Jayztwocents uses MSI Afterburner as do I. It is very customizable. I like to show the CPU load per thread. That way I can see how a particular game uses my hardware. I can also add external sources such as values from HWinfo64 to display things that MSI Afterburner doesn’t pick up. I am pretty sure Jay did a video on this and how to configure it. Answer from dedsmiley on reddit.com
FPS Monitor
fpsmon.com › en
FPS Monitor - Ingame overlay tool which gives valuable system information and reports when hardware works close to critical state
FPS Monitor - ingame overlay tool, which gives valuable system information in a real time, tests performance and does alerts when hardware works close to critical state.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/pcmasterrace › what software is used to monitor pc performance whilst gaming.
r/pcmasterrace on Reddit: What software is used to monitor pc performance whilst gaming.
December 5, 2021 -
I usually see some software used as an overlay whilst reviewers such as Bitwit and Jayztwocents use. Could anyone please tell me what it is? Thank you.
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Jayztwocents uses MSI Afterburner as do I. It is very customizable. I like to show the CPU load per thread. That way I can see how a particular game uses my hardware. I can also add external sources such as values from HWinfo64 to display things that MSI Afterburner doesn’t pick up. I am pretty sure Jay did a video on this and how to configure it.
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Nvidia Geforcre experience is fantastic. ALT + R and you can see your performance details in one of the corners of the screen.
Videos
14:54
Steam Overlay Shows All Your FPS Stats Now! - YouTube
42:47
The Ultimate Guide to PC Overlays!! - Solving Bottlenecks, Latency, ...
15:10
The Free Software I Install On EVERY Gaming PC - YouTube
07:35
How to Setup PC Monitoring Overlays with MSI Afterburner and ...
How to run a downloaded overlay in OBS or vMix using a free ...
09:18
MSI Afterburner Best Performance HUD Overlay (How To Set It Up) ...
Reddit
reddit.com › r/overclocking › what onscreen performance monitoring overlays is everyone using?
r/overclocking on Reddit: What Onscreen Performance Monitoring Overlays is Everyone Using?
June 1, 2025 -
Just curious what everyone is using and recommends for monitoring cpu and gpu performance/temps via an on-screen overlay. I'm trying to find an overlay solution that doesn't cause a massive hit in performance, or cause games to crash, or just plain does not work consistently.
-I really like the advanced Nvidia overlay, but it's behavior can be questionable at times. I'm not sure if it degrades performance or even contributes to crashes in some games.
-Intel PresentMon is really cool, and its customization options are good, but it causes performance degradation due to how aggressive it polls at stock. I haven't tried tweaking how often it polls system information yet to see if there's a way to get rid of the performance hit. It is also hit and miss in terms of being able to enable and disable it.
-HWINFO64 is god tier for monitoring, but not so much as an overlay in my experience. I've always had trouble getting it to even display info onscreen when configured with a hotkey. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
-RivaTuner with MSI Afterburner is probably the GOAT, but I have little experience configuring it and it seems old as hell. Is this still the best route to go?
Any recommendations?
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Msi afterburner. I think the software it uses is Rivera statistics or something like that
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Msi afterburner with RivaTuner. Nvidia's was good enough for me for the longest time for basic info, but once they moved to the Nvidia App, its been broken more times than I can count so I don't even use the NV App anymore.
How-To Geek
howtogeek.com › home › video games › 3 in-game performance monitoring tools i recommend to every pc gamer
3 In-Game Performance Monitoring Tools I Recommend to Every PC Gamer
June 12, 2024 - After you enable the performance stats you want to see on the OSD, click the “Apply” button, and try out the OSD by entering the game and pressing the button you’ve mapped to open the RTSS performance overlay. The third and last entry on this list is Intel PresentMon. I’ve been using PresentMon for a few months and can say that it works great and offers enough performance monitoring metrics for most PC gamers, including advanced users. Compared to RTSS, PresentMon may be a better solution because it doesn’t require third-party software to pull performance metrics from.
Microsoft Store
apps.microsoft.com › detail › 9p9j9tfq00ht
Smart System Monitor - Free download and install on Windows | Microsoft Store
May 12, 2026 - Smart System Monitor is the ultimate lightweight performance overlay designed to give you real-time hardware telemetry with live FPS and refresh rate, and CPU/GPU temps without slowing down your PC.
Steam
store.steampowered.com › app › 966610 › FPS_Monitor__hardware_ingame__desktop_overlays
Save 40% on FPS Monitor – hardware in-game & desktop overlays on Steam
FPS Monitor – hardware in-game & desktop overlays
FPS Monitor tracks your PC's hardware state and displays this information as an overlay in-game or over desktop. Does not require configuration, it works immediately after installation.
Price $7.79
NZXT
nzxt.com › home › nzxt cam software | your pc's command center
NZXT CAM | Free PC Monitoring and Configuration Software
CAM monitors any Windows PC in real time. Plug in NZXT hardware and it controls your fans, RGB, and Kraken LCD too. Free. No account. No catch. Real-time CPU, GPU, memory, and storage readouts with temperature graphs and utilization. Mini mode docks a compact overlay to the desktop.
