Have you faced such a situation - the computer starts malfunctioning or shuts down completely. What is the problem? It turns out that you don't always need to contact a service center. Try using specialized software. The use of programs is useful not only in cases of malfunctions. Let's take a look at the best programs for detecting computer hardware, and when to use them.
What is this software for?
Have you ever encountered a situation that you need to know some of the characteristics of a PC? And this is not the only reason to use such software. Hardware for detecting hardware is useful if:
- Drivers are updated;
- To find out the temperature of the HDD or CPU;
- When the system slows down and freezes.
Sometimes you need to know the hardware model or version. Users do not remember such parameters. They may not be found in the documentation. Let's consider what software is needed in such situations.
Speccy
The official website of the program: filehippo.com/download_speccy. On the main page there will be a link by which we download the "exe" file with the program. Installation is simple, and will not cause any difficulties even for beginners. Shows information about RAM, sound devices, CPU and motherboard temperatures. Works on all versions of Windows.
The utility window displays hardware models and small icons showing temperatures. By clicking on them twice, see the changes that have occurred in five minutes. The utility will not be released by the developers as a professional monitoring tool, but you can find out that it's time to change the thermal paste on the video card using the program.
Speccy Features:
- Shows detailed information about the characteristics of the PC and its devices;
- It uses system tools for diagnostics.
The program for determining the hardware of the computer Aida64
Download the program from the official Internet project: aida64.com/downloads/latesta64xe.
It was formerly called Everest, but was renamed by the developers to AIDU. Shows detailed information about the system and what is installed. Aida64 is configured for advanced PC diagnostics. Has tests for RAM, CPU, video, HDD.
Important! When checking your computer, or before buying a new one, take a stress test. If the device has worked for at least fifteen minutes and the blue screen does not appear, everything is fine.
AIDA 64 characteristics:
- Shows information in real time;
- Creates a detailed report;
- Completely in Russian.
Aida can:
- Edit startup programs. It is because of them that the PC starts to work slower;
- Section showing all connected devices. This will help determine its model and find the correct driver. Shows the link from where to download it.
HWInfo
The official website of the utility is www.hwinfo.com. Of the features, we note the ability to download the installer of the program, and the availability of a portable version. Once launched, HWInfo displays general information about the PC.
Small but powerful program. If you look at the temperature sensors, then, in addition to the current indicators, the program will show the maximum allowable parameters for the equipment. If they are close to the maximum, think about it. Works with all versions of Windows.
Important! It is convenient to update drivers, since the utility publishes a link to the manufacturer's website.
GPU-Z
If the video card malfunctions, pay attention to this application. It supports most of the existing video adapters. Shows information about frequency, use of RAM resources, load. Defines memory timings and BIOS version of the motherboard. Download it from the site cpuz.ru/gpuz_download.htm
Peculiarities:
- Works only with a video card;
- The main feature is the monitoring of the basic values of the device;
- Minimum settings.
CPU Thermometer
Download it from cputhermometer.com
Suitable for those who know what a normal CPU temperature is. Performs one function - it shows the percentage of loading processor cores. Minimizes to the system tray and starts up with the OS.
CPU-Z
Official website of the program: cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html
The utility will measure the CPU temperature, evaluate its efficiency and resistance to overloads. The creators have implemented many important features into the application. In addition to testing, the utility receives information about the motherboard, each RAM and GPU. Creates a report exported to txt or html format.
Peculiarities:
- Shows the temperature of the CPU;
- Detailed information about the hardware;
- Benchmark (solving a problem to determine the performance) of the CPU;
- Works on Windows and Android.
Monitor Temperatures with Core Temp
Download the program from the site: alcpu.com/CoreTemp/
Receives information from PC temperature sensors. Checks if the system is using a lot of CPU. A special feature of the program is the overheating protection function. She will report this and take certain actions. Will put the PC into sleep mode, or turn it on (can be configured as an option).
Shows the values of the CPU core, frequency and voltage on the chip. It differs from similar programs by the ability to display the maximum heating temperature depending on the processor model. Even if you are a novice user, looking at the minimum and maximum values, you will understand whether the temperature is normal.
Advantages:
- Consumes few system resources;
- Intuitive interface;
- Protects the system from overheating;
- The ability to search for new drivers;
- BIOS update;
- Advanced diagnostic setup;
- Free.
Open Hardware Monitor
Located at: openhardwaremonitor.org/downloads/
Dwaremonitor connects to sensors on the motherboard, so it shows accurate and detailed information. The window displays the current and maximum temperature readings. Looking at the values, it becomes clear whether the equipment has a tendency to overheat.
Main characteristics:
- Informs about an increase in temperature;
- The results are logged;
- Support for all existing processors, information about which comes from special online databases;
- Compatible with all versions of Windows.
SpeedFan
The utility is located at speedfan.ru.softonic.com/
Displays the temperature of the CPU, SMAPT drive and other parts of the PC. A distinctive feature is the regulation of the rotational speed of the cooler. For this, it will be used. SpeedFan prevents overheating and helps to reduce noise levels.
