A program for diagnosing computer health.

09.09.2016

Mobile devices

The article provides programs that allow you to conduct both comprehensive testing of a computer and individual subsystems. All programs support modern hardware and software, including Windows 8.1.

In some cases, assessing PC performance, the results provided by the computer's built-in test tools are not enough. Then you need to use professional testing tools. They perform a more detailed assessment of the performance of the computer's hardware and allow you to obtain detailed information about the system.

Despite the similarity in purpose of such utilities, there is a significant diversity of them, differing in implementation, ease of use, set of diagnostic tools and program functionality. There are both highly specialized ones, designed for a detailed study of one of the computer subsystems, and those that make it possible to conduct a comprehensive diagnosis of the system and subsystems separately.

Test modules allow you to determine the composition of a computer system and make decisions on ways to improve its performance. Analysis of the systematized information displayed on the screen about the existing system can give the user a specific answer to the causes of problems that occur when working with a computer.

It offers today's most popular computer testing utilities, providing the user with information about the functioning of hardware and software. At the same time, the main requirements were accessibility, a high degree of information content and functionality.

These are the programs (to download the program, click on it):

A full test of the computer is carried out using the professional AIDA64 utility, which provides the user with system information, as well as configuration and diagnostic data for the equipment used. Modern versions of the program are produced by FinalWire Ltd, Budapest, Hungary. The latest product build 5.00.3300 dates back to December 2014. The company produces products on a commercial basis, but the AIDA64 Network Audit or AIDA64 Business version can be tested within a month on a computer with a free license by filling out the order form presented on the developer’s website and receiving a key for use and download link via email. The AIDA64 v5.00 utility is currently available for smartphones and tablets.

The program allows you to check your computer completely; detailed information about the scan results is presented in a report that opens, which can be saved in html, csv or xml formats. The computer test results contain information about the hardware and the full composition of the software, namely the operating system, drivers, startup, installed and launched programs under the Microsoft Windows operating system. The AIDA64 utility shows all running processes, as well as hotfixes (patches) and licenses, and retrieves hardware information at a relatively low level using its own database, which contains information about approximately 21,000 devices. The program can collect information from remote computers over a TCP/IP network.

The utility's interface allows you to set the Russian language, which makes it accessible to the Russian-speaking population.

Start page AIDA64 v5.00
AIDA64 v5.00 Graphics Process Benchmark
AIDA64 v5.00 system stability test (click to enlarge)
AIDA64 v5.00 processor test (click to enlarge)

Hard drive testing

PC3000DiskAnalyzer

PC performance also depends on the performance of the hard drive. Testing a computer's hard drive can be done, for example, using the free PC3000DiskAnalyzer utility.

The program names of the executable files are PC3000DiskAnalyzer.exe, PrfChartView.exe and ReportViewer.exe.

The utility supports popular media, such as: HDD, SATA, SCSI, SSD, external USB HDD/Flash.

The utility is launched by the file PC3000DiskAnalyzer.exe, the window that opens asks you to select the type of hard drive that is supposed to be scanned. Next, the main program window appears.

PC3000DiskAnalyzer window for selecting disk type

Start testing the disk by pressing the “test/run” button, or by pressing the F9 key. Next, you are asked to select one of the testing options:

• Verification;
• Reading;
• Record;
• HDD RAM cache test.

Test window

The “verification” and “read” options are quite safe, while the “write” and “test HDD RAM cache” modes can lead to data loss. To check the disk in a gentle mode, “verification” is quite enough. The mode allows you to check the speed indicators of your hard drive, find bad sectors, and determine which of them respond quickly and which have errors. The output diagram shows the errors present on the disk and the sectors that are responding with a delay.

Testing RAM

MemTest

The MemTest utility tests the RAM of computers running on the x86 and x86-64 platforms. Two versions of the program are common: MemTest86 and MemTest86+. The versions were written by different authors, but the idea of ​​the test is the same: compare write and read data, this is done in two passes. The check is carried out from low to high ranks and vice versa.

