Online processor testing. Increasing the speed of the user's PC. Visual inspection of components

Are you having problems with Windows computer? Random reboots or freezing? If yes, then you need to check the functionality of your computer. System Stability Monitor will help with this. It is a built-in utility that provides valuable data about important events and problems occurring on your computer.

How to run System Stability Monitor

The fastest way to launch System Stability Monitor is from the Start menu. Press Windows icon in the lower left corner (i.e. Start), and start typing the word " reliability" You will see the option " Viewing the System Reliability Log».

You can also access the System Stability Monitor through the Control Panel by selecting Control Panel > System and Security > Stability Monitor.

How to Use Windows System Stability Monitor

Once you launch System Stability Monitor, you will see a chart at the top of the screen, organized by date. The most old post starts on the left, and the last one on the right. The blue line on the graph tells you the overall stability of your system on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best or most reliable.

The column for each day presents a series of cells representing five categories that affect the stability of the system. This could include application crashes, Windows crashes, warnings, and general information. If your computer detects a problem in any of these categories—for example, an unexpected shutdown, an application, or the entire system is frozen—you'll see a checkmark in the appropriate category.

Troubleshooting using System Stability Monitor

By clicking on a specific day you will see detailed information about each category at the bottom of the window.

If you look at our screenshots, you will see that the computer worked fine in the first half of February. However, over the past few weeks, he seems to have encountered a number of problems. If you look at the information for each day, you can see that these errors are related to overclocking our computer. We tested video cards and processors for performance. Usually such experiments lead to errors and unexpected restarts.

So we can safely dismiss these warnings because we know what caused them.

But, if any of the applications fail for reasons unknown to you, you should click on “ View technical details "to find out more information about what caused the problem.

As you can see, the system stability monitor allows you to check the performance of your computer without the help of third-party programs. Although System Stability Monitor usually does not solve the problem, this function helps you find out the cause of the error, after which you can take appropriate action to resolve it.

The main task that a computer diagnostic program performs is to obtain as much information as possible more information about the software and hardware of the device.

It is used to determine whether there are enough resources to run specific application, check the characteristics of the system, components and their condition.

Such programs are especially important for a person who, for whatever reason, needs to know the parameters of someone else’s computer and to correct errors.

The need for system monitoring

Applications that can be used to diagnose the system are necessary to obtain important information which will help:

1. Determine how much memory is installed on your computer, its type and number of slots. After this it will be much easier to choose a new one suitable RAM or draw conclusions that it is worth replacing the entire motherboard or computer (laptop);
2. Understand exactly how to prepare for the release of the expected game - add memory, install a more powerful processor, purchase an additional HDD or video card;
3. Determine the temperature of the graphics and central processor, identifying the need to replace thermal paste;
4. Find out why installed programs do not work and the computer freezes - due to incorrect drivers, insufficient video memory or hardware failure.

CPU-Z

The free CPU-Z program has an unpretentious interface and allows you to receive technical information about almost all elements of a computer:

• Processor (including its model, architecture, socket, voltage, frequency, multiplier, cache size and number of cores);
• Motherboard(brand, model, BIOS version, supported memory types);
• RAM (volume, type and frequency);

The main advantages of the application are the ability to get detailed and exact information in Russian about all components of the system.

This can be useful for professional users and hobbyists.

Among the disadvantages is the inability to determine the temperature of the processors.

Speccy

Another free program makes it possible to receive detailed information about all the main components and software, from the processor and board to RAM and optical discs.

In addition, using Speccy, you can obtain data from temperature measurement sensors, finding ways to correct connection errors or installation of the ventilation system.

Naturally, the application also determines the number of RAM slots, which can become important factor in determining the need and possibilities for computer modernization.

And when preparing a device for sale, Speccy can be used to quickly compile a list of components.

After all, although built-in utilities allow you to do almost the same thing, it will take more time, and you won’t be able to find out some data.

It is worth noting that the program developers are the authors of such useful software as CCleaner and Defraggler.

And among its advantages they note:

• Clear and practical interface;
• Fast access to important information;
• No need to install an application, which may be necessary, for example, if you do not have access to account administrator;
• Ability to monitor the selected parameter in real time by setting it as a tray icon;
• Launch simultaneously with the system;
• Free access.

HWiNFO

Thanks to system application HWiNFO, you can get maximum useful information about the system.

And also compare the performance of individual hardware components with standard parameters and indicators of popular analogues.

In addition, the program allows you to create reports that can be used to compare the performance of individual PC elements.

