Checking all computer systems. Step-by-step diagnostics of PC problems

Quite a lot of questions are asked by people of a similar nature as described above. There are quite a few answers to such questions, here are two general answers, so to speak:
You can download programs to test the processor, RAM, hard drive, video card, there are many such programs. At the very bottom I will offer you links to download such programs from official sites.
There is another simple solution; programs are specially written for just such purposes. They contain both a general test for the entire computer device at once, and tests separately for each hardware.
A method without programs in which you will need a Windows notepad and a few lines to write in it. Then rename the extension and run it.

Acquaintance, history, AIDA64.

I’ll start with the best option in my opinion, everyone has their own, otherwise we would be bots, no, of course, people have the same opinion, but not on everything! Here is what is written about this program in Wiki, not much background from history:
ASMDEMO (1995) - the first version of a program capable of detecting and diagnosing PC components, written by Tamas Miklos in assembly language and partly in Pascal. In 1996, the first public version of ASMDEMO v870 was presented, including a CPU and HDD benchmark.
AIDA (2000) - hardware database contains 12,000 entries with MMX and SSE support. Later, with the expansion of capabilities, the program was renamed AIDA16, but still had a text interface.
AIDA32 (2001) - written in Delphi, the program began to use a graphical interface. In 2002, version 2.00 was released, supporting XML reporting and SQL database. Version 3.61, introduced in 2003, had a hardware database of 25,000 entries, monitoring, and support for 23 languages. The latest version 3.94.2 was released in March 2004.
Everest (2004) - the program becomes commercial and is developed by Lavalys. Version 3.00, released in 2006, contains a 44,000-entry hardware database, graphical remote monitoring, and a system stability test. The latest version 5.50 was introduced in April 2010.
AIDA64 (2010) - FinalWire acquires the rights to the program. The hardware database contains 115,000 entries with 64-bit and SSD support. Version 2.00, released in October 2011, introduced automatic updates and the database grew to 133,000 records. The latest version 5.95, released in November 2017, has a hardware database of 170,000 entries.
The program is really worthwhile and, most importantly, it is written in Delphi - this is a logical programming language. If you are okay with technical English and you know how to think logically, this language will definitely suit you. I started writing in it when I was about 18 years old and now I’m already 40. The language is simple and now it is developing and its name has changed to but there is also delphi. You can write programs for Windows, Android, Mac, of course there is a version for LINUX. Many components have already been written and they just need to be made to work and be friendly with each other. I thought it was an interesting activity and I became hooked on this language for a long time. But this article is not about that, but how can you still load your computer and find out what will soon fail or not work stably?

Stress test Aida 64 Extreme

Having downloaded the program, it is paid, but there is a test period and it is enough to find out, we need to do a stress test of our computer assistant and thereby find out the answer to the questions above. The program is available not only for users but, of course, there is a version for which you can also test. And since this is not the only function of the program, there are many useful things in it. If you want to know as much as possible about your device, you can even compare it with other devices in the table, which is also in the program. Why am I writing everything, we need to show how it all looks and using an example we will run a stress test of your computer assistant as promised. 30 days of the trial period, as I wrote above, is enough to test your computer to death, just kidding!

After installing and launching Aida64Extreme, I selected this version and a window about the test period appeared, which we closed by clicking on the “OK” button and went to the program interface. At the very top of the program there is a menu name “Service”, which is what we need. Having opened the menu, it will contain the tests we need. As I wrote above and mentioned, you can test them individually or all at once, I think I’ll show an example in a system stability test. This test fits the article and questions exactly.

Having opened the “System Stability” test, you need to choose what we will test, all at once or separately, here you judge for yourself as you wish. I'll test everything at once and then see how the test went and what's new in my computer over a long period of time. But I will tell you a description of the tests separately, for those who want to test separately or need to test only one piece of computer hardware. See below for a description of the tests, there are 6 in total:
1.) Stress CPU - CPU test
2.) Stress FPU - This is a Floating Point Unit - a block that performs floating point operations, located in the processor and will give additional load, which is what we need.
3.) Stress Cache - CPU cache test.
4.) Stress System Memory - RAM test.
5.) Stress Local Disk - Hard disk test, writing, reading, copying and so on.
6.) Stress GPU(s) - Test of the graphics processor, or rather the video card, let’s put it this way to make it more clear. If you have a laptop with two cards, then all video processors will be loaded.

Check all the boxes and click the "Start" button in the lower left corner. We leave the computer for several hours and if during this time your PC or laptop does not produce any errors, it may have rebooted or turned off. Then in 99% of cases everything is fine with it and your electronic assistant will still serve you! If some of the actions described above occurred, then you need to proceed from them and move on. Why did, say, reboot the PC? Here the temperature may have jumped; by the way, you need to monitor the temperature during the test. It is shown in the same window where the tests are checked. The topmost green rectangle with diagrams. Which show the temperature of the motherboard, processor and hard drive.

Actually, we launch it sometimes, observe it and leave it for an hour or longer, also as you wish or as you see fit. But of course you need to test for at least half an hour, I personally think so, otherwise little will be clear from such a quick test. Using the program, you can also go to the official websites for your hardware or also from the official websites of manufacturers. These links can be found in the description of the selected piece of hardware (component part).

Stress test program OCCT - OverClock Checking Tool.

