Image source: T. TechPowerUp forums. Like many entries in this list, I-Nex is free, but it doesn't seem to be updated as regularly as the other programs -- so if your Linux box is packing the very latest hardware, it might not recognize it properly. You've now got all the monitoring tools you need, but how do you know if your device is performing exactly as it should do?
That's one of the reasons why we benchmark. There are lots of benchmark programs out there, and plenty of games that have a benchmark feature built into them some times but not always we use those. Games are great for stress testing your GPU, but for this article we've picked 13 pieces of software that are commonly used in hardware reviews or that provide additional testing features that games can't do.
We've not included programs that can monitor and log the frame rate of a game, such as FRAPS or MSI's Afterburner , as these don't directly test the computer; however we'll look at them in a follow up article.
To start the benchmark section, we're using another long running system analyzing tool: SiSoft Sandra. On face value, it might seem to offer just the same features as HWinfo and AIDA64, but unlike those summary programs, Sandra comes packed with a host of benchmarking tools. The list of tests is comprehensive, but most of them are specific to a particular task, such as the mathematics involved behind image processing.
Fortunately, there is an overall computer test but a word of caution: it runs for a long time, and your computer may well bug out screen switches off, RGB fans glitch, etc during the test, as it's really intensive.
The results page will compare the findings against other benchmarked platforms, as well as provide a breakdown of the individual facts and figures.
For system administrators and PC builders, Sandra covers all the bases; it's not quite so friendly towards the general PC user though. Sandra is only available for Windows, but the 'Lite' version is free and comes with a wealth of tests. If you're looking for a more general benchmark that tests your Windows PC in a variety of common situations office applications, video streaming, gaming, etc , then check out PCMark Originally made by Futuremark, in Finland later acquired by UL , the program has been around in various revisions since PCMark monitors various things during the test, such as CPU load and temperature, and the results can be uploaded to UL's database, for comparison with other systems.
There is a separate version of PCMark for Android devices. Another UL benchmark tool and one that's even more popular, 3DMark appeared nearly 22 years ago and has been one of the standard ways of testing graphics cards -- although games have taken over this role, for the most part.
This is because it focuses on running intensive 3D graphics loads, using the latest rendering technology supported by modern graphics cards.
There are separate versions for Windows, Android, and iOS, and it comes in a free 'Basic' version that has 4 standard tests. Next up is another classic benchmark -- the Cinebench tool is actually a very cut down version of a rendering program called Cinema 4D , by Maxon. When you run it, the app uses the CPU to produce a single image, but all done with the latest ray tracing techniques. The GPU isn't used in the test, other than to send the output to the monitor, but it's great for analyzing how well a CPU manages threads and memory.
Cinebench can be configured to render the scene using a set amount of threads, starting with just 1 essentially just one core of the CPU and then all the way up to Even if the processor doesn't support that many threads, the benchmark will still run, as each string of instructions processes a small area of the image - in other words, using more threads just means each rendered section is smaller.
You'll find Cinebench results in just about every CPU review on the web, but be aware that the older versions don't run the same test, so the results aren't comparable. While it's not a detailed workout for your whole system, there's nothing better than watching your new multicore processor rip through the scene. It's totally free, and available for Windows and macOS.
Another popular CPU benchmark that is based on rendering tasks is Corona. This application is based on the Corona Renderer and lets you compare the performance of your CPU against a big results database.
Basemark might seem to be a bit of a 3DMark clone and part of the development team are ex-Futuremark employees but this graphics test has an important advantage over its Finnish rival: there are versions for Windows, Linux, MacOS, Android, and iOS.
So if you're a professional hardware tester or you just have lots of gear to check out, Basemark GPU might just suit your needs. For a single rendering test, it's quite a large download at just under 1 GB; and if you want to explore how well your graphics card handles different types of texture compression, there's even more to pull down from their servers. There's a free version for all platforms, but if you want to unlock the ability to automate the test or configure them outside of what Basemark have set, then you're probably out of luck.
That's because those features are only available in the Corporate edition and there's no public price tag for that! If you're into overclocking or you've just built a new system and you want to test how stable it is, then you'll want a program to stress test your computer.
You can also use the device manager to see the devices installed in your computer. Also this may seem overwhelming, this detail is quite basic. In the end, I will discuss about an all in one solution that can be used to check each and every details about your computer hardware.
All the software discussed below will be useful in one way or the other. Just choose the one that suits you. CPU-Z shows detailed information the main devices of the computer. The main devices include detailed information about CPU name and number, core stepping and process, package, core voltage, internal and external clocks, supported instruction sets, cache info , motherboard vendor, model, BIOS info, Chipset northbridge and southbridge, sensor, graphic interface and memory frequency, timings, serial presence detect and other system information.
Speccy is an advanced information tool which is available as an installer and portable program. Speccy shows information about more hardware devices than CPU-Z. The information is a little different. You can download the free trial. Monitis is a server hardware health monitoring tool that can monitor the CPU , memory , storage and disk usage of network or PC components.