All the information is quite detailed, but only concerns the equipment - you won’t be able to find out about the drivers using it.

However, this drawback is practically the only one, since the application is capable of collecting data about any devices, including even outdated equipment (for example, IDEs and dial-up modems), old BIOS and video cards of any type.

In addition, the application can also test processors, memory and disks. The data obtained as a result of the test can be stored in logs.

And you can control individual parameters using tray icons, which change periodically.

AIDA64 Extreme

Using the AIDA64 Extreme application gives the user the opportunity to:

• Receive information about hardware components;
• Determine which drivers are installed on your computer and, if necessary, look for their latest versions;
• Monitor the processor temperature, responding to faults and correcting them;
• Test 64-bit operating systems (for 32-bit there are special version– AIDA32) and equipment using unique utilities;
• Diagnose and monitor fan blade rotation speed and voltage;
• Save the received data as a document of any format.

The benefits of the program are that you receive almost all useful information about the system and computer.

Among the disadvantages are the limited demo version distributed free of charge and the high cost of the application, especially for domestic users.

PassMark Performance Test

The PerformanceTest application is a set of tests that can help you evaluate the performance of your computer by comparing it with other devices.

The latest version of the utility has 27 built-in programs, each of which is responsible for determining its own category of data.

These include tests for:

• Processor (for encryption, information compression and calculation speed);
• Video cards (for the possibility of bitmap display of two-dimensional and 3D graphics, animation, compatibility with graphics packages type DirectX);
• Hard disk (for writing, reading and data retrieval speed);
• Optical drives(reading speed, data storage;
• RAM (data access, operating speed).

The results are saved for the most part. popular formats– from HTML to Word, after which they can be sent via e-mail, insert into website code, edit in text editor or print.

And the tests themselves can be imported into the application, adding new features.

Main PerformanceTest tasks can be called:

• Determining PC capabilities to compare with minimum or optimal requirements games;
• Checking components to eliminate hardware faults;
• Help in making a decision when updating your computer configuration or purchasing a new one;
• Creating your own tests.

Meanwhile, the program is not distributed free of charge.

Some of its capabilities, including improvement graphics tests, is only available for the option that you have to purchase.

Although the application located in free access It is quite functional and allows you to use many settings.

CrystalDiskMark

Small in size and therefore quickly downloadable from the Internet, the program is designed to carry out tests with hard drives any type (HDD or SSD) and with all types of interface.

The main parameters that are determined by the utility are writing and reading speed.

The result is an advanced reading that is unlikely to be useful to a non-specialist, but for an experienced user and the person determining what problem your drive has, it is almost ideal.

In this case, testing can be carried out several times in a row, automatically averaging the results.

It goes without saying that any user would like to know how fast their computer system is. Checking the performance of a computer with Windows 10 or any other system on board can be done using several methods using the built-in tools of the operating systems themselves or by installing an additional software. Below we propose to consider several basic options, after which the user will be able to choose exactly the technique that best suits his needs. Naturally, not all third party programs are equivalent to each other, but we will dwell on some of their capabilities separately.

Why do you need to check your computer's performance?

Let's start, perhaps, with why all this is needed. Let’s say a person comes to the store to buy a laptop. There's so much on display different models that the eyes widen, and in appearance they all look alike.

What to choose from all this variety in terms of truly purchasing powerful device in terms of performance? In such a situation there is no need to go far. For example, checking the performance of a computer with Windows 7 pre-installed can be done by using standard means viewing system properties via RMB menu on the computer icon located on the desktop. Just above the lines indicating the type of processor and amount of RAM, the performance index will be indicated. Please immediately note that for the seventh and eighth versions its maximum value can reach 7.9. But in Windows 10, checking your computer’s performance in this way is not provided (there is no index in the properties window). But this will be discussed separately a little later.

The simplest way to test performance

In theory, any user knows that you can monitor the performance of a computer system in real time on any Windows system on the tab of the same name in the Task Manager, where general parameters are displayed.

In order to get maximum information, you need to click the resource monitor call button. There will be more information here, and you can track the load on each system component.

You can also quickly check your computer's performance by calling the system monitor tool (perfmon in the Run console). Along with general parameters, here you can also open the resource monitor or use the performance tracker in the form special monitor, which, again, shows the changes as a graph in real time. At all, system monitor is more suitable for system engineers or overlockers, and for the average user it may be of interest solely in viewing data on changes in performance at the current moment.