FBX
fbx.gg › blog › best-performance-monitoring-apps
Best Performance Monitoring Apps For Gamers - FBX Blog
June 15, 2021 - FPS Monitor is a performance monitor that provides you with an FPS counter overlay onto your game. With it, you can also monitor and display graphics card usage, CPU usage and RAM utilization levels among other things while playing video games ...
How-To Geek
howtogeek.com › home › windows › how to show windows 10's hidden floating performance panels
How to Show Windows 10's Hidden Floating Performance Panels
December 7, 2022 - Want to see live-updating resource usage stats from your system's CPU, memory, disk, network, or GPU? Windows 10 has some hidden built-in perfomance monitors that can help. You can even have Windows show always-on-top FPS. There are two ways to do this: You can use the Task Manager or the Xbox Game Bar overlay.
Gizmodo
gizmodo.com › the-best-free-apps-for-monitoring-pc-gaming-performance-2000469769
The Best Free Apps for Monitoring PC Gaming Performance
July 13, 2024 - They’re related to, but different from, benchmarking programs that run tests on your hardware to give you a performance score you can compare with other PCs. Here, we’re talking about real-time computer monitoring. ... A hugely popular monitoring application, and one you don’t need MSI hardware to use (despite the name): Load up MSI Afterburner, and you’ll see a plethora of stats about your current system state, including GPU and memory load and system fan speeds. You can use an on-screen overlay to stay updated with all this information while playing your games.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/buildapc › best software for in-game performance monitoring overlay
r/buildapc on Reddit: Best software for in-game performance monitoring overlay
April 8, 2019 -
I'm looking for some software that can provide an in-game overlay for monitoring CPU and GPU usage and temp. I've looked into MSI afterburner, but some some reason the checkbox for making the in-game overlay does not appear (is that because I don't have an MSI card?). Can anyone recommend any alternatives? I have an Intel CPU and a Gigabyte Nvidia graphics card, if that matters.
gHacks Tech News
ghacks.net › software › agaueeye is a free hardware monitoring tool that displays an overlay when gaming
AgaueEye is a free hardware monitoring tool that displays an overlay when gaming - gHacks Tech News
December 17, 2019 - Do you want to view your computer's CPU and GPU usage when playing games? AgaueEye is a free hardware monitoring tool that has an overlay.
Time Doctor
timedoctor.com › home › insights and guides › 10 excellent pc monitoring software (key features, pricing)
10 excellent PC monitoring software (key features, pricing)
October 23, 2024 - With this hardware tracking software, you can check your computer’s memory usage and set alarms for errors. This app also sends you notifications on your phone to monitor your system on the go. Gives you real-time data on your GPU and CPU temp, memory usage, storage, and network performance. Lets you know what applications are active on your computer. Tracks your FPS, temperatures, and bandwidth with an in-game overlay...
Beebom
beebom.com › hwinfo-overlay-monitor-fps-system-stats
HWiNFO Adds an Overlay to Monitor FPS & System Stats; How to Enable It | Beebom
February 29, 2024 - HWiNFO is a popular monitoring tool to see all information related to your hardware in one place. Now, it is getting an important feature, dubbed “fully integrated OSD,” via the latest v7.73-5370 Beta update. With this, HWiNFO has gotten more featureful and given users a foolproof way to see detailed system statistics, including FPS and more, in an overlay.
Monitask
monitask.com › blog › the-ultimate-guide-to-choosing-the-top-pc-monitoring-software
The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Top PC Monitoring Software | Monitask
July 15, 2024 - One of the top three PC performance monitoring software options for 2023 is NZXT CAM. This popular software offers real-time system performance metrics, allowing you to track your CPU and GPU temperatures, clock speeds, and fan speeds.
PC Game Haven
pcgamehaven.com › home › guides › how to easily monitor cpu and gpu usage when gaming
How To Easily Monitor CPU And GPU Usage When Gaming | PC Game Haven
March 4, 2022 - You’ll also be able to monitor things like RAM and pagefile usage, average FPS, 1% and .1% low FPS, and more. For the purpose of this article, we’re going to be using MSI’s Afterburner and Rivatuner Statistics Server (RTSS). This combination of programs is generally the quickest and easiest way to get an overlay working and are awesome tools.
PCWorld
pcworld.com › home › tip › gaming tip
How to turn on Microsoft Windows' hidden PC performance overlay | PCWorld
October 24, 2023 - Keep an eye on your system's vitals with Windows 11's hidden performance overlay.
The Windows Club
thewindowsclub.com › the windows club › downloads › free game monitoring software for windows pc
Free Game Monitoring Software for Windows PC
December 14, 2022 - Also, FPS Monitor has a hardware alerts option that lets you know when your hardware is running in a critical or dangerous state. The tool has a very customizable interface, and it works a try if you are looking for free game monitoring software ...
SilverPC Blog
blog.silverpc.hu › kezdőlap › what is the best overlay software for monitoring your pc specs in 2023?
What is the Best Overlay Software for Monitoring Your PC Specs in 2023? - SilverPC Blog
October 20, 2025 - After extensive evaluation, here are our top picks for the best overlay software to keep tabs on your PC’s vital signs in 2023: When it comes to comprehensive, free, and highly customizable PC monitoring, the combination of MSI Afterburner and RivaTuner Statistics Server (RTSS) remains the ...