How to Check PC Specs on Windows

Learn how to check PC specs on Windows 10 and 11 with our simple step-by-step guide. Uncover the quicker ways to check system specs in seconds using different methods and third-party tools:

Checking your system specifications on a Windows Operating system is very easy and simple. Sometimes you may want to check system components such as the processor, memory, storage, and graphics card.

If you want to purchase a new system, you must know the PC specs before making your purchase. The level of storage components can determine the number of files they can store and how many applications can be installed on them.

How to Find Your System Specs: Step-by-Step Guide

If you also plan to play heavy video games on the computer, you will need to know if the computer has a graphics card and the type of graphics card in the system. Memory checks are also very essential to determine the performance of the PC, and you may also want to upgrade your PC to a higher specification.

Microsoft Windows has different methods you can use to check PC specs. In this article, we shall show you how to check system specs on Windows 10 and Windows 11 using the methods below, including using a third-party tool.

Here is the video guide on how to check PC Specs on Windows 10 without any third-party tool:

Methods to Check Your PC Specs on Windows

Here are some of the ways through which you can check your PC Specs.

#1) Using Task Manager

Task Manager is a Windows utility tool that displays information about the programs and processes currently running on your computer. This tool enables the management and monitoring of system performance. When an application is not responding well, this tool can end the unresponsive application.

1. Open Task Manager by right-clicking on the Windows icon and selecting Task Manager as shown below. You can also type “Task Manager” in the search box and launch it.

2. In the Task Manager, click on the Performance menu as shown below, and you will see the different system components. To learn more about a specific component, click on it.

When you click on CPU, Memory, or Disk on the right pane, you will see the details of the processor, like the Processor Generation, Processor Speed, Memory usage, Disk name and storage, and many other details you may require.

#2) Using Settings

Computer settings is a Windows utility that can check the basic details like the processor type and memory usage.

Enter Settings in the search box and navigate to System -> About as shown below.

On the right pane, you will see your PC’s specifications under the Device Specifications section.

#3) Using Control Panel

With a Windows Control Panel, you can get details of your PC’s specifications, like the CPU type, speed, memory usage, and operating system version.

1. Type Control Panel in the search box

2. Click System and Security in the Control Panel window

3. Click System or View amount of RAM and processor speed as shown below.

#4) Using Windows System Information Tool

The System Information is a robust tool that can get detailed PC specifications. Follow the steps below to learn how to use System Information to find specs on Windows.

1. Type System Information in the search box or run the command prompt and type ‘msinfo32’

2. The System Information page will open: It is a System Summary of OS Name, OS Manufacturer, System Manufacturer, System Model, System Type, Processor, BIOS Version, and many more. You can still find more system details when you expand Hardware Resources, Components, and Software Environment.

System Summary image is shown below:

These are some definitions that you need to know:

Processor – { CPU }

BaseBoard – { Motherboard }

Physical Memory – { RAM }

Drives – { Formatted disk space, e.g, C: and D: }

Disks – { The physical storage hardware in your computer that contains the formatted drives }

Display – { Graphics Card }

#5) Using PowerShell or Command Prompt

Follow these steps to check your system hardware and software for detailed information:

Open PowerShell or Command Prompt. Enter the command systeminfo and press Enter.

systeminfo command will look as shown below:

You will see your system information displayed on the screen as shown below.

As shown in the image below, you can also run this command, Get-ComputerInfo, in PowerShell to generate your system information:

But if you want to save the computer information as a text file inside the users’ directory, then use the command below:

Get-ComputerInfo | Out-File -FilePath “ComputerInfo.txt”

When you check the directory location, you will see the file, and when you open it, you will see the information in the file as shown in the image below.

You can also run the command below if you want to view specific component details or properties on your system.

Get-ComputerInfo -Property “PROPERTY-NAME”

Let us assume you want to view the BIOS information on your system; then, you will need to pass “bios” as the property name inside the command.

Get-ComputerInfo -Property “bios*” image is depicted below:

Please note that the asterisk (*) shown in the command is there to serve as a wildcard to match every property that starts with BIOS on the system.