Important! Try different options to get the correct setting. The main thing is to watch the temperature.
Peculiarities:
- Information about the temperature is shown in the system tray (near the clock);
- The number of fan revolutions is set in the menu.
Conclusion
Of the programs listed above, use a combination of Core Temp and Hardware Monitor. The first will protect against overheating. The second will show detailed information about other parameters. Use SpeedFan to reduce noise or optimize cooling. AIDA and CPU-Z are suitable for testing hardware. Against the background of their counterparts, they show the most truthful results. For those who don't like complicated software, use a minimalist CPU Thermometer.
Hello.
When working at a computer, sometimes all sorts of failures, errors occur, and getting to the bottom of the cause of their appearance without special software is not an easy task! In this help article, I want to post the best programs for testing and diagnosing PCs that will help in solving all sorts of problems.
By the way, some of the programs can not only restore the performance of the computer, but also "kill" Windows (you will have to reinstall the OS), or lead to overheating of the PC. Therefore, be careful with such utilities (it is definitely not worth experimenting without knowing what this or that function does).
CPU Testing
Rice. 1.main window of CPU-Z
A free program for determining all characteristics of a processor: name, core type and stepping, socket used, support for certain multimedia instructions, size and parameters of cache memory. There is a portable version that does not need installation.
By the way, even processors of the same name may differ somewhat: for example, different cores with different stepping. Some of the information can be found on the processor cover, but usually it is hidden far in the system unit and it is not easy to get to it.
Another not unimportant advantage of this utility is its ability to create a text report. In turn, such a report can be useful when solving all sorts of tasks in case of a problem with a PC. I recommend having a similar utility in your arsenal!
One of the most frequently requested utilities, at least on my computer. Allows you to solve the most diverse range of tasks:
Control over startup (removing all unnecessary from startup);
Monitor the temperature of the processor, hard drive, video card;
Obtaining summary information on the computer and on any of its hardware in particular. Information can be indispensable when looking for drivers for rare hardware:
In general, in my humble opinion, this is one of the best system utilities, containing all the essentials. By the way, many experienced users are familiar with the predecessor of this program - Everest (by the way, they are very similar).
One of the best programs for testing the health of the processor and computer memory. The program is based on complex mathematical calculations that can fully and permanently load even the most powerful processor!
By the way, the program works in all popular Windows operating systems today: XP, 7, 8, 10.
Temperature monitoring and analysis
Temperature is one of the performance metrics that can tell a lot about the reliability of a PC. The temperature is usually measured for three components of a PC: a processor, a hard drive and a video card (it is they, most often, that overheat).
By the way, the AIDA 64 utility measures the temperature quite well (about it above in the article, I also recommend this link :).
SpeedFan
This small utility can not only control the temperature of the hard drives and the processor, but also help to adjust the rotational speed of the coolers. On some PCs, they make a lot of noise, thereby annoying the user. Moreover, you can reduce their rotation speed without harm to the computer (it is recommended to adjust the rotation speed for experienced users, operation may overheat the PC!).
Core Temp
A small program that measures the temperature directly from the processor sensor (bypassing unnecessary ports). In terms of accuracy, readings are one of the best of its kind!
Programs for overclocking and monitoring the operation of the video card
By the way, for those who want to speed up the video card without using third-party utilities (i.e. no overclocking and no risks), I recommend that you read the articles on fine-tuning video cards:
Rice. 6. Riva Tuner
A very popular once utility for fine-tuning Nvidia video cards. Allows you to overclock the Nvidia video card both through standard drivers and "directly", working with hardware. That is why, you should work with it carefully, without going too far with the parameter settings (especially if you have not yet had experience with such utilities).
It is also not bad that this utility can help with the resolution settings (its blocking, useful in many games), frame rate (not relevant for modern monitors).
By the way, the program has its own "basic" settings of drivers, registry for certain cases of work (for example, when starting a game, the utility can switch the mode of operation of the video card to the required one).
Rice. 7. ATITool - main window
A very interesting program for overclocking ATI and nVIDIA video cards. It has automatic overclocking functions, as well as a special algorithm for "loading" a video card in three-dimensional mode (see Fig. 7, above).
When testing in three-dimensional mode, you can find out the number of FPS issued by the video card with one or another fine-tuning, as well as immediately notice artifacts and defects in the graphics (by the way, this moment means that it is dangerous to overclock the video card further). In general, an indispensable tool when trying to overclock a graphics adapter!
Recovering information in case of accidental deletion or formatting
Quite a large and extensive topic that deserves a whole separate article (and more than one). On the other hand, it would be wrong not to include it in this article. Therefore, here, in order not to repeat myself and not to increase the size of this article to "huge" sizes, I will only provide links to my other articles on this topic.
Recovering Word documents -
Determination of a malfunction (primary diagnosis) of a hard disk by sound:
A huge guide to the most popular data recovery software:
RAM testing
Also, the topic is quite extensive and cannot be told in a nutshell. Usually, in case of problems with the RAM, the PC behaves as follows: freezes, appears "", spontaneous reboot, etc. For more details, see the link below.