Unlike AIDA64, it differs in that it does not contain information about the system, let’s say such extended ones. There is information, but it is not enough and only about the most important thing about the processor and, in principle, everything is superficial, you can see for yourself by looking at the screenshot below. But it was written for a stress test only, I launched it and forgot for several hours, I pre-selected which test or to test everything completely, I wrote about such methods above and quite a lot. When you launch the program, it will consist of two windows, in the left one there will be a choice of test and settings, and in the right window there is information on voltage and temperature.

In the left window there will be four tabs, on which, if you click on them, you will set up various tests.
1.) CPU OCCT - Test only the central processor, or the central processor and memory, the central processor + memory + chipset. There are three options for choosing how to run this test.
2.) CPU LINPACK - Test only the processor.
3.) GPU 3D - Video card test.
4.) POWER SUPPLY - testing the motherboard's batteries, power supply, power load test, let's say.
Each tab has three buttons: ON - Run test. OFF - Stop the test. The general setting is, let's say, the third button with a gear.
By clicking on the gear button, setting, you can set the temperature, which is very good in such tests. If the testing programs do not stop the test if the temperature is higher than specified, then the computer will turn off or reboot itself. If there is such a setting, then we set it a little less than it should be in the computer settings and the test will be stopped if the temperature rises. The picture is below and the setting is set; if the temperature of the GPU - video card is above 85 s, then stop the test. It’s worth setting this setting, it’s very convenient.

Now let's go through the test settings and see what can be set:

CPU: OCCT is the first tab and, as I wrote above in the description for the tests, there are three options to choose from: processor, memory, chipset, and in fact the choice is made. Let's start from the beginning and the first thing we see on this tab if we start from the top is the testing type. There are two types of testing - auto and infinite, set to auto to adhere to the settings common with temperature, which I wrote about above.
Duration of the test - I think everything is clear here, how long to test.
A period of inactivity - the program needs this to record data, save, count, and so on, leave it as it is by default.
Test version - What system and processor do you have, if it supports 64 bit, then install it as is.
Test Mode - This is where you have these three options to choose from, which test to choose. Small data set - we are testing one processor. Medium - processor, memory. Large - processor, memory, chipset.
The number of threads is how many cores your processor has.

We are done with the first tab and move on to the second tab and the CPU LINPACK test.

Setting up this test is simple and if you look at the first test, everything is basically the same and you can understand how to set the settings; if it’s not clear, write in the comment or read more carefully about the first test (tab).

GPU 3D - Video card test, third tab.

There is a lot to talk about here, although we already discussed the first three settings in the first test. Let's start with the fourth setting - DirectX, set what your electronic assistant has or what your video card supports. To find out what it is in the system, you can type the file name “dxdiag” in a search on your computer and run it. In general, it is located in the Windows\system32 folder.

Next comes the name of your video card, the model of the video card, you can look or compare in the device manager in Windows.
You can also compare your screen resolution in the desktop properties.
Full screen will do here
The complexity of shraders is the number of operations performed by the video card in one pass, choose the maximum available.
The limiter is the number of frames.

POWER SUPPLY - fourth tab.

I said above that this is a test of the power supply and, in fact, this test is not for the average computer user. But if you want to pass it, then set the values, look at the tests above, everything is the same. Voltage will be supplied to all hardware and components of the computer device at once and to the maximum. Maybe if the cheap power supply cannot withstand the load. I repeat that all the settings in this test were also described in other tests, we’re just comparing them by name.

After setting up each test, press the “on” button or if you want to stop the test without waiting for the end, “off”. If you have any questions, comment below, write and I will answer.

How to do a processor test without programs?

For such a test we will need a notepad and a program manager. The notepad is not the paper one, but the one that is installed by default in the system, you can use another one at your discretion, say notepad. In Notepad we enter two lines for Visual Basic:

While True

Wend

We save the file under any name, but the file extension is what comes after the dot, it should not be txt, as it should be in notepad, but vbs. We saved the Dct file and go to the “task manager”, you can open it by right-clicking on the taskbar. Next, select “Task Manager” from the context menu

In the task manager, open the "Performance" tab, which displays the load on the computer and processor, it also shows. We need a processor because we will load it with a task, multi-core processors in the “Task Manager” do not always display all the cores, only the total load of the “Processor” is shown. If this is enough for you, then we’ll leave it as is and watch from here if you want to see information separately for each core. Then go further and open the “Resource Monitor”, at the very bottom of the task manager on the same “Performance” tab there is a hyperlink “Open Resource Monitor”, see the picture below:

By opening the resource monitor, the “CPU” tab is the second one, the processor load will be immediately shown for each core.

Now we launch the previously created file by clicking on it with the mouse; you may have to launch more than one copy of the previously created file by clicking the mouse several times. We look at the resource monitor to see how the processor is loaded, leaving it for several hours, you can find out if there are errors during execution. To stop this task, you need to go to the “task manager” and on the “processes” tab, first find the name of the file with the VBS extension. Right-click on the name in the list of processes and click “End task” in the drop-down list. This will stop the CPU usage from running.

As practice shows, users are only satisfied with the capabilities of their own computer for the time being - sooner or later they have to resort to an upgrade. Everything is banally simple - new versions of the OS and applications used, as a rule, require more and more resources. The easiest way to update your PC is to purchase a new system unit with modern hardware, which is not difficult if you have the money. However, this is not always reasonable - often to increase productivity it is enough to resort to replacing individual components.

