GPU boost
GPU boost is a graphics card continuously adjusting its clock and voltage within temperature, power, and voltage limits rather than running a fixed frequency.
Also known as boost clock (GPU), GPU turbo
Measured by SystemCheck
Part of the four-stage run: a 60-second sustained CPU load reporting throughput, decay and consistency; a memory stage reporting bandwidth and latency; a calibrated GPU raster load reporting frame time, pacing and decay; and a path tracer reporting samples per second. The paragraphs below say which metric carries this term.
Modern GPUs re-evaluate their operating point many times per second against several concurrent constraints: core temperature, board power, voltage ceiling, and hotspot temperature. The advertised boost clock is a typical figure, and real cards routinely run above or below it depending on cooling and the specific workload.
The practical consequence is that GPU performance drifts downward during the first few minutes of load as the card heats and settles. A benchmark run on a cold card overstates what you will see in hour two of a session, the same peak-versus-sustained problem CPUs have, with a longer time constant because of the larger heatsink mass.
SystemCheck's GPU stages measure decay across the run precisely to capture this. A card with good cooling shows a shallow decay and stable frame pacing; a card that is dust-clogged, badly ventilated, or running an aggressive factory overclock shows a steeper drop. SystemCheck cannot read the card's clock or temperature, only the throughput and timing consequences.
Related terms