Hard disk analysis and testing
Analysis of the occupied space on the hard disk -
Hard disk slows down, analysis and search for reasons -
Checking the hard disk for operability, searching for bad -
Cleaning the hard disk from temporary files and "garbage" -
That's all for me today. I would be grateful for additions and recommendations on the topic of the article. Good luck with your PC.
A free program for diagnosing a computer, identifying installed devices and programs, and testing its performance.
I won't say that very often, but sometimes we need to find out all the data about our computer. Are you going, for example, to shell out a certain amount of hard-earned money for the purchase of a new super-mega game. Bought it, and it flatly refuses to start, because your system does not have enough RAM or video card power.
In order not to repeat such misunderstandings, I advise you to always use programs to determine the configuration of your computer. Many people use for this purpose such famous packages as Everest or SiSoftware Sandra Lite.
But, since the first is paid, and the second has a rather large distribution kit, we will look for an alternative. And she is!
Meet - the third player in the computer testing arena - PC-Wizard... The English company CPUID, also known for its CPU-Z product, tried to make a free, but quite competitive program. And she succeeded.
Benefits of PC-Wizard
- small size of the installation distribution (zip archive 3 megabytes);
- complete and in-depth PC analysis;
- availability of benchmark tools (system tests);
- visibility of information presentation;
- simplicity and clarity of the interface;
- the ability to view hidden system files.
As they say, why pay more :). To better understand the functions and capabilities of the PC-Wizard, let's download and install it on your computer. Have you installed it? Now let's launch the program and wait a few seconds while it checks the configuration of your PC.
In front of you is the main window, which displays general information about the system.
PC-Wizard interface
The program window is divided into several zones. On the left - the menu for selecting the tested components, on the right - the details window. The latter consists of two parts. The upper part displays general information, but if you click on one of the components of the list, the lower part displays detailed information about the selected item.
Interestingly, if you minimize PC-Wizard, it will display information about your processor.
There are several menu items on the left. These are Hardware, Configuration, System Files, Resources, and Test. Let's deal with all of them in order.
Information about computer components
With the help of the "Hardware" menu you can find out everything about the hardware of your computer. It provides general information about the system, motherboard, processor, video subsystem, I / O ports, CD / DVD drives, printers, connected devices, audio subsystem, network, power status and temperature conditions.
In order to view information about a particular component, select the section you are interested in and all data about it will be displayed in the field on the right.
The "Configuration" menu allows you to view information about the software component of your computer.
Information about installed programs
There are as many as 21 points here, so there is a lot to explore. Among the possibilities, it is worth noting the ability to obtain information about Windows, control panel settings, running processes, startup and others. An interesting opportunity is also to look at the statistics of system loads (for some reason the name remained in English - UpTime statistics.
Information about system files
In the "System files" menu, you will see information about all the files that are responsible for the operation of the system.
Among them are files such as Boot.ini, Config.nt, System.ini, Event Log and others. An interesting point is also "CMOS Values". With it, you can view the CMOS settings of your PC (but, unfortunately, not set them up :).
Ports and other resources
The Resources menu displays highly specialized information about the ports involved and some properties of individual system components.
Computer Performance Testing Tools
And finally, the last menu is "Test". This menu gives you the opportunity to carry out some performance tests of the system and its individual components.
There are both standard tests (system performance, processor test, video subsystem test, memory tests ...), as well as more exotic ones (processor computational ability test and mp3 compression speed test).
The advantage is the ability to view the test results in the form of a graph (you can save it by pressing F11), as well as the ability to compare the results of your test with the test results of other PCs (click the "Compare with ..." button).
Additional functions
In addition, the program has a number of other functions. All data can be saved to a file (the "Save as" button), printed (the "Print" button, respectively), copied to the clipboard ("Copy") or sent as a report to your email (for this a mailbox must be created in the mail MS Outlook agent).
The PC-Wizard also has a function to find the file you need (the "Find file" button). By clicking on the "Next" button, you will be able to see your network environment (unfortunately, you will not be able to view the contents of folders on other computers).
The "Device Manager" button displays brief information about all components of the computer, "Overclocking Information" will help you quickly get basic information about the timings, temperature and frequencies of the processor, video card and memory.
There are two more points without which our review would be incomplete. If you go to the "Tools" menu, you will see two untranslated items in English. Especially you may not need them, but we are obliged to consider them. The first is System Test Stability. It is another test of the stability of the processor and motherboard.
Principle of operation: the processor is loaded as much as possible and in such conditions it works for a long time. In this case, measurements are made of its temperature and the temperature of the motherboard. It should not exceed 100 ° C for the processor and 60 ° C for the motherboard.
The second item that we will consider is Processor Monitoring. It is almost a standard Windows performance manager with a slightly modified interface. It allows you to trace the history of the processor core load, operating frequency and voltage.
