MSI Afterburner vs Sidebar Diagnostics

MSI Afterburner is Windows software for tuning graphics cards and monitoring hardware in real time. Its controls cover GPU clock frequency, voltage, power limits and fan speed, and users can set fan curves and save tuning profiles. MSI says it works with graphics cards from all brands, not only its own. OC Scanner can find the highest stable overclock settings for a card. While gaming, an on-screen display can show live system performance information. The page also describes Predator, a separate recording tool for games or overclocking that supports H.264, WMV and AVI formats. MSI lists a free plan at free, with overclocking and undervolting, hardware monitoring, custom fan control and an on-screen display. There is no free trial. MSI lists versions 4.6.6 (Final) and 4.6.7 (Beta), both released in September 2026. It warns that phishing sites may steal data and identifies msi.com and Guru3D as the correct sites.

Sidebar Diagnostics is a free Windows desktop sidebar for viewing hardware diagnostic information. It monitors CPU, RAM, GPU, network, and logical drives, and can graph those measurements. The sidebar can show a clock and supports alerts, hotkeys, and monitors with different DPI settings. The project describes extensive customization, with hardware data supplied by Libre Hardware Monitor. The README lists Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10 as supported systems. Releases include an installer and a standalone ZIP; the standalone build does not update automatically. The application must be run as administrator. The GitHub repository identifies it as GPL-3.0 software and provides an issue template for reporting problems. The author says it will always be free on GitHub and invites donations. The Free plan costs nothing. Remote monitoring is not supported.