When it comes to diagnosing PC hardware problems, there are several excellent free tools that you can use to repair a PC. You should avoid hiring someone to fix your PC issues unless all else fails. In fact, you can fix them yourself without paying for this service. Today, we recommend some of the best diagnostic software.
Piriform Speccy
Speccy cannot be missing in the list of programs for hardware diagnostics. It is a utility that is available for free or there is also a paid version. In addition, its function is to show the user specifications of the hardware and software of the computer. This can help you to know better what you have installed and the possible problems that may occur. Including, from locating an inadequate driver, to detecting memory issues if not all the installed memory is detected, etc. It is the diagnostic software par excellence.
Among the information provided by this program is:
- Microprocessor information.
- Hard disk information.
- RAM memory details.
- Operating system information.
- About the graphics card.
- About the sound card.
- The motherboard model installed and its characteristics.
- Network card.
AIDA64 / Hardinfo
An alternative to the previous one, and more complete, is the ADIA64 software for Windows, or HardInfo for Linux. Both are very similar and provide very detailed information about all your equipment. By providing a hardware report, it is an excellent diagnostic software. For example, among the details it provides you can see:
- General details about the equipment.
- Detailed information about the motherboard.
- Temperature sensor readings and fan RPM.
- Operating system information.
- And of the APIs such as the graphics API.
- Video details such as monitor, GPU, etc.
- Multimedia, such as sound card, codecs, sound API, etc.
- RAM information.
- Information about storage media and other media that may be installed in the computer (optical, floppy, …).
- Details about the network card or adapter.
- CPU performance comparisons.
SysInspector
ESET has created a program called SysInspector. It is a very easy-to-use diagnostic tool that will help you solve numerous system problems. It can be obtained both integrated in the antivirus suite, and independently.
CPU-Z / CPU-X
This other program provides a lot of details about the CPU. Not only information about it, but also about the memory, tests, and something important, the voltages and frequencies at which it is working. Something that can be essential to detect problems, especially if you have done overclocking.
As CPU-Z is only available for Windows, CPU-X is the alternative for GNU/Linux which is exactly the same.
Intel Processor Diagnostic Tool
Intel Diagnostic Tool is compatible with Windows, and allows you to verify the functionality of the Intel processor. In this sense, it provides information such as frequency, voltages, and other characteristics. It also performs stress tests on the processor to see if the instability or failures you are suffering are due to it or to another component.
WiFi Analyzer
It is a complete suite that can perform a great amount of wireless network analysis. For example, some of the options you have at your disposal are:
- Checking the channels of nearby Wi-Fi networks to detect which channels enjoy higher quality.
- Checking the Wi-Fi signal strength to rule out or certify that the problem is that.
- Obtain information from each detected Wi-Fi network separately.
- Save information from the reports obtained to view at any time.
Angry IP Scanner
This utility is available for multiplatform. It is compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux. This free app is used to track and export the results of a network scan in order to detect network problems. For example, IP hops, latencies or ping, used servers, ports, etc.
CrystalDiskInfo
Thanks to the S.M.A.R.T. technology of HDD and SSD hard drives, it is possible to detect health problems of a hard drive before it fails irreversibly. This could help detect issues and prevent data loss. Well, what this program for Windows does is to obtain information thanks to this technology. As a result, it provides information about the health status. For example, you can check the operating temperature, firmware, and disk information. In addition to an analysis with the state of health that will indicate if it is going to fail soon or not.
CCleaner
CCleaner is a well-known Windows program. In principle, it can be used for maintenance tasks such as cleaning some temporary or cache data. It also serves to repair the Windows registry, another of the sources of problems that can occur in the system. However, it also has other functions. For example, freeing up space or searching for duplicate files that are making your hard drives cluttered and slow.
Memtest 86+
One of the most frequent failures in a system is that of RAM memory. When memory fails, there are several symptoms that can be confusing. In addition, they can be confused with those produced by some other hardware components. With Memtest86+ you can run tests to determine if it is a memory failure or if it is a failure of other components.
Furmark
Last but not least, you also have this tool to stress the GPU. Thanks to this, you will be able to know if the problem is in this video element or if it is somewhere else. Although it is limited to stressing the GPU, it also serves as a diagnostic software.
