How to Check Computer Specs On Windows

“How good is your computer?” This is a question a lot of us may have to answer daily. Maybe you want to check if your computer can run that next game you want to play. Or software that you want to use has some minimum hardware requirements.

Knowing what is inside your computer is beneficial in many ways. And if you just bought a prebuilt computer, you should verify what components you now have.

Check Computer Specs on Windows

Using Device Properties

1. Press Start button and type About your PC then hit Enter. Alternatively, press Windows + X, and click System

2. A window with your basic system specification should pop up.

3. You can press Copy to easily paste these configs anywhere.

Using DxDiag

1. Press Start and Open the Run window. Or press Windows + R alternatively.

2. Type in dxdiag and press Enter
3. The DirectX diagnostic menu should appear

4. Check the first tab for your system specs
5. Check the secondary tabs for further information

Using System Information

1. Open the Run window by searching for Run or pressing Windows + R
2. Type in msinfo32 and press Enter

3. The System Information menu should appear
4. Basic device information will be on your right, under System Summary

5. For advanced info, select the appropriate section on the left panel

Using Device Manager

1. Open your search bar and look for Device Manager

2. Open Device Manager by clicking on the icon
3. Look under the appropriate sections to see your detected hardware

Checking System Specs on Ubuntu

Using System Monitor

1. Open the Super Menu and search for System Monitor
2. Click on the icon to open System Monitor
3. A window with your system information should pop up
4. Your basic specs will be displayed under the System tab.

Using HardInfo

1. Download and install HardInfo. This is not a third-party app; it is built and maintained by Ubuntu.
2. Once done, open the Super Menu and search for HardInfo
3. Click on the icon to open HardInfo
4. A window with detailed system information should pop up
5. Basic device information will be on your right, under Computer > Summary
6. For advanced info, select the appropriate section on the left panel

Using lshw or lshw-gtk

1. Open the Super Menu and search for Terminal
2. In the Terminal window, type sudo apt-get install lshw or sudo apt-get install lshw-gtk (for the graphical interface) and press Enter
3. It should now install the appropriate version of lshw
4. To run lshw, on the Terminal type sudo lshwand press Enter. This will show all the information related to your pc.
5. Likewise, to run lshw-gtk, open the Super Menu and search for Hardware Lister or type gksu lshw-gtk on the terminal.
6. A window with your system specifications should appear. Check the left menu for advanced details.

Using System Information 

1. Open the Super Menu and search for Terminal.
2. In the Terminal window, type sudo apt-get install sysinfo
3. To run sysinfo, open the Super Menu and search for Sysinfo.
4. Open Sysinfo and a window with your system specs should appear.

Checking System Specs on Mac

Using About This Mac

1. Click the Apple icon in the top-left corner.
2. This will bring up a drop-down menu. Click About This Mac.
3. A window with your system specifications should appear.
4. Check the tabs above for advanced info, such as Storage and Memory, to see how much RAM you have and whether you can add more.

System Report

1. Open About this Mac as instructed above.
2. On the menu that pops up, click the System Report button.
3. A window with detailed system information should pop up.
4. Select the appropriate section on the left panel to see details about particular hardware.

Why Should You Know Your PC Specs?

Knowing your PC specifications is important in many ways. What your PC is made of is crucial in terms of how or what it can run. 

Software Compatibility

A lot of software and applications have minimum and recommended requirements. This is most commonly found in games or video/photo editing applications. So, if you want to play a game or process photos or videos on your PC, you have to make sure your computer is up for the task.

You should always check your specifications and compare them to the recommended specs for the software or app that you want to use.

Time for an Upgrade

Knowing your computer’s components will also help you figure out if it is time to upgrade. For example, if you check your system specifications and your hardware is a lot older than you expected, it might suggest that you need to upgrade your system with better hardware.

Knowing your specs will also help identify problematic hardware components that might be a bottleneck and need to be replaced.

TroubleShooting

You will most definitely need to know your computer specifications if you run into issues concerning hardware or software problems. Without knowing what components you have inside your system, it’ll be quite a nightmare to pinpoint the exact cause of any issues.

PC Valuation

If you ever feel like doing a valuation of your computer, either for selling it away, replacing it or any other reason, you will want to know what each of your system components are and then find out its individual value.

This is important when you want to buy a used PC as well.

Being a Better Consumer

A lot of us are used to buying laptops or prebuilt computers. A lot of sellers do not list their full specifications at the time of purchase. This is even more important when making purchases from the used PC market, as the seller might have made some changes under the hood that cannot be seen from the outside. 

To become a better consumer, you need to know what is inside the system you are buying. Making smart choices for computer purchases instead of buying what is labeled as ‘fast’ or ‘next-gen’ is important to your wallet health and system longevity.