To choose an upgrade strategy, you need to find out what hardware is installed and understand what the computer lacks for faster operation - processor power, video system capabilities, memory capacity, hard drive read/write speed, etc. But this is only one side of the coin. After purchasing a new system unit or upgrading an old one, you will need to quickly find out whether the “filling” of the system unit corresponds to what was stated at the time of purchase (without opening the unit itself, since there may be a seal on it), evaluate how much the performance has increased, and understand whether the computer is really stable works.

Any professional assembler (and all overclocking enthusiasts) can easily solve the listed problems, since they have in their arsenal many diverse and highly specialized information and diagnostic tools. The average user has no need to acquire such solutions, but it is still necessary to install a simple comprehensive utility for obtaining information about the hardware and testing the computer. It is these programs that we will consider in this article.

Retrieving hardware data

Theoretically, any information diagnostic utility is capable of recognizing the “stuffing” of a system unit. However, not every program is able to identify new models of processors, video cards and other hardware (it all depends on the completeness of the database and the regularity of its updates), and the amount of information on the identified components can vary - from minimal to exhaustive.

Among the solutions considered, the program has the most detailed information AIDA64, which knows almost everything about any hardware, including the latest innovations. For example, this utility will be able to recognize Intel 510 and 320 SSDs that have recently appeared on the market, AMD Radeon HD 6790 and NVIDIA GeForce GT 520M video cards, five new Quadro M series mobile video cards from NVIDIA, etc.

Using AIDA64, you can easily find out everything about the processor, motherboard, video card, network adapter, drives (including the latest SSDs) and input devices, multimedia, as well as ports, external connected devices and power management. The program is able to determine the type of flash memory, controller model (reading SMART information of controllers manufactured by Indilinx, Intel, JMicron, Samsung and SandForce is supported) and data transfer speed. Moreover, the utility recognizes USB 3.0 controllers and devices compatible with this new standard.

The volume of data provided by AIDA64 is impressive - access to it is provided from a tree-like menu of sections that combine the main modules of the program. Yes, through the section Computer it is easy to obtain aggregate information about hardware components, the system and BIOS, as well as data on processor overclocking, power supply features, the state of system hardware monitoring sensors, etc. (Fig. 1).

Rice. 1. Summary information about the computer (AIDA64)

Other “hardware” sections provide more detailed information - so in the section Motherboard there is detailed information about the central processor, motherboard, memory, BIOS, etc. In the section Display it is easy to obtain information related to the graphical interface of the system (in particular, information about the video adapter and monitor - Fig. 2), and in the section Multimedia learn about the multimedia capabilities of the system (multimedia devices and installed audio and video codecs).

Rice. 2. Video card information (AIDA64)

In chapter Data storage provides information about hard drives and optical drives, as well as the logical and physical structure of hard drives, the values and statuses of SMART parameters. You can find information about network adapters in the section Net, and about buses, ports, keyboard, mouse, etc. - in the section Devices. In addition, from the menu Service panel opens AIDA64 CPUID(Fig. 3), which displays data about the processor, motherboard, memory and chipset in a compact form.

Rice. 3. AIDA64 CPUID panel

Program SiSoftware Sandra It is also very informative and allows you to obtain comprehensive information about almost all hardware components of a computer system. In particular, the utility displays summary data about the computer as a whole (Fig. 4) - that is, basic information about the processor, motherboard, chipset, memory modules, video system, etc. (tab Devices, pictogram System information).

Rice. 4. Summary information about the computer (SiSoftware Sandra)

Along with summary information, in the tab Devices The utility also provides more detailed information about the motherboard and processor, display and video adapter (Fig. 5), memory, buses and devices installed in them, disks, ports, mice, keyboard, sound card, etc. As for the readings of various types of monitoring sensors, then to receive them you will need to launch not the information module, but the diagnostic module Environment Monitor(tab Tools). This module provides display of text and graphic information about processor temperature, fan speed, voltage, etc.

Rice. 5. Video system information (SiSoftware Sandra)

Utility PC Wizard provides access to information about the main hardware modules installed in the computer: motherboard, processor, video card, memory, I/O ports, drives, printers, multimedia devices, printers, etc. All this data is available on the tab Iron. By activating the icon on it General information about the system, you can determine in one click what exactly is in the system unit (Fig. 6) - which motherboard, which processor, etc. Other tab icons Iron will help you obtain more detailed information about components (Fig. 7); The amount of data provided is quite sufficient for the average user. In addition, through the menu Tools → Overclocking information you can find out whether any of the system components (processor, bus or memory) have been overclocked, and if so, to what limits, and also take readings from some sensors.

Rice. 6. General information about the computer (PC Wizard)

Rice. 7. Graphics subsystem data (PC Wizard)

Utility HWiNFO32 It will also allow you to learn a lot of interesting things about the hardware of your computer. Immediately after startup, it begins diagnostic tests and within seconds displays a window System Summary with compact display of data about the processor, motherboard, memory, chipset, disks, etc. (Fig. 8). This window can also be called up while working with the utility by clicking on the button Summary. In addition, HWiNFO32 displays detailed information about the processor, motherboard (Fig. 9), memory, video adapter, etc. in the corresponding tabs - Central Processors, Motherboard, Memory, Video Adapter etc. Data on the processor, memory modules, motherboard, buses and disks is quite detailed, information on other devices is more modest. If necessary, it is easy to obtain readings from the touch sensors installed on the motherboard (temperature, voltage, etc.) by clicking on the button Sensors.

