No matter how carefully you relate to your computer or laptop, at some point it may begin to slow down. In this case, the causes of this malfunction can be very different, ranging from infection with a virus and ending with 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 causes 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. A standard Windows utility will help you monitor your computer’s performance , which even users who have just started their acquaintance with a PC will probably know about. Of course, we are talking about the "Task Manager."
In order to run this program, just press the “magic” key combination - “Ctrl + Alt + Del”. After that, a window will open in which you can get information about how much the important components of your computer are loaded: processor, video card, RAM and hard drive. In addition, you can identify applications that consume the most resources from your PC.
If you want to conduct a more detailed monitoring of computer 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 of individual components.
Unfortunately, in the "Task Manager" you can not see the temperature of the processor and video card. To do this, you will have to use special utilities, which will be discussed later.
Real temp
A small but very useful program, using which you can see the temperature of the processor both at the current moment and for a certain period of time. The main interface of Real Temp consists of only one tab, but this is quite enough. So, in addition to temperature data, here is information about the frequency of the processor, as well as an 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. Thus, you can track how the processor behaves under load. Well and 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 the computer and identify processes that interfere with its normal functioning.
After installing System Explorer, you will have at your disposal a huge set of tools that will help you carefully monitor each of the running applications. Thus, you can find out how this or that program behaves, how it uses the resources of the system and how the computer responds to its stop. In particular, it will be very useful if your PC has been infected with a miner virus.
In addition, System Explorer includes modules for checking the relevance of drivers, detecting malware, tracking browser add-ons, and much more. In addition, the utility supports the Russian language, so it’s not 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, the frequency of the CPU and GPU, the number of cores, the volume of the cache at all levels, and many other parameters.
Unfortunately, in CPU-Z you cannot see the temperature of the processor. Nevertheless, the utility allows you to test the CPU for stress resistance and check the performance of the PC under high loads. For this reason, it is recommended to use CPU-Z in conjunction with other programs to monitor the computer system .
Core temp
A great tool to monitor the performance and current state of the processor. The utility has a single-window interface, in which nevertheless you can see all the necessary information. So, Core Temp shows information about the CPU manufacturer, frequency, power consumption, as well as current and boundary temperatures.
We should also mention the system of protection against overheating present in the program. You can set the temperature of the CPU yourself, 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 started to learn PCs and would not want to risk exposing them to extra loads.
GPU-Z
Great freeware program to monitor your computer. The utility is a powerful tool for analyzing a video card. GPU-Z displays information about the model of the video adapter, its operating and maximum frequency, the amount and type of memory, the number of transistors, bus bandwidth and many other parameters.
In addition, the program is also an excellent tool for monitoring the temperature of the GPU. By going to the Sensors tab, you can find out all the important data about your video adapter, which are also displayed in real time. Here you can find information about the current and maximum temperatures, the percentage of kernel load, the cooler rotation speed in percent and the used memory size.
In addition, the GPU-Z has a built-in tool for testing a video card. Thanks to him, you can easily check the stability of your system under high loads.
Rivauner
Once it was a very popular program for monitoring the status of a computer, 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 means to overclock 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 stop the utility from being at the same time an excellent tool for monitoring the state of a PC.
Going into the program settings, you can independently enable those parameters that will be displayed on the screen directly during the game process. So, for example, you can monitor the load of the processor and video card, temperature, used RAM size, cooler rotation speed, current frame rate and many other indicators. Thanks to MSI Afterburner, it’s easy for you to quickly and accurately identify the part of your computer that is the weak link.
Pc wizard
A powerful software package designed for computer monitoring. PC Wizard allows you to get complete reliable information about the system and diagnose almost any component.
The utility displays data on the video card, printers, motherboard, RAM and hard drive. Not sure how to look at the processor temperature? Again, PC Wizard can easily cope with this task.
It is also worth noting that when minimizing the utility can display all the main parameters of the system in the form of a small display located on top of the rest of the windows. Thus, you, for example, can monitor the temperature of the video card and processor in games, thereby protecting these components from overheating.
AIDA64 Extreme Edition
This program provides the user with comprehensive information about the current state of the system, and also allows for various stress tests. Here you will find complete information about the processor, RAM, video card, hard drive and motherboard. Of course, the utility also knows how to read the temperature sensors.
At the same time, AIDA64 Extreme Edition allows you to get data not only about the hardware component of the system, but also about the software. Simply put, you can easily see which versions of drivers are installed on your computer, which OS you have, which DirectX, and so on.
Please note that the utility is distributed for a fee. However, this does not prevent her from rightfully being considered the best program for monitoring a computer.
Hwinfo
Another free utility that allows you to test the performance of the processor, video card, RAM and hard dick. 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.
In addition, HWiNFO has a built-in tool for comparing your computer with benchmarks. With it, you can understand which direction you should move if you want to increase the overall system performance.
Cam
New to the market for software to monitor computer load. The utility interface consists of several blocks, each of which contains relevant information. So, you can determine the current temperature of the processor and video card, their workload, frequency and speed of data processing. In addition, the program provides information about the maximum and available amount of RAM and hard disk.
Separately, it is worth highlighting the presence of an overlay designed to monitor performance in games. Using it, you can determine the load of the video card and processor, as well as the current FPS value.
CrystalDiskInfo
This utility is designed to monitor the status of the hard disk. The program provides comprehensive information about the HDD, such as firmware, total operating time, interface, and so on. In addition, CrystalDiskInfo notifies the user of read / write errors, performance, bad sectors and disk surface temperature.
Of the interesting features, you can cite the presence of extensive noise settings and HDD performance, as well as support for external media. The good news is that the utility is free. Moreover, it is made so high quality that it can easily compete with paid analogues.
Speedfan
Initially, this utility was positioned as a means to control 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 frequency of the system bus, check the surface condition of the hard disk, and much more. In addition, the utility provides an opportunity to compare the results with reference indicators.
Please note that all changes made using the program should be approached very responsibly. For example, if you lower the rotation speed of a cooler, you will automatically encounter an increase in the overall temperature of the system.
SIW
A compact utility that provides complete information about the components of your computer. In addition, the program allows you to get data about the software and all installed updates.
SIW differs from its counterparts in a very simple interface, in which there is nothing superfluous. Even an inexperienced user who is first acquainted with this utility will not get confused in numerous windows and tabs.
In addition, the benefits of the program include support for the Russian language. In addition, SIW is free, so you can easily download it from the official website of the developers.
3Dmark
This utility allows you to test the performance of the hardware of your PC and the stability of the system under high load. In this case, most attention is paid to the video card.
The check is made in the form of a simulation of the gameplay, 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 get 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 a weak link.
Open hardware monitor
Excellent free utility for general system monitoring. The program allows you to monitor information coming from all sensors in real time. Moreover, the readings are grouped in the form of a “tree”, so working with them is very convenient.
In addition to the free Open Hardware Monitor, you can also note the portability of the program. This means that you do not have to install the utility in order to monitor the system.
HD_Speed
A very useful program designed to test the read / write speed of various media. This information will help you not only compare the devices with each other, but also determine in advance if there are so-called BAD sectors on the HDD or USB drive. This, in turn, will allow you to prevent equipment breakdowns.
And HD_Speed is 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 tracking other data received from the sensors. Outwardly, 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 free. At the same time, it is possible to purchase a PRO version of the program, the main difference of which is the availability of remote access.
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.