Using the Command Line

Now specifically about what can be used for the tenth Windows modifications. Checking your computer's performance simple case can be done using tools command line(cmd).

In the running console, you must enter the combination winsat formal-restart clean, after which the results will be displayed on the screen. The inconvenience of this method is that such performance information will tell the average user absolutely nothing.

You can view a more or less understandable report by opening the Formal.Assessment (Recent).WinSAT.xml file. You can find it if you go to the Performance folder in the Windows directory, then open the WinSAT subdirectory, and use the DataStore section in it. The file itself is usually opened through your default web browser. If for some reason you couldn’t open it, you can use standard Notepad.

PowerShell Toolkit

No less interesting and powerful is the PowerShell toolkit, which many users clearly dislike due to the complexity of use (and some do not know about it at all).

However, open the console with a powershell command from the Run menu, type Get-CimInstance Win32_WinSAT and press enter. The screen will display indices for all areas of performance assessment. The WinSPRLevel line will indicate the overall average score, formed on the basis of the lowest performance value (in systems with versions lower than the tenth, this is exactly the indicator that is displayed in the computer properties).

Gaming Performance Index

Of course, checking your computer's performance in games (if optimization is still required) can (and should) be done using specialized utilities. But what to do if this moment Don't have them on hand?

Without obtaining detailed information, in order to find out only the index itself, you should use the “Run” console and enter the combination shell:games in it, after which the overall score will be shown on the right side of the window that appears.

But for testing and optimizing video cards, narrowly focused utilities specifically designed for this purpose are best suited (for other devices, as a rule, they do not provide additional tests).

The best programs to check computer performance

But all of the above applied exclusively to the built-in tools of Windows systems themselves. As you may have already noticed, you won’t get very detailed information when using them. To view detailed characteristics for all devices, it is better to contact specialized programs, among which the following can be particularly highlighted:

• Winaero WEI Tool;
• AIDA64;
• SiSoftware Sandra Lite;
• 3DMark;
• PCMark 10;
• CINEBENCH;
• ExperienceIndexOK;
• CrystalDiskMark;
• PC Benchmark;
• Metro Experience Index;
• PassMark PerformanceTest and others.

Let's look at some of them.

Winaero WEI Tool

This application is popular program to check the performance of a computer with Windows on board. The main advantage of this utility is that it is presented in a portable form (does not require installation on a computer or laptop).

True, all information and interface are completely in English, however, even if you have good knowledge of the language school curriculum, understand what it's about we're talking about, not that difficult. Again, the overall index will be presented on the right. By the way, immediately note that both the system tools and additional applications Calculate scores based on the lowest scores, which can immediately determine which component of the system has the minimum performance.

AIDA64

Here is another program for checking the performance of a computer running Windows 10 or any other version of the system. Essentially, it represents former application Everest.

Here in the Benchmark section you can find the most detailed information on any component installed in the computer system. Is it true, ordinary user such information is unlikely to be needed, but for any systems engineer there is a wide field of activity here. The only drawback of the application is that you can only use it for free for thirty days.

3D Mark

Finally, another program for checking the performance of a computer with version 10 of the system on board.

Its main purpose is testing graphic parameters computer systems(CPU performance, video card speed, current usage installed version DirectX platforms, etc.). For the latest high-performance configurations this application It can even run tests using screen resolutions as high as 4k. The program itself, in a sense, resembles a game, and in the process of conducting tests a huge number of various graphic effects. Minus - the price is about 30 US dollars.

PC Benchmark

This utility is worth special mention. Despite the fact that the application comes in the same portable version, it has many interesting features.

Its use comes down to launching the application and activating the test, which will be carried out in background. After this the fun begins. The fact is that the program immediately offers the user to optimize the system, and after executing it, a special report opens in the browser with comparative indicators before and after optimization.

Instead of a total

What is the method of conducting quick check choose, the user decides for himself. To obtain minimal information, you can also use Windows tools, but to obtain extended information it is still better to use third party utilities, in which the tools are much wider.

Optimizer programs were not considered here (in some cases they can also perform such tests). For example, in Advanced System Care Pro has a built-in module, and regular versions application, you can simply scan the system for problems with a deactivated auto repair point. Of course, you won’t get an index, but you can immediately identify problems on program level. However, you can also use the hardware optimization module, which improves performance by improving the management of device drivers installed on the computer. You can also find optimization tools random access memory or work

In this article, I'll talk about three of my favorite computer performance test programs and how to use them. I won't go into detail on how to improve your performance, as that's a completely different topic.