Rice. 8. Summary information about the computer (HWiNFO32)

Rice. 9. Video card information (HWiNFO32)

Program Fresh Diagnosis allows you to find out information about any iron components, although not always detailed. For example, on the tab Hardware System you can find out about the motherboard, processor, cache memory, buses, BIOS, CMOS memory, etc. Section Device contains information about the video card (Fig. 10), peripheral devices (keyboard, printer, monitor, optical drives, etc.) and ports. In chapter Multimedia combines data on various multimedia devices, DirectX, audio and video codecs.

Rice. 10. Video card data (Fresh Diagnosis)

Performance Evaluation

Before upgrading, you need to evaluate the performance of the computer and its individual components in order to understand which hardware needs to be replaced immediately, and which components can wait until better times (after all, in a crisis, not everyone decides to completely upgrade). This is quite simple to do by conducting a couple of specific benchmark tests in the environment of a suitable diagnostic utility. After purchasing a new computer or upgrading an old one, it also doesn't hurt to test it to make sure that the computer has become more productive. Of course, you can feel the effect of the upgrade while working normally in applications, but to complete the picture, it is better to verify the performance improvement using tools specifically designed for this purpose.

When conducting tests, to obtain a more objective assessment, it is better to close all applications, not use the mouse and keyboard, run the same test (in the same version of the utility) several times and focus on the average result. In addition, it is worth keeping in mind that the same synthetic tests in different utilities are implemented in a far from identical way, so the programs show different results. And you shouldn’t take the results obtained literally, since they do not reflect real performance, but only indicate the level of performance when performing strictly specific tasks. Nevertheless, conducting such testing makes it possible to understand how outdated the hardware components installed in your computer are in comparison with reference samples, as well as to evaluate the level of performance before and after the upgrade, which is what interests us in this article.

The programs of greatest interest from a testing point of view are AIDA64 and SiSoftware Sandra, some of whose benchmarks are used even by professionals in various hardware testing techniques. The capabilities of the other utilities discussed in the article are limited in this regard, although they also provide some test functionality.

In a programme AIDA64 a wide range of benchmark tests is presented. Yes, in the section Test 13 synthetic tests are combined, the first four of which evaluate memory performance - read/write/copy speed (Fig. 11), and also measure latency (testing the average time the processor reads data from RAM). The rest of the tests in this section evaluate processor performance in integer and floating point operations, when creating ZIP archives, when performing encryption using the AES crypto algorithm, etc. (tests CPU Queen, CPU PhotoWorxx, CPU ZLib, CPU AES, CPU Hash, FPU VP8, FPU Julia, FPU Mandel, FPU SinJulia). All tests compare performance with other systems, including the latest ones.

Rice. 11. CPU performance evaluation (CPU Queen test; AIDA64)

Via the menu Service Three more benchmark tests are available: Disk test, Cache and memory test And Monitor diagnostics. The disk test measures the performance of hard drives, solid state drives, optical drives, and more. The cache and memory test measures the bandwidth and latency of the processor cache and memory (Figure 12). In the test Monitor diagnostics The display quality of LCD and CRT monitors is checked.

Rice. 12. Cache & Memory Benchmark; AIDA64

In terms of testing for a wide range of users, the program is even more interesting SiSoftware Sandra, with which you can not only evaluate the performance of your PC in comparison with other reference computer configurations, but also test your computer to see if it needs an upgrade. Modules designed for testing the most important computer subsystems are combined on the tab Benchmarks. A whole group of synthetic tests is designed to test the processor - arithmetic and multimedia tests, multi-core efficiency tests, power efficiency tests, cryptographic performance and GPGPU cryptography. Several tests are responsible for testing physical drives - including a file system test, as well as modules for testing physical disks, removable/flash drives, CD-ROM/DVD and Blu-ray optical drives. Tests available to test memory include Memory Bandwidth Test, Memory Latency Test, and Cache and Memory Test. In addition, there are tests to evaluate visualization speed and video memory performance, an audio/video encoding/decoding test, a network bandwidth test, an Internet connection speed test, etc. When testing a number of components (processor, RAM, etc.), results are given in comparison with reference models that are more or less similar in characteristics. At the same time, it is possible to independently select standards for comparison, including the most modern ones (Fig. 13), which is very convenient and allows you to quickly understand how outdated the hardware components installed in the computer are and which models are best to replace them with.

Rice. 13. CPU performance evaluation
(arithmetic test; SiSoftware Sandra)

Two interesting test modules are presented on the tab Tools- these are modules Performance Index And Analysis and recommendations. Using the test Performance Index The overall performance of the computer is assessed during arithmetic and multimedia tests of the processor, determination of memory bandwidth, as well as testing of physical disks and a video card (Fig. 14). Reference models of components for comparison are selected by the program or the user. Module Analysis and recommendations provides a detailed analysis of the PC for possible upgrades. At the end of this analysis, the program produces a list of recommendations on which hardware components are best replaced in order to improve performance (Fig. 15), and draws attention to possible problems (for example, the difficulty of adding memory due to all slots being occupied, too high processor temperature (and suggests checking cooling), etc.).

