Is there an application or program that can tell me what my hardware is?

Processors: There are two brands. named AMD ryzen and intel core. they both have their own shares of powerful specs. the difference between the two?

Amd: it is technically more cheaper when laptops have this, it has "better" multi tasking than intel and also usually has a long battery life.

Intel: It is used for high power and "flagship" laptops. it has better single core performance than ryzen making it a better processor for gaming they also have the "Ultra" series consisting of the ultra 7 and the ultra 9.

All processors have a suffix. for example intel core i7 13620(H) HK and HX are the highest performance with all SKU's unlocked "This means that they can unlock better features. this is known by the last 3 digits. the higher number it makes it better." P and U stands for power efficient and is usually optimized for thinner and lighter laptops, U is also in the same category as Y being a power efficient processor. while Y is low- power efficient. i believe this is the same with ryzen.

Generation of said processor: intel has generations up to 14. and a minimum relevant generation of 12 (in my opinion. can be lower but i believe 12 is a relevant older generation.) In Ryzen there are generations up to ryzen 7000 and a minimum relevant generation of 5000 (also in my opinion..) to figure this out is by (INTEL) seeing the first two numbers of a processor. like Intel core i7-(13)620H. meaning its the 13th generation. while (RYZEN) seeing the first number of a processor. like Amd ryzen 7-(7)840HS. If you want to compare most processors than i'd suggest using nanoreview. there are other websites though.

GPU: there are 3 brands "4 technically" Intel, and Nvidia. Intel is used for work laptops usually and only light gaming can be used. While Nvidia is highly regarded as the best of the 3. its special perk is that it uses a better RayTracing than the others. (Ray tracing is when a game's resolution, and realistic-ness will be higher. such as a better reflection on glass and just generally everything feeling lifelike.).

Intel has 3 types of gpus (Correct me if im wrong.) Intel Iris Xe (Used as some sort of regular Integrated graphics (igpu) for general work.) Intel arc (a dedicated gpu for mainstream purposes. such as schoolwork and such.) Intel UHD (Not really a good laptop for gaming. but it is suitable for games that are undemanding and is pretty old.)

While nvidia has MX and RTX. MX is used for light-medium gaming with a balanced score of Performance and power effiency. this is usually used for laptops that arent built for powerful gaming except for students.. RTX is used for Raytracing and. i dont know what DLSS is okay. dont attack me for it. its just something thats used for gamers for a higher realistic texture on gaming and other stuff. generally it just makes everything look better and is usually a regular graphics card for gamers on laptops/pcs. RTX has a series so called "4000" and the "3000" (1000 and 2000 is also there but i dont know much about it..)

The rtx 4000 series are the newest and consists of the 4090, 4080, 4070, 4060, and the 4050. they have a reputation of being. graphics cards that are too powerful for some laptops. thus making the laptop overheat or have a bad TGP (Basically the battery it uses on the laptop. thus making it drain faster or slower depending on the higher or lower tgp.) in my opinion i'd say the 4060 or the 4050 would be a great choice for others that dont need the extra fast performance and dont want to sacrifice the battery or overheat. the 4070 on the other hand is usually just used for people that requires a good graphics card to be smooth and powerful on insanely powerful and demanding tasks. i just dont recommend the 4080 or 4090 imo.

the rtx 3000 series are most recommended by people that doesnt require the insanely fast graphics card of the 4000 series and doesnt want to lessen their battery. generally just people that does stuff like animation, "usually" 3d modeling and other professions. while still having gaming. they consist of the 3080 TI. 3080. 3070 TI, 3070, 3060 (?TI?) and the 3050 ti/3050 to be relevant. the 3080 ti to 3070 ti are graphics card used by professionals that need that extra performance and smooth activity. the rtx 3070 is a graphics card used by professionals to do demanding tasks with a great graphics card not sacrificing that much stuff.. i'd say its a sweet spot as it is more powerful than the 3060 which is usually recommended. the 3060 TI and the 3060 are both graphics cards that are basically the maximum compared to the 3050 and the 3050 TI at performance and a great gaming capabilities. basically just gpu's that can do demanding tasks such as animation and 3d modeling. the 3050 ti and the 3050 are both minimum gpus that can do great things without sacrificing anything at all.

