We have been operating computers for a long time now, but to test a graphics card is still something unknown to us. Over the years, their components have evolved, becoming a piece of truly magnificent and powerful machinery that has been a crucial part of our daily lives.
Additionally, with the development of technology, we created gaming PCs that are perfect for gaming. With their complex components, they can give you the fantastic gaming experience that every gamer dreams of experiencing.
Some perks are the high graphic quality due to the GPU and the smooth and fast performance because of the RAM and processor. Besides, there are RGB lights and fans because there is never too much RGB.
Well, considering that after spending all of your savings, you’ve built your dream machine, now caring for it is essential to make it fully available. Keep the case clean, run regular scans, and, most importantly, you should test graphics cards often.
Run scans and check and analyze how you can increase the performance of your device and its lifespan. Tweak the settings according to your liking and according to the limitations of your PC. Run a GPU benchmark test and test graphics cards to determine your GPU’s limits. By doing so, you will know what your machine is capable of and how far you can push it.
Why is it so Significant to Benchmark Your Graphics Card, and What are its Advantages?
Firstly, we need to understand a GPU benchmark test and why you need to test graphics cards frequently. GPU benchmark is used to compare the performance, efficiency, and speed of the GPU. In simpler words, it is a summary of the computer’s performance.
You should benchmark your graphics card to determine if your chipset can handle specific graphical demands. This is important when you are playing games that are GPU-intensive games.
A GPU benchmark test, also known as a graphics card stress test, prompts the graphics card to function at its best and checks how well it can perform while running GPU-intensive games. You should continually benchmark a graphics card after buying it.
Whether it is brand new or used, to see if it performs up to the advertised standards, trust me; you do not want a faulty or low-performing graphics card for which you paid a hefty price.
Now, coming to why it is so important to test a graphics card. Well, you‘ve bought your PC components and built it, and it works fine. But you don’t seem to enjoy the gaming experience while playing the game or take the best of your graphic design business.
The main reason may be that you forgot to benchmark your graphics card, and now, you’re stuck with a low-performing or faulty GPU.
We can bet that you’ll regret not benchmarking your GPU. Benchmarking your graphics card and performing the test graphics card is essential if you fully appreciate your gaming experience. A benchmark test will also tell you whether you can run a specific game and what settings you can use per your hardware.
Steps Using Which You Can Benchmark Your Graphics Card
If you are looking for ways to test graphics cards, you’ve come to the right place. To benchmark your graphics card, you’ll need benchmarking software. Several programs are available for graphics card tests, and we recommend you choose the ones that better suit your graphics card.
Moreover, you can also choose an overclocking application to monitor the temperature of your components. If you are unfamiliar with GPU overclocking or do not have any experience in it, there is no need to worry. Just install MSI Afterburner and monitor GPU readings from there.
For your convenience, here are some trusted and good benchmark software that gaming experts recommend:
GPU-Z is also a good monitoring program. It’s a free GPU monitoring software and is also highly recommended by gaming experts. GPU-Z will tell you the GPU and memory clock’s speed and your graphic card’s model number and memory.
FurMark is an application that works better for testing overclocking and overall stability to run your graphics business successfully or play a high-spec game. FurMark has an easy-to-use interface and gets regular updates for the latest models for GPUs. It has the exceptional ability to point out instabilities and flaws in the GPU, and it pushes the GPU to the limit.
Another geek favorite is Unigine Heaven. It is a free graphics card stress test for people who desire more real-world scenario testing. One of its most appreciated features is comparing the current generation GPUS to that of the previous generation.
Steps to Benchmark Your Chipset
If you want to benchmark your chipset, follow these steps effortlessly:
- First of all, set the overclock. If you do not want to overclock, then just skip this step.
- However, we highly recommend that you should close everything other than the benchmark software. You don’t want to stress your GPU other than what the benchmark software is doing; otherwise, it may damage the GPU. So, avoid running any media while the software runs, e.g., Netflix or YouTube.
- Now that you’ve closed everything, it’s time to run the graphics card stress test. You can tweak the settings on what to stress test and what not to. During these stress tests, it is normal for your temps to be very high and your GPU to be 100%. But you shouldn’t worry, as the test’s purpose is to test the GPU’s limits. We recommend that you run it at default screen resolution and full screen. But you should also monitor your temps while the graphics card test runs.
- Now, you should decide how long you want to run the tests. This depends on how much you use your PC for gaming or heavy-duty work it does. If you’re a casual user with only 1-2 hours of game time, then a 30-minute test should be OK. You’re good to go if your GPU passes this 30-minute graphics card test without crashing or showing errors. You should test the graphics card again if it fails with your overclock and when your temperatures go down.
- The other category is for 3-5-hour gaming sessions. An hour-long stress test without crashes or heating problems will indicate you’re in the clear.
Most of these benchmark tools offer the feature to save the tests as a text file so you can keep them and use them later for comparison.
How to clean your Graphics Card
Your Graphics card is always filled with dust particles and can use some cleaning. So here is how you can clean your GPU without damaging it.
You will need:
- A can of compressed air
- Baby wipes or alcohol wipes
- Q-tips
- Nonconductive thermal paste
- Philips head screwdriver
If you are going to disassemble your GPU, you should keep in mind that its warranty will become void.
Now using the screwdriver, open up the screws on the outside of the GPU. Please ensure you have taken out all the screws before pulling the top. Do not just yank it off. Disconnect the fan from the board first.
Clean the board with wipes and take off all the thermal paste already applied on the board. Use the can of compressed air to blow out the dust from the card’s heat sink. Clean up the card thoroughly with the wipes. Use the Q-tips to clean out dust from between the fans’ blades.
Apply a pea-sized amount of thermal paste and assemble the card again. Ensure you have put in every screw you took out.
Now you have a clean, dust-free card.
Conclusion
To sum it all up, knowing the limits of your machine is essential. And you can do so by performing these tests. These tests can tell you how much you can burden your system without damaging it.
In the end, they are machines, and they have a specific lifespan and faults. Knowing about it will make you perform tasks accordingly without putting the health of your machine in jeopardy. Take care of your PCs and have fun gaming.
Image Source: Pixabay, Unsplash