When I ran the benchmark on my computer, it scored 43 percent, which was quite low. After some tweaks in the BIOS related to XMP, overclocking and other optimizations, I got to 76 percent! Thus, hardware and operating system setup can make a big difference during the test. The results shown below are taken from a non-gaming PC.

NovaBench

Novabench small program for Windows, which allows you to test your computer's performance in just a few minutes. I like that it is very easy to use and produces clear results. There are also paid version for $19, which allows you to monitor temperature and other parameters, but you are unlikely to need this if you are into computers at an amateur level.

Launch the program and click "Start Tests". It will run six tests, which can take up to several minutes depending on the power of your system.

The results window will show you the Novabench score, which does not have of great importance on its own if you don't spend comparative analysis several times before and after updating equipment, overclocking and other manipulations to increase its speed. If you click the "View Performance Charts and Comparisons" button at the bottom of the window, a web page will load where you can see the performance index of the processor and other components.

Alternatively, you can click on the "Score and Statistics" button at the top of the page, which will show all scores in descending order. This good way Find out how far you are from the fastest and best computer that Novabench has tested.

UserBenchmark

Another one indeed good program is UserBenchmark. Download it from the official website and run the EXE file to start the performance test. I love that UserBenchmark doesn't even require any installation.

To start the tests, simply click “Run”. They will take a few minutes and then the results will be displayed in the browser window.

You'll see performance scores for gaming, desktop, and workstation. If you scroll down the page, you will get an overall rating and a separate component rating, which can tell you what needs to be better configured or replaced to get an increase in operating speed.

It is worth noting that the overall percentage is compared with other computers with the same components. The above-mentioned computer is not ranked 72nd among all those tested by other users using this utility. He is in 72nd place among all personal computers with the same assembly.

FutureMark 3DMark

Another tool you should use if you really want to do a proper benchmark made for a gaming computer is FutureMark 3DMark. Basic version is free and includes four free tests productivity.

I suggest running it only on real gaming computer, With good characteristics, because you will have to download 3 gigabytes! Mostly it's simple large files to play graphics with high resolution for testing, but they eat up a lot of space. Of course, you can run the test and then uninstall the program to get it back free place. To check your laptop, use other programs from the article.

Once you install and launch 3DMark, you will see that it first loads the Time Spy test. Click "Run" to begin the test. It will take the most time because it is the most difficult.

When completed, you'll get statistics that don't mean much until you compare them to other results. Click the “Compare Result Online” button to see the comparison results.

As you can see my old computer better than 4% of everyone else! My gaming PC was better than 91%, which isn't too bad.

How to test a PC | Some useful tips before testing

This material is more addressed to novice users who would like to receive recommendations on the topic of choosing test utilities and packages from the entire variety that now exists. But experienced users and enthusiasts will also be able to use this material as a hint and find something interesting for themselves.

Before you start testing your PC, check out some general recommendations which will help you get reliable results:

• Control the test environment. Close everything background programs and processes so that nothing outside interferes with the testing process of your system. During testing, do not open new programs and try not to move the mouse.
• Run the test several times. Stress tests are called that for a reason. Once you finish the test, run it again. Once again. Repeated runs will help eliminate statistical randomness and may reveal problems that may have gone unnoticed during the first run.
• Compare the results. Good test suites can produce a huge amount of data, but it is often your job to interpret and compare it correctly. You can simply do “before and after” tests when setting up a system or components, or search and discuss the results on various forums, including.

How to test a PC | Comprehensive testing: PCMark

Let's start with general tests.

FutureMark is famous brand in the commercial market test programs, their benchmarks for PCs and graphics cards are something of a standard. Latest version PCMark from FutureMark is a PCMark 7 suite designed for testing PCs with operating system Microsoft Windows 7. PCMark has a wide range of tests including realistic tasks such as video playback and rendering, image processing and more to determine the performance of your PC. Basic version of PCMark 7 is available for free download, and more powerful professional versions are distributed on a paid basis.

How to test a PC | Comprehensive testing: SiSoftware Sandra

Another powerful commercial test suite is SiSoftware Sandra. Package having great interface and a wide selection of settings. You can check the entire system or individual components of your choice. After the tests, a graph with the results is provided, which will help you understand how the system scales depending on different settings and configurations, which will significantly reduce the time it takes to interpret the results.