Next to them there is also Memory and Storage. Memory is used for when you are opening a bunch of programs/softwares or doing intensified performance. the higher the memory the faster/the extra amount of programs can be run while still being smooth and fast. Memory is expressed by RAM (Pretty sure yall already know this from like grade 5 or something) 4 and 8 gb (rarely 12) are used for things such as browsing and watching videos. this isnt really recommended. 16 and 24 gb are used for things such as work and having many programs open that arent demanding. 32gb is "The sweet spot" this amount of ram is used for gamers and content creators alike. as this is the most recommended amount for playing intensified programs and games. On the other side storage is the permanent amount of files inside of your laptop. same as Memory the higher the amount the better. 128-256GB ram storage: Not recommended but it is still great for work and school/college. 512 gb ram (ssd): used as a storage that can fit in alot of games. although mainline or triple A/ modern and new games will take most of the storage. which is why most people upgrade to 1TB ssd: used for Alot of things such as fitting many games. compared to other demanding and storage needing tasks this is a minimum. 2 terabytes or higher is used for people that need extra storage. although most people doesnt need the 2 terabytes or higher.

Onto the laptop screen display. there is about 6 screen sizes. 13 inches and lower: this is for people that'd prefer portability over performance. while still being able to do work. 14 inches: this is the middle of 13 inches and 15 inches. this is both portability and performance on one screen size. but a rather niche market to buy in. 15 inches: Used for performance and gaming this is the apex of gamers unable to buy a pc. 16 inches and higher: used for people that requires a bigger screen and better resolution.

There is two different types of screen types, IPS LCD: The standard and it is used for people that generally doesnt need better coloring on their displays. OLED: this is a special type of screen where the color ratio is more than the resolution. this is used for people who wants a color sensitive screen. there is different types of resolution such as FHD: 1080p (The standard) WUXGA 1200p (People who wants a stronger display for some reason.) WQHD-QHD 1400p (Usually a better upgrade for people that'd like to watch videos on a higher resolution.) WQXGA 1600p (Good resolution for those who has gpu's good enough to match the resolution.) 2.8k (Best resolution for content creators that enjoy powerful resolution.) 4K (This is obvious.)

And that is it for explaining components. put in the replies if you had a question. For those asking "How will we know if all of this is true" im bored and i have understanding of everything, while i see S.A.L having tons of dudes unable to find a laptop and not knowing how to pick specs so i decided to help yall out if you could read long.

If you still had another thing you didnt understand that i didnt place. please tell me and i'll put it here. and if you had laptop suggestions you can still ask in replies.

Like title. I will really really thanksful to all can give me help. :)

i have an old pc and i want to know his specs like motherboard name and ram type without opening it and see

Does this exist? I bought a prebuilt rig over the summer just so I could have a PC of my own (has been working wonderfully besides a small hitch in september when the original hard drive shit itself) but I don't really know how good it is compared to what I see other people talking about

I have had a pc for awhile and I need some help upgrading it. I do not know where things are so I need someone to tell me what is what. I have discord so If you could dm me to add I would love the help.

Hey everyone I’m sorry if this post seems a little Off-Topic.

But I would like to learn more about computer hardware to improve my knowledge in areas like troubleshooting and even to know how some kind of hardware works properly.

Could you suggest me your top choices related to youtube channels, websites or even books. I want it all.

I know, there’s a lot of this at the internet.

But i want to hear your opinion. It matters for me.

Thanks in advance!

Hi all! My friend gave me his old gaming laptop today, which is an insanely kind (and expensive) gift. My main reason for wanting to game on a laptop/computer at all is Baldur’s Gate 3. I looked up the minimum requirements of a CPU/GPU, but it turns out have I have absolutely zero idea how to “interpret” and compare these things. I know it runs WoW really well, but that’s all I know. I will post the laptop’s device info below.

TLDR; Can my laptop run BG3? If not, can I replace CPU/GPU/etc. to be BG3 compatible?

Laptop Specs: Inspiron 5575 Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 2500U with Radeon Vega Mobile Gfx 2.00 GH7 Installed RAM: 16 GB Windows 10 ver. 22H2 System type: 64-bit operating system, ×64-based processor Product ID: 00325-96482-00931-AAOEM

I've come into possession of a pc after a friend passed away. I'm looking to sell it, but i don't know the specs. I don't want to take it apart to find out. Is there a way to find the specs through the BIOS?

edit: without logging on. I don't know the password

I’ve had my laptop for years now and have since forgotten how to check it’s specs without taking the whole thing apart aa i am nowhere near smart enough to put it back together if i do (If it’s needed i have windows 10 on my laptop)

What's the best (free) software for reporting what's in a computer? cpu specs, ram. hd, etc... gpu type, gpu ram...

either something i can screenshot or a report?

I'm looking for all in one software, that can do cpu and gpu, etc.

I had a presentation I had to give to a bunch of business majors, in under three minutes. I decided to give an overview of PCs. Hopefully this also helps beginners or those who at curious, because I really wish I had something like this to teach me about PCs when I was building my first.