The tool comes with native agents for Windows and Linux making it ideal for cross-platform monitoring activity. You can also monitor network bandwidth to see if there is any suspicious traffic that could indicate an attack.
The tool also offers alerts to keep you in the loop if there is a problem with your hardware. You have reports so you can pass on more detailed information about hardware failures straight to your team. Reports have a production quality that is on par with any other tool on this list. The user interface is simple and contains all the information you need to run troubleshooting on connected servers. You can download the free trial of Monitis. SysGauge is a network performance monitor that provides an overview of connected devices.
For hardware monitoring, the System Status Monitor will be where you spend most of your time. These are relatively basic but they do a great job of visualizing the raw data. In the CPU usage chart display, you can view usage data from the last minute, last two minutes, or last five minutes.
To deliver notifications, SysGauge has system monitoring rules. These rules allow you to configure notification conditions. SysGauge is available on Windows as a bit or bit package. There is a free version of SysGauge that supports up to 10 monitors and profiles. You can download SysGauge. Hardware monitoring is the only way to safeguard against the failure of a device. These tools each have their own dashboards to oversee hardware performance metrics and an alerts system to compliment real-time monitoring efforts.
Whether you are an SME or a large organization, both tools have the bandwidth to manage hardware performance at scale. Open Hardware Monitor is safe. The purpose of the software only checks the physical statuses of the monitored device and does not tough data files or interact with software services. Server performance problems can be caused by faults with applications, services, and software as well as physical issues. CPU temp is a typical hardware status that most server monitors will cover.
When looking into different server monitoring packages, make sure the tool you are interested in is specifically a hardware monitor rather than an application monitor. If it is a server hardware monitor, it should monitor CPU temp. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam.
Learn how your comment data is processed. Comparitech uses cookies. More info. Menu Close. We are reader supported and may receive a commission when you make purchases using the links on our site. Are you looking at ways to detect and troubleshoot hardware issues before they become business liabilities? We've scoured the web and put together a list of the best PC and hardware monitoring software to keep you on top of aging and failing network components.
Tim Keary Network administration expert. Runs on Windows Server and can monitor CPU, memory, disk space, fan speed, and power supply and app performance to keep you on top of aging hardware.
Start day free trial. Installs on Windows Server and Linux. This package also includes processes for managing software and it is a SaaS platform. Paessler PRTG Network Monitor A unified network, server, and application monitoring tool that can be fine-tuned by selecting which hardware monitoring sensors to turn on.
The software can be installed on Windows Server and Linux. Atera A cloud-based system monitoring and management package aimed at managed service providers that can monitor hardware throughout a network.
Zabbix A free, open-source infrastructure monitor with an attractive interface. Installs on Linux. Available in free and paid versions. Runs on Windows. Open Hardware Monitor Free, open-source hardware monitor software that installs on Windows and Linux.
Monitis A server monitor with some great status visualizations. SysGauge Reports on the statuses of all equipment that is connected to the network. The best hardware monitoring software — includes PC Hardware monitoring software provides you with a centralized platform to monitor the health and performance of connected devices.
What should you look for in PC and hardware monitoring software? We reviewed the market for PC and hardware monitoring software and analyzed the options based on the following criteria: A system that includes device discovery routines that relaunch constantly A software scanning tool that creates an inventory Constant availability checks for all devices connected to a network Options for remote management across the internet Event logging features for data protection standards compliance A free trial period or money-back guarantee for assessment A good mix of tools that reduces costs and justifies its price.
The software must provide a good price to performance value. Remember that higher price does not always mean that the app will provide better performance.
Customer care is a very crucial part of a good software. A software with proper customer care support is always preferred. The support may be in the form of telephone or even a web based helpdesk can be useful. The customization part of the software should be easy to do and should allow the user to change the look and feel of the software according to their needs. Evaluation hardware and software What is Evaluation Hardware and Software? Let us discuss both types of evaluation Hardware Evaluation Before evaluating the hardware of the computer we must know the attributes of the computing system.
These attributes include Multitasking: Multitasking refers to the computer running two or more applications in parallel. In this process, the system processing power is distributed among these applications. Multiprocessing: In multiprocessing, multiple processors share the same memory to execute programs in parallel. This technique speeds up the processing by a huge margin. Multithreading: Multithreading breaks the program into threads and executes them in a rapid sequence within a program simultaneously.
It can somehow be portrayed as multitasking within a single program. The hardware evaluation consists of following things Security analysis Physical Security of the hardware Design review Power analysis Electromagnetic Emanation analysis Laser fault injection Frequency manipulation Differential Fault analysis Electromagnetic fault injection There may be other tests in the hardware evaluation but the above mentioned things are the basic operations for the hardware evaluation.
Laser Fault Injection In this test the IT security laboratories and the semiconductor industry team up together to check for any loopholes in the system using the known attack techniques.
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