How to test a PC | Comprehensive testing: NovaBench

The opposite in complexity is simple but reliable free program NovaBench. Although the utility doesn't test PCs as thoroughly as Sandra, NovaBench wins over ease of use when testing general aspects of CPU and GPU performance. While not as rigorous or detailed, NovaBench still provides an honest assessment of your computer's capabilities.

How to test a PC | Comprehensive testing: Dacris Benchmarks

Dacris Benchmarks - another one useful set tests. Unlike the stripped-down version of PCMark and Sandra described above, Dacris Benchmarks is available as a trial version for 15 test runs. This is a good test kit that may be worth the money. In short, try it and judge for yourself.

How to test a PC | Comprehensive testing: Passmark Performance Test

The Passmark Performance Test utility is designed to test your computer's performance and compare it to a baseline. Registered users can additionally download a more extensive database of test results for comparison. Performance Test is available for download as a 30-day trial.

How to test a PC | Comprehensive testing: AIDA64

The list of common test utilities is completed by the AIDA64 package, a descendant of test set Lavalys Everest. AIDA64 is capable of providing a wealth of performance information, hardware, statistics, and also includes custom stress tests for various components. AIDA64 – great tool for overclockers and enthusiasts, available as a 30-day trial.

How to test a PC | Processor testing: HyperPi

Now let's move on to more specialized tests that determine the computing capabilities of your processor cores. We'll start with a small one free utility called HyperPi. This program does one simple thing: HyperPi calculates the mathematical constant Pi with an accuracy of thousands or even millions of digits. Needless to say, this level of precision requires large quantity complex mathematical calculations that allow you to see how powerful your processor really is. Hyper Pi allows you to run multiple threads for testing multi-core processors and simply records the amount of time it took to calculate x digits of Pi. HyperPi is most useful for users interested in overclocking their processors and provides a quick estimate of computing speed.

How to test a PC | Processor testing: Prime 95

Another one useful program for testing, developed in the form of a mathematical tool - Prime95. It is part of the GIMPS (Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search) computing project, designed for large-volume searches. prime numbers. For such an operation, Prime95 must carry out a huge number mathematical calculations, which is great for testing CPU speed and stability. Prime95 can run in "Benchmark" and "Torture Test" modes to stress test your PC, and if no problems are found, you might even want to contribute to the search for Mersenne primes.

How to test a PC | Processor testing: CPU-M Benchmark

CPU-M Benchmark is another CPU testing tool that you may find useful. Not as deep into the math as HyperPi and Prime95, CPU-M gives a more generalized look at processor performance and provides a numerical score that can be compared with the results of other users and the online database.

How to test a PC | Drive testing: CrystalDiskMark

From processors we will move to hard drives. CrystalDiskMark is a free, optimized disk testing program that runs a range of read and write tests to check performance hard drives And Computer SSD. Completely free and with simple interface, what else can I add?

Now let's talk about test packages to check the graphical part of your system. Computer games and rendering are some of the most resource-intensive processes on a PC, and the proposed utilities will help you understand how relevant your graphics subsystem and whether it is worth planning an upgrade.

First let's look at FutureMark 3DMark. Like PCMark, 3DMark is a good comprehensive graphics performance testing suite. It is available in 3 main variants: 3DMark 11 for users of the latest cards with DirectX11 support and operating Windows system 7, 3DMark Vantage for DirectX10 and 3DMark 6 for testing DirectX9 systems.

How to test a PC | Graphics Test: Unigine Heaven

Unigine Heaven is another impressive graphics benchmark created by Russian developers from Unigine Corp., allowing users to test the new DirectX11 API features by rendering a large-scale fantasy landscape. The program has one nice feature - it allows the user to move away from the given route of the virtual camera and explore the visualized world on their own, making the process more similar to testing the performance of a real game.

How to test a PC | Graphics testing: Fraps

Fraps is something of a gold standard for testing "real" video games. This small tool runs in the background when you start a video game, displaying the current rendering speed in frames per second on the screen. The program also allows you to take screenshots and record short videos on the fly. If you want to optimize your computer's performance and settings, you can run Fraps in the background while you fiddle with system or game settings and watch the changes in real time.

How to test a PC | Graphics testing: Furmark

Our final graphics benchmark is a fancy little utility called "Furmark" that renders fur and hair scenes and uses it as a stress test to measure GPU performance and stability. The program is equipped with a wide range of settings, a convenient on-screen performance indicator and a temperature graph. In addition, FurMark allows you to run short benchmark tests or long-term "Burn-In" tests to measure stability over time. Before the test, make sure that your video card and the cooler on it are ready for such tests.