The utility does not require an operating system and is carried out by its own bootloader. The utility is easy to use and has high operating speed. The program identifies deviations and instability of the computer and will help debug the system after changes made related to replacement or overclocking, introducing the equipment to its maximum operating mode. The latest version 5.01 was released in 2013, although the authors made changes a little later. The utility can be downloaded from the official website.

Monitor testing

Nokia Monitor Test

The most famous set of computer tests used to check the quality of TFT and CRT monitors is the Nokia Monitor Test. Tests allow you to check and configure:

• Focus degree;
• No geometric distortions;
• Image saturation;
• Brightness and contrast of the picture;
• Presence of dead pixels;
• And some other parameters.

The program is accompanied by reference information, the program is free, its most popular version is 2.0, you can download it from the website.

Nokia Monitor Test main window

Testing video cards

FurMark

Window for launching the FurMark program

The FurMark program is designed for testing personal computer video cards. It determines whether the overclocked video card is stable and how efficient the cooling system is. A distinctive feature of FurMark is the use of a stress test function that ensures the maximum load on the card.

Its features:

• Free product;
• Compact, fast tests;
• Testing for the required resolution, up to 4K;
• Measuring video card parameters and determining the load for the cooling system;
• Almost all video cards are supported.

FurMark testing window

Graphics testing

3DMark

Computer tests 3DMark 11, developed by the Finnish company Futuremark, are aimed at determining the performance of graphic components and a comprehensive assessment of a personal computer when playing computer games. Its main purpose is to test stability and evaluate the performance of a personal computer video card. The program is developed for hardware and software platforms that support the MS Windows family of operating systems, in particular it supports Windows 8.1.

The latest versions of the program, in addition to the video card, also test the central processor for gaming artificial intelligence tasks and the physics engine. It is essentially a computer game that is non-interactive for the user.

Most releases of the program divide tests into two groups: gaming and specific synthetic ones. The first represent a non-interactive, almost full-fledged computer game that works in real time and uses a game engine. Unlike a full-fledged user, he does not influence the gameplay and does not control the progress of the game or the virtual camera; his task is to observe. The test measures the number of frames and the frame rate per second. The next type of test is calculation-based and evaluates only those GPU units that perform specific operations, such as shaders, texturing, rasterization, etc.

The latest version 1.0.5 of the program was released on April 19, 2013. The basic version of the program with unlimited test use time can be downloaded for free from the official website of the program.

3DMark 11 launch window

Bottom line

Having tested the computer using these means, the user is able to independently assess how efficient his computer is, whether his computer is capable of running powerful games, video editing, and working with 3D graphics.

Computer diagnostics today is becoming one of the most necessary processes in servicing not only the internal hardware, but also operating systems in general, and software components installed in the system. Utilities for computer diagnostics, as a rule, are distributed completely freely, and you can download free programs for computer diagnostics on the World Wide Web. Actually, the question of downloading a computer diagnostic program may not be raised. This is primarily due to the fact that on the Internet you can find many online utilities for diagnosing your computer, which do not need to be downloaded.

However, for now let’s talk about stationary and portable versions of computer diagnostic utilities, which are tools with which computer diagnostics are performed and which can be downloaded for free in the corresponding section of our website. You understand that portable releases of programs for computer diagnostics do not require installation and can be launched from any removable media such as regular flash drives; they just need to be downloaded first. Moreover, absolutely all portable versions can be downloaded for free on our website. By the way, we present the best computer diagnostic programs that can be downloaded for free.

Fundamentally, the entire range of computer diagnostic utilities can be divided into several main areas. This includes anti-virus programs for diagnosing a computer, applications for monitoring the status and problems in the operating system (most often in the registry) when diagnosing a computer, utilities for obtaining complete information about the internal filling and software in the process of diagnosing a computer, which are more used by overlockers, specialized software packages for diagnosing computer RAM, hard drives or graphics cards, applications for monitoring the behavior of background services and processes, various testers for monitors and much more. By and large, you should just go to a specialized section on our website and download the utility you need for free. It’s worth noting right away that some software products that can be downloaded from us, in many cases, combine the capabilities of computer diagnostic systems and special tools for system optimization. However, optimizers basically work at the software level, and not at the hardware level. However, diagnosing a computer for problems in almost all cases allows you to obtain detailed information about the system and fix the problem, either programmatically or by replacing or repairing a hardware component. In order to find the software product you need and subsequently download it, in the search field of the Internet browser, many users enter queries like “download a program for computer diagnostics”, “download computer diagnostics for free”, “computer diagnostic program for free” or “ free programs for computer diagnostics.” It's just as you like. However, in any case, you can find a huge number of results, and then just download the program you need for free.