Rice. 14. Assessing overall computer performance (SiSoftware Sandra)

Rice. 15. Computer analysis for upgrade (SiSoftware Sandra)

Utility PC Wizard also includes certain functionality for testing hardware (tab Test). With its help, you can clearly evaluate the overall performance of your computer (icon Global Performance) in comparison with other configurations and based on the test results, understand which of the subsystems in terms of performance significantly fall short of the selected (from a preset list) reference sample - that is, they need to be updated, and which are quite on par (Fig. 16).

Rice. 16. Assessing overall computer performance (PC Wizard)

PC Wizard also has a number of synthetic tests that allow you to evaluate the performance of the processor, L1/L2/L3 caches and memory in general (bandwidth, timing assessment), as well as the video subsystem, hard drive, optical drive, etc. In particular, for The processor is equipped with basic tests Dhrystone ALU, Whetstone FPU and Whetstone SSE2, which allow assessing its performance in integer and floating point operations. Test results are displayed in text and graphical form; in a number of tests, it is possible to compare the results obtained with the test results of the selected reference subsystem (Fig. 17).

Rice. 17. CPU testing (PC Wizard)

Utility HWiNFO32 is able to evaluate the performance of the processor (CPU, FPU, MMX), memory and hard drive during express testing (button Benchmark). Test results are presented in two versions - in numerical form and in the form of a comparative chart. The diagram contains many reference components, including modern ones, so it is easy to understand how the processor (or other component) installed in the computer is inferior in performance to modern models (Fig. 18).

Rice. 18. CPU performance evaluation (HWiNFO32)

Program Fresh Diagnosis has tools for determining the performance of individual system components. These are seven synthetic test modules in the section Benchmarks. With their help, you can evaluate the performance of the processor (Whetstone, Dhrystone and multimedia tests), memory, video system, hard drives, optical drives and network adapter. Test results are presented in comparison with basic systems and presented in the form of visual histograms. True, in our opinion, there is not much benefit from them, since outdated reference systems are selected for comparison (Fig. 19).

Rice. 19. CPU testing (Fresh Diagnosis)

Checking your computer for stability

Unfortunately, it is not a fact that the updated computer will be stable in operation. Why? There are many reasons - for example, the power supply may not cope well with the increased load due to the replacement of the processor or video adapter with newer models.

If such a picture occurs, then the situation should be dealt with as soon as possible - that is, before obvious signs of instability appear in the form of a blue screen of “death”, etc. This means that you need to find out the temperature of the processor, motherboard and other important hardware and understand whether any component is overheating under load, and also assess how the computer generally behaves under stressful conditions. This can be done by conducting stress testing.

Most stability tests place intense computational load on various units of the central processor, system memory, graphics processor and system logic set - that is, they force the computer to work under stressful conditions. Unfortunately, none of these tests by itself guarantees 100% system stability, but if the test reveals a failure in the system or was not completed, then this is a clear signal that you need to pay attention to the hardware.

Provided in AIDA64 system stability test (available through the menu Service) is intended for stress testing of the processor (testing cores separately is allowed), memory, local disks, etc. (Fig. 20). The test results are displayed on two graphs: the upper one shows the temperature of the selected components, the lower one shows the processor load level (CPU Usage) and the CPU Throttling mode. Mode CPU Throttling is activated only if the processor overheats, and it should be understood that activating this mode during testing is an alarm signal calling for attention to the operation of the cooling system. During testing, system heating is controlled by continuously monitoring the temperature.

Rice. 20. CPU stress testing (AIDA64)

In addition to temperature, the graphs of which are displayed on the first tab during stress testing, on other tabs the program presents other useful information - about fan speed, voltage, etc. It should be borne in mind that the system stability test in AIDA64 can last indefinitely, so it is stopped manually, making sure that everything is working normally (after 30 minutes), or when suspicious results are detected (for example, severe overheating of one of the components).

Using stability test SiSoftware Sandra(tab Tools), stress testing can also be performed (Fig. 21). It will allow you to navigate the stability of the system and identify its weak points by analyzing the operation of the processor, memory, physical disks and optical drives, energy efficiency, etc. Testing lasts for a specified period of time or without taking it into account - in this case, the number of times the run is indicated selected test modules. During testing, the utility monitors the system state and stops the process if errors occur or in case of overheating (critical temperatures are set by default or manually).

Rice. 21. Stability test (SiSoftware Sandra)

Utility features PC Wizard in terms of system stability testing (test System Test Stability from the menu Tools) are limited to CPU and motherboard testing. During testing, the processor is maximally loaded and operates under such conditions for a long time, during which the temperatures of the processor and motherboard are measured at certain intervals, and the results are displayed on a graph (Fig. 22).

Rice. 22. Testing the processor for stability (PC Wizard)

Brief overview of utilities

AIDA64 (Extreme Edition) 1.60

Developer: FinalWire Ltd

Distribution size: 11.7 MB

Price:$39.95

The AIDA64 program is an updated version of the well-known information diagnostic solution EVEREST, designed for diagnosing hardware and software computer resources and versatile computer testing. The utility can be launched from a hard drive, CD/DVD/BD disks, as well as from flash drives. The program is presented in two editions: AIDA64 Extreme Edition and AIDA64 Business Edition; the AIDA64 Extreme Edition is designed for home users. The utility is regularly updated and supports the vast majority of modern models.