PC Exploded view, Annotated hardware pictures here

Personal Computer (PC) overview:

Intro: PCs, laptops, and servers are widely used throughout the world, every second of every day. They have shaped our world immensely, affecting almost every aspect of our lives. Computers have revolutionized how we share information, the content we consume, and how we organize, store, and interpret data. However, very few people know how PCs and laptops work. While they may seem like magic, PCs can be broken down into a few main components.

Think of a PC almost like an airport or a city; each part has a certain purpose that is interconnected.

• The motherboard is like the system of pipes, powerlines, and tunnels under a city connecting everything together. It transfers data, delivers power, controls fans, and serves as a standardized foundation for each component.

• The CPU (Central Processing Unit) is like the air traffic control tower of the PC. It tells everything where to go and what to do. It also performs all the mathematical calculations. (Such as Excel formulas, or the arc of a mortar fired in Battlefield 1).

• The GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) is like the runway for the airport. It sends all the information to the screen. It also renders images and three-dimensional objects. This is the component that makes games look life-like. (Elaborate if there is time: It actively powers programs like an engine. It is NOT passive!)

• The Hard Disk Drive (Spinning disk) or Solid-State Drive (SSD) is like the hangar on an airbase, storing all information for the long term. This is where all of the data is stored when your PC, laptop, or phone* is off.

• RAM (Random Access Memory) is similar to loading terminals for airplanes: It holds the information in the short term and can be delivered quickly to the runway (GPU), traffic control tower (CPU), or hangar (HDD/SSD).

• The PSU (Power Supply Unit) is like an energy substation for the airport: it converts power to Direct Current, then supplies the power in the right amounts to each component.

Path of data:

1. Hard drive

2. Motherboard

3. CPU/RAM

4. Data sent through GPU to monitor

Extra time: ATX formfactor (a standard for all PC components),

SSD vs HDD: Hard Disk Drives have a slower, spinning disk, Solid State Drives have no moving parts. SSDs can be broken down into two catagories:

AHCI and NVMe (grossly generalized)

Correction courtesy of u/computix, Permalink to detailed explanation here.

HDDs and SATA SSDs do not use AHCI, they use SATA. It's very important to distinguish those, because a SATA M.2 drive isn't the same as an AHCI M.2 drive. One uses SATA, just like on those wires to a SATA drive, the other uses AHCI over PCIe. AHCI M.2 drives were a stopgap solution until the NVMe stack was fully operational in BIOSes and OSes. It basically uses the same software stack components as a SATA drive, by emulating a SATA drive + host adapter (secretly running at a much higher speed than SATA 6 Gbps). Please do not confuse SATA and AHCI. SATA is a protocol drives use to communicate with a SATA host adapter. AHCI is a hardware level interface for the software that can be used to connect a SATA host adapter to a system. SATA host adapters can also use a legacy IDE hardware to software interface. AHCI can also be used by PCIe SSDs to offer a legacy compatible interface, but no new PCIe SSDs doing that are made on a large scale, they all use NVMe now.

(Old generalization below, now a bit more convoluted but corrected!)

AHCI is a storage technology that is used for HDDs and SATA SSDs, which is slower, and NVMe is a newer standard that allows for much faster data transfer rates. SATA AHCI and PCIe NVME-based devices come in multiple form factors, such as PCIe (Slots, or M.2 slots), 3.5in, and 2.5in, which makes it difficult to visually tell them apart.) HDDs only use SATA data cables, and typically use AHCI as a hardware interface, but SSDs can use SATA and AHCI, ^{AHCI over PCIe} or PCIe with NVMe. You can learn more about these in this quick video here.

Most common configurations:

• HDD using a SATA data cable and AHCI as a protocol

• 2.5 inch SSD using SATA cable and AHCI as a protocol

• M.2 SSD using PCIe as a data slot and NVME as a protocol

Footnote to readers in the future: You won't need to worry about getting a slow SSD in the M.2 or PCIe formfactor. All that BS with AHCI + SSDs was a bridge technology during the early years. HDDs will always be slow, and M.2 SSDs are fast.

Conclusion:

PCs are complex machines, and each part is interconnected. Although they visually look complicated, PCs in this day in age have been so simplified due to universal standards, that they are sometimes referred to as “Legos for adults.” Although this knowledge may not be applicable for everyday life, understanding how computers work can shed light on common issues. It can also make purchases and repairs much less expensive when you are an informed consumer that can parse company buzzwords from the cold, hard facts. ^{Such as a VR ready PSU. A PSU supplies power, and doesn't have a processor. Likewise, an ebay or craigslist ad that advertises a "gaming" PC without a GPU is a total ripoff.}

What are your PC Specs?

CPU / GPU Benchmarking softwares, HDD / SSD bad sectors checker, memory testers...