The program has practically no minuses, but it is worth paying attention to the shortcomings of the translators (not all points have been translated into Russian), as well as some bugs (I found two - who are more :).
conclusions
On the whole, I have a positive opinion about PC-Wizard. There is nothing superfluous here, the program consumes few resources, is quite simple to operate and undemanding to settings. Although its clearly rustic design may not be to everyone's taste, there are no comrades in taste and color :).
P.S. It is allowed to freely copy and cite this article, provided that an open active link to the source is indicated and the authorship of Ruslan Tertyshny is preserved.
Hello everyone. In today's article, we will focus on a complete diagnosis of all devices in your computer. I will show and tell you how to independently diagnose a computer and all its constituent devices:
- HDD.
- RAM.
- Video card.
- Motherboard.
- CPU.
- Power Supply.
We will check all this in this article and for each of the computer devices I will make a video in which I will clearly show how to diagnose a particular device.
In addition, by diagnostics, you can determine whether you should completely change the device or you can repair it, we will also analyze the main sores of devices that can be determined without diagnostics. Well, let's start with the most important question that interests everyone - diagnostics of the HDD / SSD disk.
HDD and SSD disk diagnostics.
Disk diagnostics are done in two directions, they check the Smart system of a hard or solid-state disk and check the disk directly for bad or slow sectors in order to check the SMART HDD and SSD, we will use the program. You can download it from our website in the download section.
Well, now let's go directly to the disk diagnostics itself, after downloading the program, launch the file of the required bit rate and look at the main window if you see a blue icon with a good signature or in English good, then everything is in order with your SMART disk and you can skip further diagnostics.
If you see a yellow or red icon with the words caution, bad, then there are some problems with your disk. You can find out about the exact problem below in the list of SMART Essential Diagnostic Items. Wherever there are yellow and red icons opposite the inscription, it will indicate that it was in this part that your disk suffered.
If you have already exhausted the disk resource, then it is no longer worth repairing it. If you have found several broken sectors, then there is still a possibility of repair. I will tell you about the repair of broken sectors further. If there are a lot of bad sectors on the disk, more than 10 or a lot of very slow sectors, then it is not worth rebuilding such a disk. After a while, it will still crumble further, it will need to be constantly restored / repaired.
Disk repair software.
By repair, I mean relocation of bad and slow sectors on the disk. This manual is only suitable for HDD drives, that is, only hard drives. For SSDs, this operation will do nothing, but will only worsen the condition of the solid state drive.
The repair will help extend the life of your hard drive a little more. To restore bad sectors, we will use the HDD regenerator program. Download and run this program, wait until the program collects data about your disks after the data is collected, you will see a window in which you will need to click on the inscription - Click here to bad sectors on demaget drive surfase directly under Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 and 10. You need to click on the inscription quickly in OS 8 and 10, so the window will quickly disappear, at 7 everything is fine. Then press NO. Then select your disk from the list. Click the start process button. A window will appear in the form of a command line in which you will need to press 2, Enter, 1, Enter.
After the performed operations, the system will start scanning for the presence of bad sectors and moving them to unreadable disk partitions. In fact, the bad sectors do not disappear, but in the future they do not interfere with the operation of the system and you can continue to use the disk further. The disk verification and repair process can take a long time, depending on the size of your disk. At the end of the program, press button 5 and Enter. If you have any errors while testing and fixing bad sectors, it means that your disk cannot be recovered. If you have found more than 10 bad - bad sectors, then restoring such a disk does not make sense, there will always be problems with it.
The main signs of disk failure are:
Video on how to diagnose HDD / SSD:
RAM diagnostics
This time we will carry out diagnostics of RAM. There are several options in which you can check the RAM, this is when your computer is still turned on and is working somehow, and when you cannot turn on the computer, only BIOS is loaded.
The main signs that the RAM is not working:
- When loading resource-intensive applications, the computer freezes or restarts.
- With prolonged use of the computer, more than 2 hours, Windows starts to slow down, with an increase in the time, the slowdown increases.
- When installing any programs, you cannot install them, the installation fails.
- Sound and video jamming.
The first thing we'll look at is how to check your RAM if your Windows boots. It's very simple, in any of the operating systems starting with Windows Vista, you can type in the search tool Windows memory checker. Launch the appeared shortcut as administrator and see a message stating that you can restart and start the scan right now, or schedule a scan the next time you turn on the computer. Choose the value you need. After the computer restarts, the RAM test will automatically start for you. It will be carried out in standard mode, wait until the end of the test and you will find out if everything is in order with your RAM. In addition, after you have already loaded Windows, in the Event Viewer section you can open the Windows logs, select the System item and find the memory diagnostic event on the right in the list. In this event you will see all the information about the diagnostics performed. Based on this information, you can find out if the RAM is working.
The next option for diagnosing RAM in case you cannot boot Windows. To do this, you need to write a program to a disk or to a bootable USB flash drive and run it from BIOS. In the window that appears, a test to check the random access memory (RAM) will be automatically launched. Wait until the end of the test and if there are any problems with your memory, the test window will change from blue to red. This will talk about defects or damage to the RAM. That's all, you have learned how to diagnose RAM.