SiSoftware Sandra 2011 (Lite)

Developer: SiSoftware

Distribution size: 53.3 MB

Price: free (for personal and educational use)

SiSoftware Sandra Lite is the best of the free information diagnostic programs. It provides detailed information about the computer and any of its hardware and software components, and also allows you to test the PC for performance, the need for an upgrade, etc. The utility can be used to analyze, diagnose and test a PDA or smartphone. The program is available in several editions; for home use, the free edition of SiSoftware Sandra Lite is sufficient. The utility is updated quite regularly and supports the vast majority of modern models.

PC Wizard 2010.1.961

Developer: CPUID

Distribution size: 5.02 MB

Price: for free

PC Wizard is an information diagnostic utility used to diagnose hardware and software components and conduct various testing. In the basic version, the program is launched from a hard drive; it can be loaded from portable devices - for example, from a flash drive (a special version of Portable PC Wizard). The utility is not updated as often as we would like (the last update was from August 2010), although it supports many modern models (of course, we are not talking about new products).

HWiNFO32 3.71

Developer: Martin Malik

Distribution size: 2.26 MB

Price: for free

HWiNFO32 is an information diagnostic utility that allows you to obtain detailed information about PC hardware and test the performance of the processor, memory and hard drives. The program is updated monthly - as a result, all new products that appear on the market are included in its database in a timely manner. There is a special portable edition of the utility that can be launched from a removable USB drive or other portable device.

Fresh Diagnosis 8.52

Developer: FreshDevices.com

Distribution size: 2.08 MB

Distribution method: freeware (http://www.freshdiagnose.com/download.html)

Price: free (registration required; tests cannot be used in the unregistered version)

Fresh Diagnose is an information diagnostic utility designed to obtain information about all hardware and software components of a PC, as well as testing it. The program is regularly updated and supports many modern models, but its shortcomings include a poorly designed interface and poor-quality Russian-language localization (therefore, it is wiser to use it with an English-language interface).

How to identify the components located inside the computer and view their parameters? How to check a processor or video card for performance and overheating? It is enough to use testing and diagnostic software.

Alternative programs: Catzilla, Unigine Superposition, Unigine Heaven, 3D Mark 11

PCMark is, in turn, a popular tool for checking the overall performance of a computer. The tests include, but are not limited to, applications such as office worksheet operations, 2D graphics operations, Internet browsing, and video conferencing.

In the latest version, however, they abandoned the media test (SSD or HDD). Only the Basic version is free.

If you want to check how your computer copes with the task of virtual reality and serves games designed for Oculus Rift or HTC Vive glasses, VR Mark will come in handy. As with other Futuremark programs, only the Basic version is free.

The tool is equipped with three tests, of which one is basic (Orange), for VR games using DirectX 12 (Cyan) and the most demanding ones (Blue).

Alternative program: SteamVR Performance Test

CPU-Z – for hardware identification

The main and most popular program for identifying processors, motherboards (including UEFI BIOS versions), memory (including SPD) or graphics cards. We get an accurate preview of the hardware data.

You can also test the processor in mono- and multi-threaded applications, and compare the results with other processors in the database. If you want to know what exactly is on your computer and how it works, this is the first application you should install.

Thanks to CPU-Z you can easily check, for example, at what frequency and delays the RAM operates, as well as the processor clock speed in real time. It is worth noting the fact that an Android version is available.

Alternative programs: Crystal CPU ID, Speccy

GPU-Z is the main program for identifying video cards and their characteristics, including their current frequency. A basic test is available in the application, which allows you to “quickly” verify that the video card is working correctly.

It is worth noting, however, that the test in this program will not give confidence that, for example, when overclocked, the video card will work completely stably. To do this, it is worth using more advanced products, for example, a stress test in the 3D-Mark program.

Alternative program: GPU Caps Viewer

Cinebench is a benchmark tool based on the Cinema 4D engine to test CPU performance. It does this by creating a 3D scene - the test can be run using all CPU threads or just one thread. This gives a good idea of the capabilities of the processors.

Cinebench also has a built-in graphics card test that uses a complex 3D scene that, using a car chase example (made by renderbaron), measures the performance of the graphics card in OpenGL mode.

Alternative programs: LuxMark (3D graphics rendering using CPU or GPU), CompuBench (3D graphics rendering using GPU)

OCCT 4.5.1 – stability and temperature check

Alternative programs: FurMark, Prime95 or for temperature monitoring SpeedFan, RealTemp and CoreTemp.

MemTest86 is an excellent program for checking whether your RAM is working correctly. This is one of those components whose stable operation is very important for the performance of the computer.

The program runs from a bootable USB flash drive (or CD/DVD if someone else uses them).

Alternative program: Prime95

Prime95 – stability or temperature test under load

Another great program for testing the stability or temperatures of computer components under high load. We can choose between tests that load the most, for example, RAM or CPU.

