How to Check Computer Specs

Computer Specifications or Specs describes the hardware specifications of a computer system. It describes the capabilities, features, and components of a computer system. It means it describes the CPU speed, RAM storage, model, and other system components. The computer specs are determined and checked usually when we have decided to purchase a new computer system or laptop, or we are a gamer. If we are already aware that what specifications are good, we will always have a fruitful deal of purchasing a new computer system.

Good Computer Specs

It is always good to keep in mind the points below when purchasing a new computer system or laptop. Especially if you are buying a PC or a laptop for the first time:

• CPU: It is the central processing unit of a computer system known as the brain of a computer system. A CPU is responsible for processing all operations and providing instructions to the computer. A better CPU leads to a fast processing system. There are three variety systems currently available in the market, which are Intel i3 (remarked good), Intel i5 (remarked too good), and Intel i7 (remarked excellent). Intel i5 sure to provide good speed and under budget, but Intel i7 is a little expensive and suitable for designers or gamers for designing software and gaming. A system with Intel i3 is the cheapest among the three.
• System Screen: The resolution or size of a screen can also have a good impact on our selection. A 13-inch screen of a system (either laptop or PC) is the best screen size. You can also select a high-resolution system but avoid purchasing a system whose screen size is below 13-inch.
• RAM: Acronym for Random Access Memory. It is the computer memory that is responsible for executing the programs and applications. It is present in GigaBytes (GB). A system having 4GB or 8GB RAM is preferred for good computer specs. Although 16GB and 32GB RAM systems are also available, such huge RAM systems are required for high-end machines.
• Storage Space: There are two options for Storage Space. It can be either Hard Disk Drive (HDD) or Solid State Drive (SSD). The use of HDD has become old that includes storing data on a disk, which is a slower process. SSD is the new storage type that stores data on a memory chip, and it is a faster process. Apart from these two storage types, if you are buying a computer for surfing, emails, and other online works, it is good to go for Cloud Storage that provides huge storage space for storing files, and it is the most secure place for your data. A good laptop specs must have at least 1TB for HDD and at least 256GB for SSD. The size of the SSD and HDD should not be less than the specified size.
• Graphics Card: If you are a gamer or imager editor, you should particularly be aware of the Graphics card a system holds. It is because, for such purposes, you should have an additional Graphics card, which is known as Advanced Graphics Card. In case you are not addicted to games, then the provided Graphics card is enough for you.
• Power Supply Unit: It is also an essential part of a computer system responsible for sharing power to all components of the system. If PSU is of poor quality, provide unstable power, or overheat the device, all such issues may decline the lifetime of the system. But, if PSU is good with high-quality and branded, the system will operate the system efficiently. A good computer specs must have "80+" stickers, i.e., it should waste less than 20% of the total energy output, heavyweight PSUs that include better capacitors, larger cooling fans, heatsinks, and efficient enough to provide stable power stream to all other components of the system. The Power outputs for desktop must be between 200 Watts to 1800 Watts. Also, a PSU should be either single-rail that carries a single high-powered plus 12V rail or multi-rail that distributes power to more than one with 12V rail. One more thing to keep in mind is that the PSU of the system must have hard-wired cables, so there will be no additional connection requirements.

So, these points, one should keep in mind while going to purchase a new laptop or a PC and buy as per the budget and requirement.

How to check the Computer Specs and Requirements

There are the following steps you should follow to know your computer specs. Here, we have described the steps to check the specifications for Windows 10 system:

1) Turn on the PC or laptop.

2) Make a right-click on the Start button present at the bottom left corner, as shown below:

3) You will see many options from which you need to click on Device Manager or System, depending on which specs you want to see. The Device Manager will let you know about the Graphics Card, type of processor and its speed, and other specifications. The System option will let you know about RAM, OS, its version, Windows specifications, manufacturer details, and other specifications.

Below we have shown snapshots of selecting both options:

1) After clicking on Device Manager, you will be able to view the following specs:

You can further click on the names of the device given under your system name for getting a detailed specification of the particular system component.

2) After clicking on the system, the following specifications will be visible:

Scroll down and the entire device-related, Windows related specifications you can go through.

Similarly, you can search for the specs for other versions of Windows.

We will now discuss how to check the above-discussed points that lead to good computer specs one by one:

Checking RAM in the system

To find out the amount of RAM present in the system, open the System option as discussed above and you can view the installed RAM as well as the used RAM as shown in the below snapshot:

Checking CPU Specs

To find out the type of CPU you have, follow the below steps:

1) Open the Task Manager by pressing ctrl+alt+delete together on your keyboard, or you can directly open it by searching on the search bar. A snapshot is shown below:

2) Move on the Performance tab present next to Processes, as shown below:

In case the Performance and other tabs are not visible, click on 'More details' appearing at the left bottom corner of the Task Manager screen.

3) Click on CPU present on the left panel, and the CPU section will be highlighted blue. On the screen above the moving graph, you can see what CPU you have as shown in the below snapshot:

Checking GPU Specs

1) To check the Graphics Processing Unit, open the Device Manager as discussed above.

2) Now, click on Display adapters under which you can see the type of GPU your system have as shown below:

3) For more detailed GPU specs, right-click on the GPU name and click on Properties as shown below:

You can see the detailed specifications of the GPU from there.

Checking the Local Storage Space

To check the system's local storage space, go to This PC, and on the screen under each drive, i.e., Local Drive C or other, you can see the used storage space on the provided space. A snapshot is shown below:

Checking the System's Motherboard and other Specs

To check the motherboard of your system and other specifications also, follow the below steps:

1) Open System Information by searching on the search bar. You will see the 'System Summary' panel present on the left side of the screen as shown in below snapshot:

2) You can see the BaseBoard Manufacturer, BaseBoard Product, and its version. These all describe the motherboard specifications of your system, as shown below:

Further, you can check out other details present under the System Summary. Also, at the bottom, a search box is present as 'Find What'. You can also search for the particulars by typing the name and clicking on the 'Find' button.