Video on how to check the RAM:
Diagnostics of the video card
The main signs of a video card defect:
- The computer knocks out the blue screen of death.
- Artifacts appear on the screen - multi-colored points of a strip or rectangles.
- When loading games, the computer freezes or restarts.
- With prolonged use of the computer in the game, performance decreases, the game starts to lag.
- Video jam, video playback failure, flash player problems.
- Lack of smoothing in the text and when rewinding documents or web pages.
- Change the color scheme.
All these are signs of any defects in the video card. Testing a video card should be divided into two stages: checking the graphics chip and checking the memory of the video card.
Checking the graphics chip of the video card (GPU)
To check the graphics chip, you can use various programs that load this chip and detect failures under critical load. We will be using the program, and FurMark.
Launch Aida at the bottom of the tray near the clock, right-click and select the system stability test. in the window that appears, put a checkbox opposite GPU Stress Test. The test will start at the bottom and you will see a graph of temperature changes, fan speed, and current consumption. To check, 20 minutes of the test is enough, if at this time the lower field with the graph turns red or the computer restarts, then there are problems with your video card.
Launch OCCT. Go to the GPU 3D tab, don't change the settings, and press the ON button. Next, a window will appear with a hairy donut, which is a visual test. The test will take 15-20 minutes. I recommend monitoring the temperature and monitoring the power readings, if multi-colored dots, stripes or rectangles appear on the screen, this will indicate that there is a problem with the video card. If the computer shuts down spontaneously, this will also indicate a defect in the video card.
Now we have analyzed the diagnostics of the video card processor, but sometimes there are also problems with the video card memory.
Diagnostics of the video card memory
For this diagnosis, we will use the program. Unpack the program and run it as administrator. In the window that appears, put a tick in front of the inscription signal if there are errors and press the start button. A check of the RAM of the video card will be launched, if any errors with the memory are found, the program will emit a characteristic sound signal, on some computers the signal will be a system signal.
That's all, now you can diagnose the video card yourself. Check GPU and video card memory.
Video for checking the video card:
Diagnostics of the motherboard
The main symptoms of a motherboard malfunction:
- The computer knocks out the blue screen of death, restarts and shuts down.
- The computer freezes without restarting.
- Jams cursor, music and video (friezes).
- Connected devices disappear - HDD / SSD, drive, USB drives.
- Ports, USB and network connectors are not working.
- The computer does not turn on, does not start, does not boot.
- The computer is slow, slows down or freezes frequently.
- The motherboard makes various sounds.
Visual inspection of the motherboard
The first thing to do to diagnose the motherboard is to visually inspect the motherboard. What you need to pay attention to:
- Chips and cracks - in the presence of such damage, the motherboard will not turn on at all or will turn on every other time.
- Swollen capacitors - due to swollen capacitors, the computer can turn on after 3, 5, 10 attempts or after a certain time, it can also go out for no reason and slow down.
- Oxidation - the computer can turn on once, slow down. It may not turn on at all if the tracks are completely oxidized.
- Warmed up chips, there will be small burning spots or holes on the microchips - because of this, the computer may not turn on or the ports, network cards, sound or USB will not work.
- Scratches on the paths are the same as for chipped cracks.
- Burning around chips and ports - leads to the complete inoperability of the motherboard or its individual parts.
Motherboard software diagnostics
If your computer turns on and boots up Windows, but there are incomprehensible glitches and brakes, it is worth making software diagnostics of the motherboard using the program. Download and install the program, launch it, right-click on its icon in the tray near the clock on its icon and select "service" - "system stability test". We put the checkboxes in front of Stress CPU, Stress FPU, Stress cache, remove the rest of the checkboxes. Press the "Start" button, the computer will freeze, the test will begin. During the test, monitor the temperature of the processor and motherboard, as well as the power. We carry out the test for at least 20 minutes, max 45 minutes. If during the test the bottom field turns red or the computer goes out, then the motherboard is faulty. Also, the shutdown may be due to the processor, uncheck the boxStress CPU and check again. If you find overheating, then you need to check the cooling system of the motherboard and processor. with power fluctuations, there may be problems with both the motherboard and the power supply unit.
If the computer starts but Windows does not boot, you can check the mainland through the boot test... It needs to be written to a disc or USB flash drive. I will show you how to use it in more detail in the video.
Diagnostics of the power supply unit (PSU)
The main symptoms of a power supply malfunction:
- The computer does not turn on at all.
- The computer starts up for 2-3 seconds and stops working.
- The computer turns on from 5-10-25 times.
- Under load, the computer goes out, reboots or throws out the blue screen of death.
- The computer slows down a lot under load.
- Devices connected to the computer spontaneously disconnect and reconnect (screws, drives, USB devices).
- Squeak (whistle) when the computer is running.
- Unnatural noise from PSU fan.
Visual inspection of the power supply unit
The first thing to do if the power supply fails is to do a visual inspection. We disconnect the power supply unit from the case and disassemble the power supply unit itself. We check for:
- Burn, flooded elements of the power supply unit - we look to see that all the elements are intact, if we find a burnout or obviously something melted, we carry the power supply unit for repair or change it to a new one.