Alternative programs: OCCT, MemTest86

It is difficult to point out one, the best program for checking the performance of storage media (HDD and SSD hard drives), but if you already have to do so, then CrystalDiskMark will be your favorite. It allows you to check the performance of media, both in the case of reading/writing sequential data and for small files.

It gives a good idea of the actual performance of the node being tested. If you are interested not only in performance (but, for example, also in SMART readings, the ability to download new firmware or perform Secure Erase operations), it is worth taking an interest in the applications included with the manufacturer's drives. For example, in the case of SanDisk, the SanDisk SSD Dashboard program is available, and in the case of Samsung, Samsung Magician is available.

Alternative programs: AS, AS SSD, manufacturer's programs included

Every year, an increasing number of computer diagnostic programs are released. But an even greater number of users are purchasing PCs and want to make sure that the components, painstakingly found on the dusty shelves of online stores, fully satisfy all their requirements. It is no less difficult to manage without programs of this kind in everyday use of a computer. Many of them allow you not only to diagnose problems, but also to keep your PC’s health under control.

There are a number of programs, the capabilities of which are expanding from year to year, while the product becomes complex for an inexperienced user, and the price increases several times. There are also analog programs that have a slightly less meager arsenal of capabilities, but are worth nothing. We will get acquainted with the most polar representatives of both categories among users in this review.

AIDA64, without exaggeration, is the most popular product for review, as well as diagnostics of a personal computer in general. The program can provide the most complete information about any component of a working machine: components, programs, operating system, network connections and external devices. Over many years of excellence in the market, it acquired AIDA64 and a whole range of utilities for diagnosing PC stability and testing its performance. Easy to learn thanks to a simple and friendly interface.

Everest was once a very popular analyzer of computer hardware and software components. Allows you to find out comprehensive data about the system, which would be very difficult to obtain otherwise. Developed by Lavalys, the program was a follower of AIDA32. In 2010, the rights to develop this product were purchased by another company. In the same year, the development of Everest itself was stopped, and AIDA64 was eventually introduced on its basis. But even after so many years, Everest is still a relevant and beloved product by many users.

S.I.W.

System Info For Windows is a utility that provides the user with an easy-to-setup and easy-to-use tool that allows you to view detailed data on the configuration of PC hardware and hardware, installed software, system components, and network elements. With its functionality, the SIW product is in close competition with AIDA64. However, there are also differences between them. Although System Info For Windows cannot boast such powerful resources for PC diagnostics, it has a number of its own, no less useful tools.

System Explorer

The System Explorer utility is completely free and in its likeness is an analogue of the classic Windows OS task manager. It helps monitor computer operation in real time and manage its processes. The utility has a built-in database that can be used to check any of the processes running on the user’s computer for malicious information. The interface is correctly translated into Russian, divided into tabs, each of them is responsible for specific tasks. Understanding the operation of the System Explorer utility is not difficult even for an inexperienced user.

PC Wizard

PC Wizard is a powerful program that provides information about the operation of the motherboard, processor, video card and a number of other computer components. What sets this product apart from a number of similar products is a series of tests that allow you to determine the performance and overall performance of the system. PC Wizard's interface is minimalistic and it's very easy to understand. The program is widely known among users due to its free distribution. And although the developer stopped supporting it in 2014, even today it can be a good assistant in assessing the potential of a PC.

SisSoftware Sandra

The SisSoftware Sandra program is a collection of useful utilities that will assist in diagnosing the system, installed programs, codecs and drivers. Sandra also has the functionality of providing information about various system components. You can even perform diagnostic operations on devices remotely. The software product, with such a large functionality, is completely easy to use, which was achieved thanks to an intuitive interface, as well as high-quality Russian translation. SisSoftware Sandra is distributed according to a paid model, but you can evaluate all its advantages during the trial period.

The 3DMark product belongs to Futuremark, one of the main players in the testing package market. They are not only visually very attractive and varied, but also always give a stable, repeatable result. The company's close cooperation with global manufacturers of processors and graphics cards allows it to competently improve its product. The tests included in the 3DMark package are used both to test the strength of weak machines, such as laptops, and the most advanced and powerful PCs. There are a number of tests for mobile platforms, for example, Android and iOS, which allows you to compare the real graphics or processing power of a particular smartphone.

No matter how powerful and advanced the components of modern computers are, their owners still try to improve, strengthen or overclock something. A good assistant for them in this will be the SpeedFan program, which, in addition to providing information about the entire system, will also allow you to edit some characteristics. By skillfully using this product, you can optimally configure the operation of coolers if they do not cope with their task of cooling the processor and motherboard, or, on the contrary, they begin to work actively when the temperature of the components is still in an optimal state. Only experienced users will be able to fully work with the program.

OCCT

Even an experienced Windows OS user may sooner or later encounter an unexpected problem that causes the computer to malfunction. The cause of the problem may be overheating, overload or mismatch of components. To identify them, you need to use specialized software. OCCT belongs to the category of such products. Thanks to a series of tests of PC components, the program can detect sources of malfunctions or prevent their occurrence. There are also real-time monitoring capabilities of the system. The interface is non-standard, but convenient, and also Russified.

S&M

A small and completely free program from a domestic developer is a set of tests for loading computer components. The ability to monitor the testing process allows you to track in real time possible problems with overheating or insufficient power of the power supply, as well as determine the overall performance of the processor, RAM and the speed of hard drives. The program's simple interface and detailed description of test settings will allow even a beginner to test the PC's strength.