No less interesting is the use of testing software for overlocking, since it even controls the temperature of the processor, video card, fans, etc. For those who like to overclock processors or free up RAM, such applications are a godsend. Moreover, many of them will not allow exceeding the critical parameters for the normal operation of a particular “hardware” component.

In general, for each case you can find and download specialized products for computer diagnostics for free. On our website you can download a fairly large number of free computer diagnostic utilities that will help you in the process of testing your computer. In addition, most of the computer diagnostic applications presented here, which can be downloaded for free, work automatically and allow you to get the most detailed reports on the state of the hardware and software of your computer or laptop. Carry out diagnostics of your computer with our software, which can be downloaded for free, at a professional level! After all, timely computer diagnostics will help optimize and significantly speed up the operation of the system; computer diagnostics and timely troubleshooting measures will significantly extend the life of your electronic friend! Choose from this section of the application and decide what exactly you want to download for free.

Programs for monitoring the operation of a computer and individual objects.

↓ New in the "Monitoring" category:

Free
SpeedFan 4.46 is an application that allows you to control the temperature and speed of the system fans. The SpeedFan application supports work with almost any of the monitoring chips, and also makes it possible to dynamically change the speed that characterizes the rotation of the fans, based on data on the temperature inside the computer case.

Free
S&M 1.9.1 is an application that checks for RAM, CPU stability, and hard drives. In addition, the S&M application will help you monitor the voltages of the motherboard and display a window with the results of the test.

Free
RAM Saver Pro 11.11 is an application that allows you to perform professional monitoring, cleaning and optimization for RAM. The RAM Saver Pro application will help improve the performance of the entire operating system, and also free up RAM from drivers or unnecessary running processes.

Free
Notebook Hardware Control 2.4.3 is an application that manages hardware components in laptop computers. The Notebook Hardware Control application will help increase the service life of batteries, as well as cool the system by controlling the voltage on the processor and the frequency of the video card, for which the ATI Clock Control and CPU Voltage Control utilities are used.

Free
MotherBoard Monitor 5.3.7.0 is a monitoring application for the motherboard. The MotherBoard Monitor application will help you obtain information regarding the temperatures of the installed motherboard or your processor, as well as voltages that can be measured at test points or fan speeds.

Free
HWMonitor 1.19 is an application that monitors indicators for various computer components. The HWMonitor app checks the temperature, as well as fan speed or voltage.

Free
Filemon 7.04 is an application that monitors and displays all file system activity on your computer. Filemon has advanced filtering and search capabilities that make it a powerful tool for conducting system investigations, monitoring which programs are using DLLs and files, or monitoring problems in application or system configurations.

Free
EVEREST Ultimate Edition 5.50 is an application that diagnoses, tests and configures your computer's hardware and software for optimal performance.

Free
CPUCooL 8.1.0 is an application that provides capabilities for monitoring voltages and temperatures for the computer power supply, as well as monitoring and adjusting the rotation speed for fans on most motherboards that are built on SIS, ALI, AMD, NVIDIA, Intel or VIA chipsets .

Free
ClockGen 1.0.5.3 is an application that allows you to dynamically overclock your system. The ClockGen application will allow you to change such unique parameters as processor frequency, memory, PCI bus frequency - PCI, AGP and Express.

Free
ASUS SmartDoctor 5.57 is an application from ASUS that works with video cards based on ATI or NVIDIA graphics chipsets. The Smart Doctor application will help monitor the status of the video card, report any malfunctions that occur due to overheating, stopping fans or other problems, as well as the temperature of the chipset, memory, fan speed, and so on.