- Swollen capacitors - replace the swollen capacitors with new ones. Because of them, the computer may not turn on the first time or go out under load.
- Dust - if dust is clogged in the fan and radiators, it must be cleaned, because of this, the power supply unit in the load may turn off due to overheating.
- Burnt out fuse - when the voltage drops, the fuse often burns, it must be replaced.
We checked everything, but the power supply is behaving badly, we are looking.
Power supply software diagnostics
Software diagnostics of the power supply can be carried out using any test program that gives the maximum load on the power supply. Before doing such a check, it is necessary to determine whether the power of the power supply is sufficient for all the elements of your PC. You can check it like this: run the AIDA 64 program link above and go to the site for calculating the required power supply unit. On the site, transfer the data from Aida to the appropriate fields and click the Calculate button. So we will be sure exactly how much power the power supply is enough for the computer.
We proceed to the diagnostics of the PD itself. Downloading the program. Install and run it. Go to the Power Supply tab. put the checkbox to use all logical cores (it does not work on all computers) and press the ON button. The test lasts an hour and if at this time the computer turns off, reboots, knocks out a blue screen, there are problems with the power supply unit (Before checking the power supply unit, you must first check the video card and processor to avoid incorrect test).
I will not show how to diagnose a power supply unit with a multimeter, because there is a lot of this information on the network, and it is better for professionals to do such diagnostics. I will show you the PSU testing in more detail in the video below:
As practice shows, the capabilities of their own computer suit users only for the time being - sooner or later they have to resort to an upgrade. Everything is trite and 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 "stuffing", which, if you have money, is not difficult. However, this is not always wise - often it is enough to resort to replacing individual components to increase productivity.
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 size, hard disk 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 the one declared at the time of purchase (without opening the unit itself, since there may be a seal on it), assess how much the performance has increased, and understand whether the computer is really stable working.
Any professional collector (and all overclocking enthusiasts) can easily solve the listed tasks, since it has in its arsenal a lot of various and highly specialized information and diagnostic tools. An ordinary user does not need to acquire such solutions, however, it is still necessary to install a simple complex utility to obtain information about the hardware and test the computer. It is these programs that we will consider in this article.
Retrieving hardware data
Theoretically, any information and diagnostic utility is capable of recognizing the "stuffing" of the 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 updating), and the amount of information on the identified components can be different - 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 recently appeared on the market solid-state drives Intel 510 and 320, video cards AMD Radeon HD 6790 and NVIDIA GeForce GT 520M, five new mobile video cards of the Quadro M series from NVIDIA, etc.
Using AIDA64, you can easily find out everything about the processor, motherboard, video card, network adapter, storage devices (including the most modern 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 (it supports reading SMART-information of controllers manufactured by Indilinx, Intel, JMicron, Samsung and SandForce) and baud rate. Moreover, the utility recognizes USB 3.0 controllers and devices that are compatible with this new standard.
The amount of data provided by AIDA64 is impressive - access to them is provided from the tree-like menu of the sections that unite the main modules of the program. So, through the section Computer It is easy to get aggregate information about hardware components, the system and BIOS, as well as data on processor overclocking, power supply features, the state of hardware monitoring system sensors, etc. (Fig. 1).
Rice. 1. Summary information about the computer (AIDA64)
In other "iron" sections, more detailed information is provided - so in the section Motherboard there is detailed information about the central processor, motherboard, memory, BIOS, etc. Display it is easy to get information related to the graphical interface of the system (in particular, data on 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 data (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... Also from the menu Service the panel opens AIDA64 CPUID(Fig. 3), which displays data on the processor, motherboard, memory and chipset in a compact form.
Rice. 3. Panel AIDA64 CPUID
Program SiSoftware Sandra It is also very informative and allows you to get 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. Computer Summary (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, about disks, ports, mouse, keyboard, sound card, etc. sensors, then to obtain them, you will need to run not an information, but a 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 Data (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 pictogram 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 help to get more detailed information about the components (fig. 7); the amount of data provided is quite sufficient for the average user. Also, through the menu Tools → Overclocking information you can find out if some of the system components (processor, bus or memory) were overclocked, and if so, to what limits, and also take readings from some sensors.
Rice. 6. Aggregate information about the computer (PC Wizard)
Rice. 7. Data on the graphics subsystem (PC Wizard)
Utility HWiNFO32 will also allow you to learn a lot of interesting things about the iron "stuffing" of the computer. Immediately after launch, it starts diagnostic studies and in a matter of seconds displays a window System Summary with a compact display of data on the processor, motherboard, memory, chipset, disks, etc. (Fig. 8). This window can be called on the screen 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 and more in the appropriate tabs - Central Processors, Motherboard, Memory, Video Adapter etc. The data on the processor, memory modules, motherboard, buses and disks are quite detailed, information on other devices is more modest. If necessary, it is easy to get the readings of the sensor sensors installed on the motherboard (temperature, voltage, etc.) by clicking on the button Sensors.