FAQs

How to Check Your PC Specs Online?

Specifications of prebuilt PCs and laptops are usually well documented by their manufacturer and are accessible on their website. You will need to find out your system manufacturer and head to their official website.

Then search your product Serial Number to view its stock specs online. A laptop has its serial number printed on its bottom side on a sticker. A prebuilt PC may or may not have a serial sticker on its Casing, but the customer copy of its purchase bill will usually contain it.

If you have the original packaging ( or an image of the sticker), it will also contain the serial number of your system. 

How to Check What CPU You Have?

The CPU name will be available in any of the system information utilities shown above. 

If you want to do a physical check:

1. Open your computer and unscrew any side panels. For laptops, remove the battery and disassemble the device using its service manual.
2. Unscrew the CPU heatsink and cooler attached to it. This is usually the biggest fan on the motherboard itself. Taking it off will reveal the CPU unit.
3. Wipe off the thermal paste using a clean cloth and some rubbing alcohol if necessary.
4. You can now read the serial number and model name of your CPU printed on its metal IHS.

How to Check What GPU You Have?

The GPU might not be shown by basic system information but will usually be found under the Display section of most system information utilities. If you want to do a physical check:

1. Open your computer and unscrew any side panels. For laptops, remove the battery and disassemble the device using its service manual.
2. The GPU on a PC will usually be connected to a PCIe port, a long slender port towards the bottom of the motherboard. Look for a large card with one or more fans and lots of plastic. Read the backplate of the card to see the GPU specifications.
3. For a laptop, most GPUs will be integrated into the motherboard. If you have a dedicated graphics chip instead of an integrated one, it will usually be attached to the central heatsink. Unscrew the heatsink and look for a chip that is smaller than the CPU chip. The serial number and specifications of your GPU will be printed on its top plate.
4. If you want to be doubly sure, you can also remove the card and unscrew the cooling mechanisms to find your PC GPU’s serial number and specs. This is important if you think your card might have a fake BIOS and heatsink to mimic an expensive card.

How to Check What RAM You Have?

The RAM specifications should also be available in basic system utilities. If you want to do a physical check:

1. Open your computer and unscrew any side panels. For laptops, remove the battery and disassemble the device. Note: laptops will have a dedicated small panel that you can easily unscrew for RAM access in some cases. Make sure you start by checking these small panels.
2. The RAM component looks like a board covered in chips sticking into the RAM slot on the motherboard. On a laptop, these boards are smaller and might have hinge mechanisms. Any empty slots you see here are potential RAM upgrade slots.
3. Remove the RAM by pressing down on the side of the slot. 
4. Your RAM’s serial number and specifications will be printed on the chips (or a sticker) on the board.

How to Check What Motherboard You Have?

The motherboard might not be shown by basic system information but will usually be found under the Motherboard section of most system information utilities. You can also press the dedicated BIOS key during startup to boot into BIOS and check your motherboard version there. If you want to do a physical check:

1. Open your computer and unscrew any side panels. 
2. The motherboard is the big board that houses all of your PC components.
3. Look for a sticker or a printed version number on the big board. If you can’t find any, remove any components that are connected and unscrew the board. The exposed backside of the board might also have the model number.

You usually don’t have to check for a laptop motherboard. A quick google search of the laptop model or serial number into its official manufacturer’s website will give you the motherboard specifications.

How to Check What Storage You Have?

The storage of any device will be shown when you open This PC on windows. If not, the Drive manager can also help you look at any drives you have and their specifications.

Otherwise, any system utility will be able to show you exactly what model of drive you are using.

If you want to do a physical check:

1. Open your computer and unscrew any side panels. For laptops, remove the battery and disassemble the device. Note: laptops will have a dedicated small panel that you can easily unscrew for hard drive access in some cases. Make sure you start by checking these small panels.
2. Look for big chunks of metallic boxes for Hard Drives. SSDs will look like small thick plastic cards. nVMe SSDs will either be mounted onto the motherboard or on a PCIe slot. Check all these places to find your storage devices. Your computer might have more than one storage device.
3. The specifications for each device will be on a sticker on the device.

How to Check and Verify Your System Specifications?

If you are buying or have already bought a used computer or laptop, it is recommended to verify the actual specifications of your system (preferably before the purchase). 

The best way is to see each sticker of the system’s components since the seller can trick the operating system into representing falsified specifications. A laser-etched CPU engraving is even more difficult to falsify.

Whereas a simple edit of system files can make the operating system report falsified specifications. The easier way is the BIOS, which is more reliable for such reports than reports within the OS.

It’s recommended to verify for laptop systems and prebuilt PCs by heading over to the manufacturer’s website and type in the product serial number to view its exact stock specifications online.