Free
ASUS PC Probe II 1.04.92 is an application designed to monitor PC hardware. The ASUS PC Probe application will display the voltage generated by the power supply, the temperature of the motherboard or processor, and the fan speed.

No matter how carefully you treat your computer or laptop, at some point it may start to slow down. The reasons for this malfunction can be very different, ranging from virus infection to overheating of the processor or video card. In general, there are a lot of options.

Fortunately, there are special programs that allow you to monitor your computer and determine what is causing problems in its operation. And the best of these utilities will be discussed in the article.

Standard utility

This will sound strange, but in many cases you won't even need to install additional software. The standard Windows utility will help you carry out monitoring, which even users who have only recently begun their acquaintance with a PC probably know about. Of course, we are talking about the “Task Manager”.

In order to launch this program, just press the “magic” key combination - “Ctrl+Alt+Del”. After this, a window will open in which you can get information about how heavily loaded the important components of your computer are: processor, video card, RAM and hard drive. In addition, you will be able to identify the applications that consume the most resources on your PC.

If you want to conduct more detailed monitoring of your computer’s parameters, you need to go to the “Performance” tab. Next, you should use the “Resource Monitor” module, which will allow you to find out in detail about the load on individual components.

Unfortunately, you cannot view the temperature of the processor and video card in the Task Manager. To do this, you will have to use special utilities, which will be discussed below.

Real Temp

A small but very useful program, using which you can see the processor temperature both at the current moment and over a certain period of time. Real Temp's main interface consists of just one tab, but that's enough. So, in addition to temperature data, it provides information about the processor operating frequency, as well as the important Thermal Status column. If it says "OK", then you don't have to worry about overheating.

Another feature of the utility is the ability to test CPU sensors and its overall performance. This way you can monitor how the processor behaves under load. Well, yes, Real Temp is a portable program and does not require installation.

System Explorer

And this utility is an excellent replacement for the standard Task Manager. It allows you to conduct detailed monitoring of your computer and identify processes that interfere with its normal functioning.

After installing System Explorer, you will have a huge set of tools at your disposal that will help you carefully monitor each of the running applications. This way, you can find out how a particular program behaves, how it uses system resources, and how the computer reacts when it stops. In particular, this will be very useful if your PC is infected with a miner virus.

In addition, System Explorer includes modules for checking the relevance of drivers, detecting malware, monitoring browser add-ons, and much more. In addition, the utility supports the Russian language, so it won’t be difficult for you to understand all this variety of possibilities.

CPU-Z

Free utility for diagnosing computer hardware. Using this program, you can get comprehensive information about the processor, motherboard, video card and RAM. In particular, you will find out the manufacturer of your equipment, CPU and GPU frequency, number of cores, cache size at all levels and many other parameters.

Unfortunately, you cannot view it in CPU-Z. However, the utility allows you to test the CPU for stress resistance and check the performance of your PC under high loads. For this reason, it is recommended to use CPU-Z in conjunction with other computer programs.

Core Temp

An excellent tool for monitoring the characteristics and current state of the processor. The utility has a single-window interface, in which you can nevertheless view all the necessary information. So, Core Temp shows information about the CPU manufacturer, frequency, power consumption, as well as the current and limit temperature.

Separately, it is worth mentioning the overheat protection system present in the program. You can independently set the CPU temperature values, upon reaching which the utility will either send a notification or automatically restart the computer. This is a very useful feature. Especially for those users who have just begun to master the PC and would not like to take risks by subjecting it to unnecessary loads.

GPU-Z

An excellent free program for monitoring your computer. The utility is a powerful tool for analyzing a video card. GPU-Z displays information about the video adapter model, its operating and maximum frequency, memory size and type, number of transistors, bus bandwidth and many other parameters.

In addition, the program is also an excellent tool for monitoring GPU temperatures. By going to the Sensors tab, you can find out all the important data about your video adapter, which is also displayed in real time. This provides information about the current and maximum temperature, core load percentage, cooler rotation speed as a percentage, and the amount of memory used.