Running the DXDIAG Command

When you run the command dxdiag on your PowerShell or Command Prompt, a DirectX Diagnostic Tool page will display. Click on the System tab as shown in the image below, and you will see your System Information, like the System Model, BIOS, Processor, and Memory.

Click on the Display tab. You will see Device Graphics information like the Graphics name, Manufacturer, Chip Type, Display Memory, and Shared Memory.

When you click the Sound tab, you will see all the information about the sound component, like the type of speaker. When you click the Input tab, you will see all direct input devices, such as the mouse, keyboard, HID2C device, and input-related devices, including PS/2 devices.

The Display Tab is shown in the image below:

The information displayed on the DirectX Diagnostic Tool page can be saved to a Notepad file by clicking the Save All Information button.

The image below is an example of a DirectX Diagnostic Notepad file.

You may decide not to launch either PowerShell or Command Prompt; you can enter dxdiag in the search box and click on it, and the same DirectX Diagnostic Tool page will open as shown below.

#6) Using Device Manager

Device Manager is a built-in Windows utility tool that allows you to view and manage hardware devices connected to your PC.

Type Device Manager in the search box.
In the Device Manager, you will see various devices attached to your PC.
When you expand each device, you will see the device type as shown below.

How to check GPU Specs for Gamers using Task Manager

In the Task Manager, click on the Performance menu, and among the listed components is GPU. Click it to see information on GPU utilization, GPU memory, and shared GPU memory as shown in the image below.

Check Your PC’s Specs Using Third-Party Tools

Aside from the Windows Utility tool, you can use a third-party tool to check your PC’s Specs.

Below are some third-party tools you can use:

Check Your PC's Specs Using Third-Party Tools

Using GPU-Z to Check Your GPU Specs for Gamers

GPU-Z is a free third-party tool that can display information about your PC’s graphics card.

Download GPU-Z from here.
Install and open GPU-Z.

This third-party utility tool will show you who manufactured it and the graphics card model, and other important details.

Using CPU-Z to Check Your CPU Specs

CPU-Z is a free third-party tool that is widely used for system monitoring and performing system diagnostics. It can help display information about your PC’s storage, memory, and BIOS.

Download CPU-Z from here.

Install and open CPU-Z. The utility tool will show details of the CPU, Mainboard, Memory, and Graphics as shown below.

Using Speccy

Speccy is a free utility tool that can display comprehensive information about your PC specifications.

Download Speccy from here.
Install and open Speecy. The utility tool will show details of the Operating System, CPU, RAM, Motherboard, Storage, Graphics, and others, as shown below.

Using HWInfo

HWInfo, which stands for Hardware Info, is a free diagnostic utility tool that can provide detailed information about your PC’s hardware components.

Download HWInfo from here.
Install and Open HWInfo. The utility tool will show details of your PC’s hardware components.

Check Your PC’s Storage Using File Explorer

You can use the file explorer to check how much storage you have used and the space left on your PC.

1. Open File Explorer and click on This PC.

2. Right-click on the specific Local Disk and click Properties as shown in the image below.

In the properties page, you will see your system’s total storage capacity. You will see the level of space you have used and the amount of free space remaining.

My system drive properties show 473 GB as the total storage capacity on my system. It also shows that I have a used space of 437 GB and free space of 36.5 GB left on my system.

Check Your PC’s Specs on Linux

We will show you how to use Linux commands to check your Linux computer’s specifications.

#1) Check CPU Specification

Launch the Linux Terminal, and when you run the lscpu command, it displays a detailed overview of your computer’s processor information and its various units.

This command will display the Model name, the processor architecture, the vendor, the CPU family, virtualization features, and many more.

#2) Check RAM Specification

When you run the free command on the terminal, you can view the total memory, the amount of memory already used, and the amount that is available on your Linux system.

#3) Check Hard Disk Specification

When you run the df command, you will be able to see the storage space used, available storage space, and the number of partitions available. The -h added to the command helps to display the information in a human-readable format.

You may just want to check a short and brief information about your Linux System hard disk, run this command sudo lshw -short -C disk on your terminal as a super user.

