How to test computer performance for free

Last week we brought you Geekbench 6, and with that launch we thought we’d update a compilation that includes some of the best free PC performance testing apps out there. This type of software, also known as benchmarkallows you to get a computer capacity estimate to perform certain computer tasks and determine its comparative position compared to other similar or

These applications are very interesting and allow us to do this in addition to performance evaluation check operation certain components in the event that we detect errors in them. Or if we use advanced techniques overclocking and we want to know the needs of cooling systems or power supplies to determine performance gains or anticipate future temperature issues. Another interesting feature they offer is to know the complete information about the specifications of the components, which is very useful when maintaining/updating the device.

How to test PC performance

In this group of software there is everything you can search and evaluate any type of components, especially the main ones such as graphics cards, processors, storage units or RAM memories. And there are several types, from synthetic ones that measure a specific component to general ones that simulate real workloads and many others that evaluate network performance, energy consumption, and even compliance with environmental standards.

It should be remembered that these test programs are not the “bible” when talking about performance, because they do not cease to be approximations or comparisons in front of others. We mean, don’t obsess over your results. To build a good computer, always look for a balance between the components, bet on the quality of the peripherals and the ability to perform the tasks you need with solvency.

We’ll leave you with a selection of apps focused on Windows platforms to help you get the results your device has to offer, as well as the components that make them up.

geekbench

We start with the application that gave us the opportunity to do this practical implementation. Updated last week to version 6, it offers two different tests for CPU and graphics in a general interface that is very easy to use, as the application is in charge of running all the tests and returning the results. Added new stress tests and improvements to support modern hardware such as new next generation hybrid CPUs. It has free versions for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, and other paid “Pro” versions.

CPU-Z

Link in this type of programs. It offers complete information about the processor and its features, 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 to upload your results to the internet and generates an internal TXT file with all the information. Totally free for Windows 32 or 64 bit, you can use the generic version and others customized for ASUS, GIGABYTE or MSI motherboards.

CrystalDiskMark

Evaluate the performance of internal or external storage devices, whether SSDs, hard drives, memory cards or USB flash drives. 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. Available for Windows (since XP), in addition to being free, it is open source with source code that can be audited and reused.

CineBench

It provides one of the most comprehensive and reliable CPU benchmarks 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. It is available on the Maxon website for Windows or macOS.

MSI Afterburner

It’s probably a utility overclocking from the most recognized and widespread graphics cards. It offers complete graphics card control, provides a detailed description of the hardware, and has some additional features such as customizing profiles, 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 for free and can be used with different graphics card models and from any manufacturer.

speed test

One of the most used applications for evaluating the performance of the Internet connection. Simply connect to the server closest to your connection and evaluate upload and download speeds in Mbps and ping in milliseconds. Very fast (and pretty accurate), it’s free to use from any web browser and has native apps for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android.

MemTest86

It is not a test tool but it is one of the best tools that we can use to check RAM health. 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 burning to a USB flash drive and running it from there. Running on the flash drive, Memtest86 will automatically start and start scanning the RAM reports if it finds any problems. Freely available for x86, x86-64 and ARM64.

Fraps

A universal application for Windows that tests the performance of FPS games that use DirectX 12 and OpenGL graphics technologies. In the corner of the screen it shows how many frames per second you are getting at any given moment. You can create your own benchmarks and measure FPS between two points and save the statistics to disk to use for your own reviews and applications. It can also be used to capture and record gameplay. Available for free for Windows on their website.

Yes Sandra Lite software

One of the most complete applications when it comes to offering information and diagnosing a PC, with which we can find out all the details of its components. It also includes a set of performance and performance tests for CPU, GPU, storage or networks. Extremely complete and offers a free Lite version for Windows.

GPU-Z

Very similar in concept and interface to CPU-Z, but dedicated to the graphics system. It offers all kinds of information about the installed graphics card, its specifications and dedicated memory. Furthermore, the graphic API and supported technologies, the installed driver, but also the operating frequency, temperatures and fan speeds. Available for Windows since XP.

FutureMarkSuite

A complete reference in complete PC performance testing suites. It offers various applications such as PCMark that measure performance in computing productivity tasks; 3D Mark, which evaluates the performance of the graphics system; Storage Benchmark for High Performance SSDs or VRMark, one of the few existing free benchmarks for testing virtual reality devices. It supports Windows, iOS or Android operating systems, and although the most complete options are paid, it has free tools that will suffice as an approximation.

We’ll stop here because we could include another dozen free apps for evaluating, diagnosing, or simply providing detailed information about the specifications of each of the PC’s components, which ultimately they are very useful to maintain, update or improve the device. Here are some more to try out:

– HWMonitor. It reports the make and model of the PC hardware components, although it specializes in real-time monitoring of checks on those aspects that show the health of the PC, power consumption, fan speed, utilization percentage, operating frequency and temperature.

– Speccy. Among the gaming community, it is among the favorites thanks to a very clear interface that displays information about all the components of the computer.

– Unigine suite. Graphics card benchmarking software tests their performance and stability at stock and overclocked speeds along with the capacity of the power supply and cooling system.

– novabench. A free benchmark that tests your entire computer, CPU, GPU, memory and storage. We highlight it because, in addition to Windows, it has versions for Linux and macOS.

– ATTO disk benchmark. Evaluates read/write performance of SSDs or hard drives based on file size.