Testing your computer’s performance is a simple task that can be done at the click of a button using a number of applications that fall under a specialized group known as benchmark. There is commercial software, but also many free solutions that are as competent as the one we will show you in this article.

Although the average user may think that this type of application is only for tech enthusiasts who want to “show off” their hardware level, the reality is different and They are very useful for everyone. The results obtained can be used to assess whether a particular computer or any of its components has problems, if it is not able to reach the average performance of others with the same hardware and which we can view in the databases they usually manage. Some of them may also make some modifications to improve the hardware itself.

Last but not least, it should be noted that this type of software offers extensive technical and commercial information about each component in addition to comparisons, and is therefore also used in hardware maintenance and upgrades. In fact, there are times when they are the only ones that offer us relevant information about some components, such as the RAM memories, which, as you know, are very delicate when it comes to updating if we want to keep the existing modules.

Or knowing if our motherboard will be able to host an SSD of a certain type or interface; if we can improve performance with a new processor that is compatible with the chipset and socket; Know if we need to upgrade the power supply to a higher power supply or if we need to adjust any parameter of our router if the internet access speed is lower than expected. The use cases are wide and we insist that they are very useful for any level of user.

How to test PC performance

There are general applications that perform performance tests to evaluate the competence of a complete computer, as well as other specific applications dedicated to evaluating the main components, from the processor to the graphics card, including RAM or storage units. It also varies according to the type of tests, so-called ‘synthetic’ or those that simulate real loads.

Draw attention to it results are approximate and a simple performance test may not give you a full assessment of your device. So it is not a good idea to concern yourself with whether the differences are narrow, MHz or FPS up or down. We leave you with a selection of the best, the vast majority for Windows, although some have versions for Linux and macOS.

CPU-Z

It offers a reference in this type of programs complete processor information and its characteristics, motherboard and chipset components, RAM and graphics memory. It also offers a CPU comparison with other models with performance per core and multiple cores. It has a verification program for uploading the results to the Internet and generates an internal TXT file with all the information. It has a general version and others customized for ASUS, GYGABYTE or MSI motherboards.

CrystalDiskMark

Evaluate storage disk performance, especially indicated for testing hard drives or SSDs. It provides read/write data transfer results in Mbytes per second and has a very easy-to-use interface that allows multiple passes with different file sizes. In addition to being free, it is open source and offers source code.

MemTest86

One of the best tools we can use to check RAM status. An essential part of any computer that when it fails can drive us crazy because it usually produces random errors when performing a certain type of task. The tool requires you to save it to a USB flash drive and run it from there. Started on pendrive Memtest86 starts automatically and starts scanning the RAM and reports if it finds any problems.

HWMonitor

Informs about Make and model of PC hardware components, although it specializes in real-time monitoring of the control of those aspects that show computer status, power consumption, fan speed, utilization percentage, operating frequency and temperature. It can read the temperature sensors of the cores of modern CPUs, as well as the temperature of hard drives via SMART and the temperature of the graphics card. Free for Windows.

CineBench

Provides one of the CPU benchmarks the most complete and reliable among free benchmarks. It provides a real-world benchmark that includes common user tasks within a complex Cinema 4D scene to measure system performance and compares it to other real-world benchmarks to measure its performance. Specifically, the benchmark tests all available processor cores and scores them. The bigger, the more powerful.

MSI Afterburner

It’s definitely a utility graphics card overclocking the most recognized and widespread. It offers complete graphics card control, provides a detailed hardware overview, and has some additional features such as profile customization, benchmarking, and video recording. It monitors every parameter that affects the graphics card: clock speed, temperature, RAM usage, fan speed and CPU usage (per core). Although developed by MSI engineers, it is available completely free of charge and can be used with various graphics card models and from any manufacturer.

Speccy

It is one of the favorites among the gaming community due to the very clear interface it displays information about all PC components. For those who want to dive into its features, just click on its specific parameters. It allows you to save the scan results directly as an image, XML or text file for easy sharing on the Internet or for technical support that needs to diagnose a problem with your computer. It has a commercial version but also a free one.

Speed ​​test

One of the most popular measurement applications Internet speed. It is not a parameter that exactly depends on the PC, but there are times when the network card does not work properly or is configured incorrectly, and this is where penalties can come from. Useful in any case and in any scenario. You don’t need to download anything here; Simply go to your website and run the test.

SiSoftware Sandra Lite

Offers a test set Full-featured, it’s designed for users who are very knowledgeable about the inner workings of their computers and for businesses that need to perform detailed analysis across multiple computers. Free in its Lite version.

FutureMark Suite

Quite a reference in complete test suites. It offers applications such as PCMark that measure performance on computer productivity tasks; 3D Mark, which evaluates the performance of graphics cards and VRMark, one of the few free benchmarks available for testing virtual reality devices. It supports Windows, iOS, or Android operating systems, and while the best options are paid, it has free benchmarks like 3DMark Basic Edition, which features the DirectX 12 TimeX benchmark, should satisfy the average user’s GPU benchmarking needs.

As you have seen, PC performance testing is within the reach of every user and the resulting information can be very useful in various situations. In all cases, we recommend performing the tests after restarting the PC and with the lowest possible system load for greater fidelity of the results.