In order for a computer to function reliably and smoothly, it is necessary to diagnose all possible failures and malfunctions in its operation in a timely manner. The programs presented in this review can help with this. It is difficult to choose one product for yourself, even one that tries to be as universal as possible. Each tool has both its advantages and disadvantages, but they all cope equally well with their priority tasks.

Hi all! Many PC owners often catch themselves thinking that their machine is not working fast enough, or “freezes,” so to speak.

In this case, it is worth testing your “iron friend” and identifying the reason for this behavior. Today I will tell you how to check the speed of your computer. But first, let's decide why we need to do this.

Why is verification needed?

You should spend valuable time on tests for a number of reasons:

Testing will allow you to understand which tasks your computer can perform easily and which are difficult for it.
If you are going to purchase a new PC or laptop, then using the results of the check, you can choose the most suitable model that will meet all your needs.
You'll know which components are slow and can replace them during the upgrade.
You can compare the characteristics of your computer with the PC of one of your friends and find out whose PC is the most powerful.

How to do it?

Well, checking speed is a very necessary and important thing, but how can you find out the speed, how can it be measured? In order to find out the speed of your computer, you will need a PC with Windows installed on it, the usual set of applications for this OS, and my instructions, which I will describe below.

You can check using three simple methods:

using the Windows Experience Level Index;
using the Windows Task Manager, which should already be familiar to you;
based on the use of special programs.

Let's look at each of them in detail.

First way

Windows has a very useful utility called " Performance Index" This application takes measurements of your PC's performance, shows you how each one is rated, and, of course, evaluates overall system performance. In this case, the size of the overall indicator does not exceed the smallest indicator among the elements.

In versions 7, 8 of Windows and Vista, in the Control Panel you need the “Performance Counters and Tools” section (in Windows xp you cannot check performance in this way).

If we talk about the 7th version: the maximum score is 7.9, the average is from 3.5 to 5. If the performance level index is more than five, then you don’t have to worry about anything. However, if the scores are below the “3.5” rating, then your PC should either be replaced with a new one or upgraded to the old one (which will be much cheaper).

In Vista the maximum is 5.9, and in 8 it is 9.9.

In Windows 8.1 and 10, performance testing is done using PowerShell. To open it, write “PowerShell” in the search bar on the start screen, right-click on the icon of the found utility in the search results and select “Run as administrator” in the context menu.

In Windows PowerShell, type winsat formal and press Enter. As a result of these actions you will see the following:

There is one small feature: if you are doing the test on a laptop, it must be connected to a 220V network, otherwise the program will generate an error.

The whole process may take a few minutes, and the result will be saved here:
C:\Windows\Performance\WinSAT\DataStore\...Formal.Assessment (Recent).WinSAT.xml.

You cannot test the system in Windows PowerShell without administrator rights; you can only view the performance ratings from the previous test. To do this, write "Get-CimInstance Win32_WinSAT" and press Enter. As a result you will see:

Second way

If you want to have an extremely accurate idea of what the speed of your system is, then this method will be most convenient for you. Its main advantage over the above is that it is able to demonstrate not only how fast the computer itself is, but also how fast its individual elements are.

To determine the quality of work using this method, you must perform the following steps:

Press the Alt, Ctrl, Delete keys simultaneously.
Click on “Task Manager”.
In the task manager, select the tab called “Performance”.

In “Performance” you will see how well your computer is functioning. If the level of quality of its work is insufficient, then you can try to upgrade your machine.

The graphs allow you to determine what is causing the slow operation of your PC: processor load or lack of RAM. The green line indicates excellent work, the yellow line indicates an acceptable level, but if the line is red, then urgent action must be taken.

Third way

This method involves using special programs. There are special applications that are created specifically to collect data about the state of the computer.

There's just a ton of all kinds of tests, numbers and information. With these products you can get the most comprehensive data about the performance of your PC. What kind of programs are these? Here is a list of those that I have used at least once:

Everest. It was created primarily for analyzing PC configurations, but it provides a large number of different tests.

SiSoftware Sandra. At the moment, the best option if you want to test the level of performance.

3Dmark. His main specialization is testing computer video cards. Consists of a huge number of different texturing tests, working with 3D modeling, etc. There is also a comprehensive testing option, reminiscent of a video game that is played not by you, but by the program. During its work, it evaluates the stability of the video card during heavy loads and measures the frame rate.

PCMark. This is lightweight software intended for limited use. Serves only to check performance. Allows you to perform integral testing of any PC component. The main feature is the ability to compare the performance of your own computer with the world average.

You can download these programs from the official Internet resources of their developers online.

Well, that’s all, dear friends! In the end, I would like to tell you about a training course, the effectiveness of which I was able to “test” on myself. We are talking about the course Secrets of successful computer work».

What distinguishes this course from a huge number of other similar courses is primarily the author’s high professionalism and simplicity of presentation. All the intricacies of working on a PC are explained so simply and clearly that even elderly people, who, as we know, shy away from modern technology, turn into experienced users in a couple of months of training.

I wish you to be computer literate people, and I and my blog will help you become so. Therefore, do not forget to subscribe to updates and follow the release of a new article.

Share information on social media. networks, see you!

Sincerely! Abdullin Ruslan