How to Check PC Specs

If you’re not in the habit of looking beyond the polish of a PC, you’re probably wondering why you would need to check your PC specs. But if you’re selling or upgrading your computer or simply need to find out if it can support certain software, you can’t afford to make specs an afterthought. That’s why we’ve put together a simple guide on how to check PC specs. 

How to Check Your CPU and Its Speed

One of the first things most users want to know about when it comes to their PC specs is what kind of CPU (processor) it has. When we’re talking about Windows 10 computer specs, figuring out what CPU is being used takes just a few clicks.

• Right-click on the Windows tab in the bottom left-hand corner of your screen.
• In the Settings menu, click on System.
• You will see your CPU information listed in the Device Specifications section under Processor.

As you can probably tell by now, this process is remarkably straightforward and also applies to Windows 7 users who want their CPU details.

To check PC specs on Windows 8, simply open the Charms bar, head to Settings, then click on PC info. In the System panel, you’ll see information about RAM and what kind of CPU your computer has. 

The easiest way to see the specifications in Windows 11 is by using the System Information app. To access this tool, you’ll need to click on the start menu. Once there, type in MSInfo. 

When you do that, you’ll see a link to the System Information app. Although you don’t need to access this section for basic device specs like the CPU, which you can get by heading to Start > Settings > System > About, the app displays information about the BIOS version, RAM, and more. 

How to Check What GPU You Have

Most users inquiring about their CPU also want to see which Graphics Processing Unit or GPU their PC is equipped with. Acquiring this piece of PC info is as simple as checking which CPU your computer has - with just one extra click. 

To find out what GPU your computer is using, you need to do the following: 

• In the left-hand corner of your desktop, right-click on the Windows start menu icon.
• Click on the Device Manager tab in the pop-up menu.
• Next to Display Adapters, click on the arrow (>) in Device Manager.
• You will see the GPU information under the drop-down menu.

When you’re trying to check computer specs like GPU, you may see two options under the Display Adapter tab. If this happens, it means the PC has both integrated graphics and a dedicated stand-alone graphics card. 

The one you should be looking at is the graphics card, the stronger one of the two. It is used by your computer to process graphics, and it’s usually the second option. 

PCs running an Intel CPU are likely to have integrated graphics, and the most common one is Intel HD Graphics 4000. This means that your CPU has its built-in graphics unit, as well as the GPU.

If you want to upgrade or sell your PC, you’ll need to know about your GPU. It’s most likely to be a variation of NVIDIA Geforce RTX 2060, 2070, 2080, or something similar.

How to Find Out Which Motherboard You have

While the previous instructions on how to see PC specs were very easy to understand, the following ones are a little bit more complex but still doable.

The simplest thing you can do is open the PC and look at the motherboard, which shows a model number and the brand. In most cases, you’ll find ASUS, Gigabyte, or MSI, and they all have a series of numbers and letters which specify the model. 

Some users may not be familiar with the motherboard models and are not well-versed in the numbers and letters written on them. In those instances, there is another way. 

• Type in System Information in the windows search tab and press enter.
• Scroll down the System Summary tab on the left-hand side of the System Information box.
• Look for the Baseboard Manufacturer, Baseboard Model, and Baseboard Name in the list on the right-hand side, which will give you all the information about the motherboard.

Some users will not be able to understand much of the information that’s shown in these tabs. To clarify, the Baseboard Manufacturer is the brand of the motherboard, and the Baseboard Model shows the model number or the chipset number. This information can come in handy if you’re upgrading hardware. 

Some of the information may not be available on some older versions of motherboards. If that happens, you’ll have to physically open the computer and check the motherboard. While we’ve focused solely on the motherboard, PC hardware specs encompass a variety of components. On a separate note, the Baseboard Name indicates how the motherboard shows up on the system. 

Finding Out How Much RAM You Have

The process of finding out how much RAM you have isn’t all that different from the one we went through when checking the CPU and its speed. 

To see computer specs about memory, follow these steps: 

• Right-click on the Windows tab in the bottom left-hand corner of your screen.
• From the pop-up menu, select the System tab.
• Scroll down to Installed RAM to find out how much memory your PC has.

The Space on Your Hard Drive

Instructions on how to figure out the total disk space are by far the simplest part of this guide. Some PC users may even be able to do this on their own, but for those who can’t, here are a few simple steps to follow:

• Select File Explorer in the taskbar and then hit This PC on the left.
• Go to Local Disk (C:). You’ll see how much storage you have left and how much there is in total.
• If you require more information, right-click Local Disk (C:) and select Properties.

Going to Properties will show the exact amount of bytes the computer stores, which is the same information that’s offered under the Local Disk (C:).

Additional Tools

The aforementioned tools can help you find the specifications and information about your PC in a few quick and simple steps. But you can also use third-party hardware, which can help you dig up information about your computer. 

Some of the tools that have proven most useful in gathering PC info and performance details are:  

• CPU-Z
• Speccy
• Core Temp (CPU only)
• HWInfo

After You’ve Finished Checking Your PC Specs

By familiarizing yourself with your PC specs, you’ll gain a much better understanding of its value when trying to sell it, and you’ll be in a better position to determine what upgrades it needs. In case you choose to upgrade your computer, it is not as simple as just buying the best component without having in mind the state of the existing hardware. Checking PC specs first is crucial in this case.

For example, depending on your motherboard, you need to choose an appropriate processor. If your motherboard is an older model, you can’t get the latest processor because they won’t work well together. 

The same rule applies to your graphic card and the power supply. If you don’t have a sufficient power supply, your PC cannot accommodate the latest GPU.

Conclusion

Finding out how to check specs on your PC is a relatively easy process that PC users need to get acquainted with. In an increasingly crowded market, consumers can no longer afford to focus solely on functions and need to look at specs to determine the quality of products. That’s why our guide offers to walk you through the process in a few simple steps, covering everything from the CPU and GPU to the RAM and disk space.