In addition, GPU-Z has a built-in graphics card testing tool. Thanks to it, you can easily check the stability of your system under high loads.

RivaTuner

It was once a very popular computer health monitoring program, but after 2009 it stopped receiving updates. However, this utility is perfect for owners of old laptops and PCs.

Initially, RivaTuner was developed as a tool for overclocking a video card by increasing operating frequencies. Therefore, it is not surprising that the utility can read temperature data from GPU sensors. In addition, in the program settings you can manually set the rotation speed of the video card cooler, thereby protecting your system from unwanted overheating.

MSI Afterburner

Perhaps one of the most famous programs for monitoring the computer system in games. Of course, MSI Afterburner is primarily intended for overclocking a video card, but this does not prevent the utility from simultaneously being an excellent tool for monitoring the state of the PC.

By going to the program settings, you can independently enable those parameters that will be displayed on the screen directly during the gameplay. For example, you can monitor processor and video card load, temperature, amount of RAM used, cooler rotation speed, current frame rate and many other indicators. With MSI Afterburner, you can quickly and accurately identify the weak part of your computer.

PC Wizard

A powerful software package designed for computer monitoring. PC Wizard allows you to obtain complete, reliable information about the system and diagnose almost any component.

The utility displays information about the video card, printers, motherboard, RAM and hard drive. Don't know how to view the processor temperature? Again, PC Wizard can easily cope with this task.

It is also worth noting that when minimized, the utility can display all the main system parameters in the form of a small display located on top of the other windows. This way, for example, you can monitor the temperature of the video card and processor in games, thereby protecting these components from overheating.

This program provides the user with comprehensive information about the current state of the system, and also allows you to conduct various stress tests. Here you will find complete information about the processor, RAM, video card, hard drive and motherboard. Of course, the utility can also read temperature sensor readings.

At the same time, AIDA64 Extreme Edition allows you to obtain data not only about the hardware component of the system, but also about the software. Simply put, you can easily see what driver versions are installed on your computer, what OS you have, what DirectX, and so on.

Please note that the utility is distributed on a paid basis. However, this does not prevent it from being rightfully considered the best program for monitoring a computer.

HWiNFO

Another free utility that allows you to test the performance of your processor, video card, RAM and hard drive. At the same time, HWiNFO is a powerful tool for general computer monitoring.

The program, among other things, can read data from sensors. Thus, you can at any time find out the current temperature of the processor or video card, the rotation speed of various coolers, the power consumption of individual components, and so on.

HWiNFO also has a built-in tool to compare your computer against benchmarks. With its help, you can understand which direction you should move if you want to improve overall system performance.

CAM

A newcomer to the market of programs for monitoring computer load. The utility interface consists of several blocks, each of which provides relevant information. So, you can determine the current temperature of the processor and video card, their load, frequency and data processing speed. In addition, the program provides information about the maximum and available amount of RAM and hard drive.

Separately, it is worth highlighting the presence of an overlay designed for monitoring performance in games. Using it, you can determine the load on the video card and processor, as well as the current FPS value.

CrystalDiskInfo

This utility is designed for monitoring and provides comprehensive information about the HDD, such as firmware, total operating time, interface, and so on. In addition, CrystalDiskInfo notifies the user about read/write errors, performance, presence of bad sectors and disk surface temperature.

Among the interesting features are the presence of extensive settings for noise and HDD performance, as well as support for external media. The good news is that the utility is free. Moreover, it is made so well that it can easily compete with paid analogues.

SpeedFan

Initially, this utility was positioned as a tool for controlling the rotation speed of coolers. Now SpeedFan has grown into a powerful tool for general system diagnostics. So, with the help of this program you can quickly read data from any temperature sensor, adjust the system bus frequency, check the condition of the hard drive surface and much more. In addition, the utility provides the opportunity to compare the results obtained with benchmark indicators.

Please note that all changes made using the program should be approached very responsibly. For example, if you reduce the rotation speed of a particular cooler, you will automatically encounter an increase in the overall system temperature.

S.I.W.

