage pertains to video RAM (VRAM) and should not be confused with system RAM usage. Certain graphics settings—such as shadow quality and anti-aliasing—require more VRAM. When VRAM usage exceeds the GPU’s available memory, framerate drops may occur as the system defaults to utilizing slower system RAM or storage.
Resource-intensive titles like Alan Wake 2 and Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty provide warnings about possible VRAM shortages when optimized settings are selected. Monitoring VRAM usage is crucial to avoid sudden framerate drops and micro-stuttering in demanding games.
BUS Usage Monitoring
If you experience unexpected framerate drops, be sure to check BUS usage—this indicates utilization of the PCIe bus, which facilitates communication between the CPU and GPU. A BUS usage reading of 100% often signals issues with the PCIe bus itself, which may stem from configuration errors, driver issues, or improper seating of components.
Core and Memory Clocks Monitoring
Understanding the maximum clock speeds for CPU and GPU cores and memory can help identify performance issues. Any discrepancies indicate potential thermal throttling or underutilization issues that need to be addressed. Proper monitoring of memory clock speeds is particularly vital for overclockers, as overheating can damage components.
No Load, Power, Temperature, and Voltage Limits
These monitoring indicators are invaluable for diagnosing hardware performance anomalies:
- No Load: Indicates the GPU is in a power-saving state. If this shows during gameplay, it suggests an issue, often in dual-GPU setups where the dedicated GPU may not be utilized.
- Power Limit: If at maximum, this implies the GPU is reaching its power cap, indicating scope for optimization.
- Temperature Limit: Helps identify performance drops due to excessive heat; if thermal throttling occurs, this alert will notify you.
- Voltage Limit: This denotes the voltage provided to the CPU/GPU, which can hinder performance even when more power is needed, as seen when undervolting.
These limit thresholds are particularly useful for overclockers. If these limits are being consistently reached, it signifies that adjustments are needed to alleviate performance throttling.
Regularly monitoring your hardware performance provides invaluable insights into the health of your system, which is essential for diagnosing potential issues and ensuring peak performance. For further advice on hardware performance monitoring, check out our guides on stress-testing your GPU with Furmark and stress-testing your CPU with Cinebench. Here’s how you can stress test a graphics card on Linux, too.
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