There are several ways of testing how fast your computer is, and each method will give you a better understanding of how fast your computer really is.
I have been working with computers in a professional setting for 5+ years. This has given me the chance to stress test different kinds of systems, using different methods of testing.
Today we will be discussing some of the most popular ways to test how fast a computer is, from performance monitor to various benchmark software available on the internet.
Contents
Key Takeaways
- You can benchmark with a built in Windows tool.
- You can do synthetic benchmarks to test limits.
- The best benchmark is using programs you regularly use.
Why Should I Benchmark PC Performance?
Generally, we will perform a benchmark when a computer is first built. This allows us to get some important data for when something goes wrong in the future. Sometimes our computer may seem slower, but when compared to the actual benchmark it is not slower.
Conversely, if the computer seems slow it is helpful to have the numerical data to compare the current speeds too. You can use these benchmarks to see what piece of hardware is slowing down, and possibly replace or upgrade it if need be.
There are several programs and ways of checking the speed of various components in your computer, including a performance monitor that is built in with Windows.
Resource and Performance Monitor
In order to open the Resource and Performance Monitor, press the Windows Key+R and type in PERFMON. This will bring up a window titled Performance Monitor.
After opening this window, you will see several tabs on the left side. Opening the Monitoring Tools tab will bring up the performance monitor. This is a real-time view of how your computer is running.
However, sometimes you want to do a test and record data when using certain programs or at a certain stress level for your computer. If you want to test the speed it runs at normally, close everything and perform the following test.
Click into the Data Collector Sets folder, and click on the System subfolder. This will give you two options on the right-hand side of the window. Right-click the System performance and click Start. This will start a 60-second test and give you information on the performance in that time.
If you want to test how it performs with certain games or applications running, do the same thing but have the application running in the background as well. This will tell you how the computer performs while under a certain amount of load.
While this is useful for gathering the performance of your computer at specific times, it does not give you a benchmark for the maximum capacity of your computer. The next section will address this concern.
Benchmark Utilities
There are many different free software available that will benchmark your computer. What this means is that the program will detect your hardware, and push it to its limits to try and figure out what the maximum performance of your computer is.
Generally, you will run the program and it will take 5 minutes or so and really push your computer. This will give you an idea of how your computer can perform and is a good idea to try every once in a while and record the results.
Some great free software for this includes MSI Afterburner Benchmark, CineBench, and Blender Render tests. These will all give values based on how much they can push your computer.
FAQs
Here are some related questions you might be interested, I’ll answer them briefly below.
Where to Find Expected CPU Speed?
This will generally be given to you with the processor, but is also available by looking up the model of your processor on the manufacturer’s website. The speed of the processor will be given in GHz measurement.
Can I Test How Fast My Internet Speed Is?
You can use a free website like speedtest.net in order to evaluate the speed of your network connection. This can be another useful benchmark, as it can slow down your computer when doing network related tasks.
Is There a Difference Between Laptop vs Desktop Speed Test?
The main difference is that you will need to make sure your laptop has good ventilation during the tests. This is because laptops have smaller fans and will be pushed to their maximum, resulting in more heat than usual.
Wrapping Things Up
The main thing to consider when doing a benchmark is what you will be using the computer for. If it is mainly for gaming, then the best benchmark for you may be simply running the game on the highest settings you can. Overall, it’s good to consider the different methods for testing.