A compact utility that provides complete information about the components of your computer. In addition, the program allows you to obtain information about the software and all installed updates.

SIW differs from its analogues in its very simple interface, in which there is nothing superfluous. Even an inexperienced user who is getting acquainted with this utility for the first time will not get confused in the numerous windows and tabs.

In addition, the advantages of the program include support for the Russian language. In addition, SIW is distributed free of charge, so you can easily download it from the official website of the developers.

3DMark

This utility allows you to test the performance of your PC hardware and system stability under high load. In this case, most attention is paid to the video card.

The test is carried out in the form of an imitation of the game process, consisting of four parts. While various 3D models appear on the screen, the program closely monitors the behavior of your equipment. When testing comes to an end, you receive a detailed report on the frame rate at each stage, as well as the load and temperature of the video card and processor. All this will allow you to determine which of the components of your system is the weak link.

Open Hardware Monitor

An excellent free utility for general system monitoring. The program allows you to monitor information coming from all sensors in real time. At the same time, the readings are grouped in the form of a “tree”, so it is very convenient to work with them.

In addition to Open Hardware Monitor being free, one can also note the program’s portability. This means that you do not have to install the utility in order to monitor the system.

HD_Speed

A very useful program designed for testing the read/write speed of various media. This information will help you not only compare devices with each other, but also determine in advance the presence of so-called BAD sectors on the HDD or USB drive. This, in turn, will allow you to prevent equipment breakdown.

HD_Speed ​​is also notable for the fact that it does not require installation. In addition, the program is quite optimized, so you can run it even on a weak computer.

HWMonitor

This utility is designed to monitor the temperature of the processor and video card, as well as monitor other data received from sensors. Externally, the program is very similar to Open Hardware Monitor, which, in principle, is not surprising. The fact is that both of these applications are developed on the same platform.

The basic version of HWMonitor is distributed free of charge. At the same time, it is possible to purchase the PRO version of the program, the main difference of which is the presence of a remote access function.

Speccy

A universal utility, thanks to which you can find information about each of the components of your PC, as well as monitor them. The program allows you to obtain data on the characteristics of devices, as well as read readings from various sensors.

In addition, Speccy has the ability to publish monitoring reports. Based on them, more experienced users will be able to tell you what is wrong with your computer.

Category ~ System utilities – Igor (Administrator)

System Resource Monitor

Programs for measuring resources, or as they are also called resource monitors, display specific information indicators of the state of the system. And if a little simpler, then, basically, this is data on processor load, the amount of RAM used and disk space used. Such utilities allow you to find out the reasons for the loss of system performance and find out the current load of your computer. They are quite popular among users who often work with technology.

Some of these programs are more focused on diversity of information, i.e. allow a much clearer understanding of the state of the system. And, most likely, they will be more suitable for administrators whose tasks are more complex than just finding out how much memory your programs are eating. Other programs are more focused on the attractiveness of the interface and the ability to integrate into the standard system interface, for example, in the form of widgets. As you probably guessed, these programs are more suitable for ordinary users who under no circumstances will need information about the number of threads and processes, except to broaden their horizons.

In this review you will find both functional and stylized programs.

Review of Free System Resource Monitors

Rainmeter program complete control of system resources

Quick Guide (links to download free system resource monitors)

Rainmeter

		Stylization. A huge number of modules and skins to display. Incredibly flexible display settings.
		Configuration via INI files (this will be very difficult for regular users). Some modules may not work correctly.

Spotlight on Windows

		Professional. Attractive. Multifunctional. Remote monitoring.
		Full screen mode only. Fonts cannot be changed. Fixed maximum values. Registration required. The license must be renewed every year.

Sysmetrix

		Stylization. Wide variety of indicators. Easy setup.
		Only one template for all indicators, cannot be divided into separate widgets. Displays only the total processor load.

TinyResMeter

		Fast. Effective. Very small size.
		Poor setting. Old GUI.

StatBar

		Takes up little space on the screen. Setting up indicators. A number of additional controls (Winamp and others).
		You can't change the font, which makes the program inconvenient for high-resolution screens.