When shopping around for computers, the details and specifications can sometimes be confusing. Typically, consumers will want to find a computer that suits their needs and look for the best specs that line up with those needs. For example, gamers will look for a PC with better graphics or GPU performance, whereas a student or worker may only be worried about storage or processor speed. But let’s say that you aren’t shopping for a new computer, but you want to check your computer’s speed and performance to see if it’s still living up to the specifications that you need. Is there a way to do that? Yes, there is! Today, we will discuss how to find out the speed and performance of your computer and see how it compares to other PCs.
PC Speed and Performance
We have talked about this in the past, but many factors affect your computer’s performance and speed. Your internet speeds will determine how fast your computer can download files or data from the web, but overall speed and performance are determined by the amount of RAM you have and your PC’s processor speed. Both the RAM and processor speed also affect the speed at which your computer can open and run programs, which is why it is important to know this information.
Here is a quick overview:
- RAM: RAM is short for random access memory and is storage space on your computer. Think of RAM as short-term storage or memory on your PC. It is the primary storage space that your computer uses to store and read data. The more RAM your computer has, the faster it opens, runs, and switches between programs.
- Processor Speed: The processor speeds of your computer indicate how fast your PC runs. The speed is measured in megahertz (MHz) and gigahertz (GHz). If your processor speed is below 1.5GHz (using Windows), you will likely experience slower speeds.
How Fast is My Computer?
If you really want to answer the question, “how fast is my computer?” there are plenty of ways to do so. If you simply want to find out the specs on your PC, this is a relatively straightforward process.
For Windows, you will simply follow the following steps to find out your specs:
- Go to the Start Menu
- Select Control Panel
- Choose System & Security
- Choose System
- Select the General tab, and this will show you your processor type and speed as well as the amount of memory you have.
Benchmark Testing
A computer benchmark test allows you to test and compare the results of your computer processor, RAM, and graphics card. If you want to test your PC and compare it to another computer or other parts of your system, benchmarking is one way to do this. It gives you an overview of the components on your PC and how they might be impacting performance.
Here are a couple of different methods to check performance on your computer:
- Use Performance Monitor on Windows
There is a built-in diagnostic tool on Windows called Performance Monitor, and once it has collected data, it will allow you to view performance (real-time or from a logged file). You can also choose to configure the results so you can analyze them more easily.- Press the Windows Key + R on your keyboard and type “perfmon /report”
- A new window will appear saying Collecting data and will run for 60 seconds
- Go to the Diagnostic Results tab and read through the results
- Benchmarking Software
If you would rather have more insights into your computer’s data, then benchmark software might be a better choice for you. Benchmark tests are typically third-party software programs, but they will tell you how fast your computer is and compare it to other computers. Be sure to do your research before choosing one.
If your performance is less than ideal, there are plenty of options to speed up your computer, including using PC cleaner software or upgrading your RAM. There are also plenty of online scans that can check speed and performance– just make sure that you do your research and read the reviews because there are a lot of “scans” that are actually damaging to your PC. So the next time you ask yourself, “how fast is my computer compared to others?” you can find out easily.