Edit: Dead pixel tester, PSU tester?

anyone know of any tools to see if my hardware is malfunctioning?

i'm going through severe frame rates for everything. even simple internet use

and i can't find any solutions. i am slowly replacing everything in my comp.

get a new memory stick tomorrow. replaced gpu with 470.

but i don't want to replace my cpu if i don't need to.

and i can't tell if it's my SSD, or my CPU, or my mobo that's causing these severe frame rate drops for everything on my computer which used to be so damn fast at everything

I mean this in terms of CPU, RAM, and other information. I know that I could search up these things individually or something, but I would like to know if there's any resource I could use that is all encompassing, videos, an interactive game, etc.

I would like to learn this because I want to better understand computer requirements when it comes to games or software, and understand why my computer might be having an internal problem and how to fix it.

I was using my PC when craftsmen accidentally cut the power cable in the ground and obviously my PC shut down immidiately.

When I got power again I turned it on, and it kept rebooting itself every 10-20 second for 5 times until I managed to use my PC again.

I feel like my PC is different now.. can someone recommend any free software that shows all my hardware and I can see if everything is working properly?

like once a month or year

additionally, for the current progress of the best compact computer:

what's the main use of the best compact computer?

• the #1 use would be chrome

things pretty much decided + things undecided

1 - case size - get an stx over an itx

you want a compact computer because you have to pack it in your luggage / backpack (when moving / travelling)

• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini-STX

• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini-ITX

key reasons

• stx has a ~30% decrease in size compared to itx

• price increase i dunno but guessing at most if it would be say ~30% increase in net price

• the net is that you end up with a more compact computer

• from a reddit post

the ratio of

( size : price + performance via what parts it allows ) seems to make stx the optimal option

the size is the most important size to decide on, but nobody had told me this

things undecided - what's the highest rated stx currently? or within the next year? what is best and why?

2 - no gpu

why? because i dont expect any significant gains/uses for gpu / hardware acceleration

• https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/6s37tl/hey_if_you_know_about_what_gpu_does_could_we_get/

heuristic in life: if you dont know if something would helpful/useful, they likely won't be helpful/useful

any good computer is long-term, 5+

• had this old computer for ~5y and ongoing

• had the desktop before that for ~10+ years

3 - get an ssd

• generally faster than hdd, unsure faster by what %

• faster for coding stuff, unsure exactly what specific things/action

• https://www.quora.com/Is-an-SSD-worth-it-for-a-laptop-used-for-programming ('15 .6 / 30*100 = 2.0)

things undecided - any highly rated ssd on amazon should be fine?

• not sure if anything else would matter http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-ssds/#who

why get ssd?

heuristic in life: always get/replace what would give the highest gains

heuristic in life: always make easier, faster, better the #1 limits

• https://www.quora.com/What-practical-advantage-would-32GB-of-RAM-in-a-laptop-provide-over-16GB-Would-this-also-depend-on-the-other-specs-of-the-machine (.02 / 20*100 = 0.1)

4 - someone said m2 would not prevent airflow like ssd would

things unknown - what's the % decrease in airflow from ssd, or does not significantly matter?

heuristic in life: if you dont know if something would helpful/useful, they likely won't be helpful/useful

5 - get 16g ram

• 8gb is not enough for chrome

• ram costs pretty much nothing

• "Not when you value time against the truly trifling cost of adding that extra 8GB of RAM"

• https://www.quora.com/Is-16-GB-of-RAM-overkill/answer/Stan-Hanks

get 1 large stick > many smaller sticks

• https://www.quora.com/What-practical-advantage-would-32GB-of-RAM-in-a-laptop-provide-over-16GB-Would-this-also-depend-on-the-other-specs-of-the-machine (.01 / 5*100 = 0.2)

get ddr3 (what type?)

• why? performance is same with ddr4 and higher

• https://www.quora.com/Which-is-better-8gb-ddr4-or-16-ddr3-for-gaming

ddr4 or higher may reduce heat

things unknown: but do you know of any tests/links that shows the % decrease of heat?

speed > latency

• http://blog.logicalincrements.com/2016/08/ddr4-ram-speeds-recommend-ram/

• this is for ddr4 but do you know if it's for ddr3 also?

things undecided: what's the fastest ddr3? is it the highest rated ones on amazon?

else, others: https://www.quora.com/How-noticeable-is-it-using-a-laptop-with-16GB-RAM-Vs-32GB-RAM https://www.quora.com/Is-16-GB-of-RAM-overkill

things undecided

6 - mobo undecided

7 - cpu undecided

8 - powerbox undecided

9 - dont think there's anything...

if there's something that would be helpful for me to clarify, please let me know

suggest any other sites/summaries for other topics you may be fascinated in as well, having awareness of relevant/helpful is good