Rice. 8. Summary information about the computer (HWiNFO32)
Rice. 9. Graphics card data (HWiNFO32)
Program Fresh diagnose allows you to find out information about any iron components, however, not always detailed. For example, in 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 combined data on various multimedia devices, DirectX, audio and video codecs.
Rice. 10.Video card data (Fresh Diagnose)
Performance evaluation
Before upgrading, you need to assess the performance of the computer and its individual components in order to understand which hardware must be replaced immediately, and which components can wait until better times (after all, in times of crisis, not everyone decides on a complete modernization). It is quite easy to do this by performing a couple of specific benchmarking tests in the environment of a suitable diagnostic utility. After buying a new computer or upgrading an old one, it also does not hurt to conduct testing to make sure that the computer has become more productive. Of course, you can feel the result of the upgrade in the course of normal work in applications, but for the sake of completeness, it is better to make sure that the performance is improved with the help of specially designed tools for this purpose.
When conducting tests, in order to obtain a more objective assessment, it is better to close all applications, do 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 should be borne 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 the results obtained should not be taken literally, since they do not reflect real performance, but only indicate the level of performance when performing strictly specific tasks. Nevertheless, carrying out such testing allows you to understand how outdated the hardware components installed in your computer are in comparison with the reference samples, as well as evaluate the level of performance before and after the upgrade, which we are interested in within the framework of this article.
Of greatest interest from the testing point of view are the AIDA64 and SiSoftware Sandra programs, some benchmakers of which are used even by professionals in different hardware testing methods. The capabilities of the other utilities considered in this article are limited in this regard, although some test functionality is also provided in them.
In a programme AIDA64 a wide range of benchmarking tests are presented. So, 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 delays (testing the average time the processor reads data from RAM). The rest of the tests from this section evaluate the processor performance in integer and floating point operations, when creating ZIP archives, when performing encryption using the AES encryption algorithm, etc. (CPU Queen, CPU PhotoWorxx, CPU ZLib, CPU AES, CPU Hash, FPU VP8, FPU Julia, FPU Mandel, FPU SinJulia). All benchmarks compare performance against other systems, including the newest ones.
Rice. 11. Assessment of processor performance (CPU Queen test; AIDA64)
Through the menu Service three more benchmarking tests are available: Disc 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 and memory caches (Figure 12). In the test Monitor diagnostics the quality of display of LCD and CRT monitors is being checked.
Rice. 12. Test cache and memory (Cashe & 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 the PC in comparison with other reference computer configurations, but also test the computer for the need to upgrade it. Modules designed for testing the most important computer subsystems are grouped under the tab Benchmark tests... A whole group of synthetic benchmarks are designed to test the processor - arithmetic and multimedia benchmarks, multi-core efficiency benchmarks, power efficiency benchmarks, cryptographic performance, and GPGPU cryptography. Several tests are responsible for testing physical drives - including the file system test, and modules for testing physical drives, removable / flash drives, CD-ROM / DVD, and Blu-ray optical drives. Tests for testing memory are provided: memory bandwidth test, memory latency test, and cache and memory test. In addition, there are tests to assess the rendering speed and video memory performance, audio / video encoding / decoding test, network bandwidth test, Internet connection speed assessment test, etc. When testing a number of components (processor, RAM, etc.), the results are given in comparison with reference models that are more similar in characteristics. At the same time, it is possible to independently choose 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 better to replace them with.
Rice. 13. Evaluation of processor performance
(arithmetic test; SiSoftware Sandra)
Two interesting test modules are presented in the tab Tools are modules Performance index and Analysis and recommendations... Using a test Performance index the overall performance of the computer is assessed during the arithmetic and multimedia tests of the processor, the determination of the 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 by the user. Module Analysis and recommendations provides a detailed analysis of the PC for a possible upgrade. At the end of this analysis, the program gives a list of recommendations on which of the hardware components is best to replace in order to improve performance (Fig. 15), and draws attention to possible problems (for example, the complexity of adding memory due to the occupation of all slots, too high CPU temperature (and suggests checking cooling), etc.).
Rice. 14. Assessment of the overall performance of the computer (SiSoftware Sandra)
Rice. 15. Analysis of the computer for an upgrade (SiSoftware Sandra)
Utility PC Wizard also includes certain functionality for testing hardware (tab Test). With its help, you can visually assess the overall performance of your computer (icon Global Performance) in comparison with other configurations and based on the test results, to understand which of the subsystems in terms of performance significantly falls short of the selected (from the pre-installed list) reference sample - that is, they need updating, and which ones turn out to be quite at the level (Fig. 16).