Run the lsusb command to display information about devices currently attached to your system. These devices can be a USB device, an external disk reader, or many more.

Apart from USB devices, there are some other devices or controllers that are connected to your system’s PCI buses.

To display this, other controllers run the lspci command, and you will be able to see the controllers connected to your system’s PCI buses, like the Host bridge, Ethernet controller, Multimedia audio controller, USB controller, and VGA compatible controller.

#4) Check Network Card Specification

When you run the command sudo lshw -C network, you will be able to see information about your Linux system’s network card. You will see the Ethernet controller, size, capacity, and many other things.

How to Check Specs on Mac?

To get the system information about your Mac, check this link for more details.

Here is the video guide on how to check MacBook Pro hardware specs:

What Specs to Consider While Purchasing a PC

You will need to consider the level of the task you will use the computer to execute. The following are the specifications that every buyer must pay attention to when purchasing a PC.

The processor that ensures adequate speed for multitasking jobs must be considered.
The memory must be adequate to ensure seamless operation when running multiple programs.
There must be storage space to handle the type of workload you intend to use the computer for. It is recommended to go for an SSD as it is faster and accommodates more files when compared to an HDD.
If you use the computer to play sophisticated games or carry out high-end designs, then going for a GPU that can handle high visuals and designs will be the best option.
If you plan to stay on the computer for an extended period without a power connection, then opting for a computer with a higher battery life will be the best choice.
If you want an operating system with broad compatibility, then the Windows OS is recommended. However, in terms of a very secure system, it is recommended to choose macOS.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How can I see my PC specs?

You can check your PC specs by right-clicking on the Windows icon on the taskbar and selecting Settings from the menu. On the settings page, click on the System menu, scroll down, and click on About.

2. How do I check my CPU and GPU specs?

1. Type Task Manager in the search box and open Task Manager.
2. On the Task Manager, navigate and click on the Performance menu.
3. On the Performance screen, click on CPU and GPU

3. How do I check my RAM?

Open Task Manager and click on the Performance menu, navigate to the Memory screen to check RAM usage and memory capacity. Another way you can check is by navigating to system settings, clicking on system, and scrolling to the bottom of the page to click on About to confirm the Installed RAM.

4. How to check the PC CPU?

Run the command prompt and type ‘msinfo32’ and hit the OK key. This command will display the core System Summary about components on your computer, like the processor running on your computer.

5. How do I check my RAM specs?

Open Task Manager and click on the Performance menu, navigate to the Memory screen to check RAM usage and memory capacity. Another way you can check is by running the command prompt and typing ‘msinfo32’ and hitting the OK key.
This command will display the core System Summary about components on your computer, like the processor running on your computer.

6. How much RAM is enough?

If you will be handling some basic tasks like internet browsing, editing work, and just normal system operation, then between 4GB – 8GB of RAM should be enough to deliver the task. If the task involves a more intense operation like playing a video game or graphics designing, then you might need memory capacity above 16GB.

7. How do I see what graphics card I have?

Open Settings and navigate to System > Display > Advanced display. In the Display information section, you will see all the details of your system’s graphics card.

8. How do I know my PC model?

It is very easy to find your computer model number by checking the Windows system information. This information can be accessed by navigating to Settings > System > About. Check the Device specifications section, where you will see the PC Model.

9. What’s better, more RAM or a faster processor?

When you have higher RAM and a faster processor, it will improve your system. When you have higher RAM can improve multitasking and speed up normal system operation, but a faster processor improves the overall speed of calculations and general performance.

Conclusion

As you can see from the above methods, it is quite easy to know how to check your PC specs. Whether you want to upgrade your current system or you plan to buy an entirely new computer, knowing how to check your PC specs gives you an overview of your current system specifications and components like RAM that may need upgrading.

Knowing how to check PC specs as a non-technical person is an advantage, as this gives you a clear overview of the technical details about your computer, and you will be able to make a better decision on whether or not to upgrade your system.

Research Process: The total time involved to complete and publish this article is approximately 42 hours. This content was created through a structured research approach to ensure accuracy and reliability.

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