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How to Check the Specs on a Windows PC

Knowing the specifications of your Windows PC can be very useful for various reasons. You may want to check if your computer meets the system requirements for running certain software or games. Or perhaps you’re looking to upgrade some components and need to know what’s currently installed.

Checking your PC’s specs is easy on Windows 10 and Windows 11. There are a few different built-in methods you can use that require no extra downloads or tools. This article will walk through the steps to find key details like your processor, RAM, graphics card, storage drives, etc.

Use the Settings App

The Settings app provides an overview of some basic specs:

Steps:

  1. Open the Start Menu and click the Settings icon (gear shape)
  2. Go to System > About
  3. Under Device specifications, you’ll see details like:
    • Processor
    • Installed RAM
    • System type (64-bit or 32-bit)
    • Windows version/build

This covers the basics like CPU and memory. For more advanced specs, keep reading.

Open System Information

For much more detailed information on all your PC components and drivers, use the System Information tool:

Steps:

  1. Type “System Information” into the Start Menu search box
  2. Open the System Information app
  3. Navigate through the various categories in the left pane:
    • System Summary – Basic overview of CPU, memory, OS, etc.
    • Components – Details on specific hardware components
    • Software Environment – Installed software, drivers, updates, etc.

System Information gives highly technical info on every single aspect of your PC. It’s the most comprehensive way to view your full device specifications.

Use DirectX Diagnostic Tool

The DirectX Diagnostic Tool provides in-depth specs related to gaming and graphics:

Steps

  1. Type “dxdiag” into the Start Menu search box
  2. Open the DirectX Diagnostic Tool
  3. Click the Display tab
    • Graphics card (GPU) model, driver version, approx. memory
    • Monitor information
    • DirectX version & acceleration info

This is useful for PC gaming to check if your system meets the requirements for certain games.

Try Third-Party Apps

While Windows has great built-in tools for checking hardware specifications, third-party utilities can provide additional details. Popular options include:

  • CPU-Z – More info on CPU, motherboard, memory, etc.
  • GPU-Z – Focus on graphics card specs and real-time monitoring
  • HWiNFO – Comprehensive report on every component
  • Speccy – Summary of specs in a clean interface

So if the Windows tools don’t show everything you need, one of those utilities may do the trick.

Track Specs Over Time

Once you know your PC’s specifications, you may want to track them over time to monitor any changes. For example, keeping an eye on temperatures, clock speeds, driver versions, etc.

Windows itself doesn’t include logging and graphing functionality for hardware data. However, the third-party apps mentioned above have those capabilities. HWiNFO and GPU-Z, in particular, excel at real-time system monitoring and creating spec logs.

Summary

Finding your Windows PC specs is straightforward using the Settings app, System Information, DirectX Diagnostic Tool, and third-party utilities. With those tools, you can access key details like:

  • Processor model and speed
  • Installed RAM capacity
  • Graphics card model and video memory
  • Storage drive types and capacities
  • Motherboard model and BIOS version
  • Network adapter brand and driver version

Knowing your full device specifications helps verify software/game compatibility, plan upgrades, monitor system health, and troubleshoot problems. So take a few minutes to check out what’s under the hood!

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