Rice. 16. Assessment of the overall performance of the computer (PC Wizard)
There is also a number of synthetic tests in the arsenal of PC Wizard, which allow evaluating the performance of the processor, L1 / L2 / L3 caches and memory in general (bandwidth, timing), as well as the video subsystem, hard disk, optical drive, etc. The processor provides baseline tests for Dhrystone ALU, Whetstone FPU and Whetstone SSE2 to evaluate its performance in integer and floating point operations. The 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. Testing the processor (PC Wizard)
Utility HWiNFO32 is able to evaluate the performance of the processor (CPU, FPU, MMX), memory and hard disk during express testing (button Benchmark). Test results are presented in two versions - in numerical form and in the form of a comparative diagram. The diagram contains many reference components, including modern ones, so it is easy to understand how much the processor (or other component) installed in the computer is inferior in performance to modern models (Fig. 18).
Rice. 18. Processor Performance Assessment (HWiNFO32)
Program Fresh diagnose has a toolkit for determining the performance of individual components of the system. These are seven synthetic test modules in the section Benchmarks... They can be used to evaluate the performance of the processor (Whetstone, Dhrystone and multimedia tests), memory, video system, hard drives, optical drives and network adapter. The test results are compared with the base systems and presented in the form of visual histograms. True, they are not very useful, in our opinion, since outdated reference systems are selected for comparison (Fig. 19).
Rice. 19. Processor Testing (Fresh Diagnose)
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 unit 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 takes place, then the situation should be dealt with as soon as possible - that is, before there are obvious signs of instability 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 overheats under load, and also evaluate how the computer behaves in general under stress conditions. This can be done by stress testing.
Most stability tests place an intense computational load on various blocks of the CPU, system memory, GPU, and system logic set - that is, they make the computer work under stressful conditions. Unfortunately, none of these tests by themselves guarantee 100% system stability, but if the test detects a failure in the system or has not been 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 the processor (testing of cores separately is allowed), memory, local disks, etc. (Fig. 20). The test results are displayed on two graphs: the upper one records the temperature of the selected components, the lower one - the processor load level (CPU Usage) and the clock skip mode (CPU Throttling). Mode CPU Throttling it is activated only in case of processor overheating, and it should be understood that activating this mode during testing is an alarm signal that calls for attention to the operation of the cooling system. During testing, the heating of the system is monitored by continuously monitoring the temperature.
Rice. 20. Processor stress testing (AIDA64)
In addition to the temperature, the graphs of which are displayed on the first tab during stress testing, the program provides other useful information on other tabs - about the 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 works fine (after 30 minutes), or when suspicious results are detected (for example, severe overheating of one of the components).
Using the stability test SiSoftware Sandra(tab Tools), you can also stress testing (Fig. 21). It will allow you to orient yourself regarding the stability of the system and identify its weaknesses by analyzing the operation of the processor, memory, physical disks and optical drives, power efficiency, etc. selected test modules. During testing, the utility monitors the state of the system and stops the process when errors appear 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 testing the system for stability (test System Test Stability from the menu Tools) are limited to testing the processor and motherboard. During testing, the processor is maximally loaded and in such conditions it works for a long time, during which the temperatures of the processor and motherboard are measured at certain intervals, and the results are displayed on the graph (Fig. 22).
Rice. 22. Testing the processor for stability (PC Wizard)
A quick tour of the utilities
AIDA64 (Extreme Edition) 1.60
Developer: FinalWire Ltd
Distribution size: 11.7 MB
Price: US $ 39.95
AIDA64 program is an updated version of the well-known information and diagnostic solution EVEREST, designed for diagnosing hardware and software computer resources and versatile testing of a computer. The utility can be run from a hard disk, CD / DVD / BD disks, and also from flash drives. The program is presented in two editions: AIDA64 Extreme Edition and AIDA64 Business Edition, 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 free diagnostic information software. 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 released in several editions; for home use, the capabilities of the free edition of SiSoftware Sandra Lite are sufficient. The utility is updated regularly enough and supports the vast majority of modern models.
PC Wizard 2010.1.961
Developer: CPUID
Distribution size: 5.02 MB
Price: is free
PC Wizard is an information and diagnostic utility used to diagnose hardware and software components and conduct versatile testing. In the basic version, the program is launched from a hard disk; it can be loaded from portable devices - for example, from a flash drive (a special version of the Portable PC Wizard). The utility is updated not as often as we would like (the last update was from August 2010), although it supports many modern models (of course, there is no talk of new products).
HWiNFO32 3.71
Developer: Martin Malik
Distribution size: 2.26 MB
Price: is free
HWiNFO32 is an information diagnostic utility that allows you to get detailed information about the PC hardware and test the performance of the processor, memory and hard drives. The program is updated monthly - as a result, all new items that have appeared on the market are included in its database in a timely manner. There is a special portable edition of the utility that can be run from a removable USB drive or other portable device.
Fresh Diagnose 8.52
Developer: FreshDevices.com
Distribution size: 2.08 MB
Distribution method: freeware (http://www.freshdiagnose.com/download.html)
Price: free (registration is required; in the unregistered version, the use of tests is impossible)
Fresh Diagnose is an information diagnostic utility designed to obtain information about all hardware and software components of a PC, as well as to test it. The program is regularly updated and supports many modern models, but among its shortcomings is a poorly thought-out interface and poor-quality Russian-language localization (therefore, it is wiser to use it with an English-language interface).
