How to Stress Test CPU, RAM and GPU on your PC. — wintips.org
This guide contains instructions on how to stress your computer’s hardware (CPU, RAM and GPU), in order to determine the health and stability of your system or identify problems that affect its proper functioning.
High-performance computers used for activities such as graphic design, video editing and playing GPU-intensive games such as Grand Theft Auto V, Forza Horizon 5, etc., should undergo endurance testing after their assembly to verify their proper operation and stability.
Stress testing of your system components will show you whether or not the computer is stable under heavy workloads and help you resolve temperature and performance issues. If a computer passes a stress test successfully, it is considered stable. Computers that are unstable will perform poorly and also restart or shut down to save their components from damage.
- Related video: Stress testing AMD Ryzen 9 3950X in Default Settings.
How to Diagnose my Computer’s Stability?
To diagnose the health and stability of your computer you should stress the Processor, Memory & Graphics Card (GPU), by monitoring at the same time their temperatures.
How to Stress my Computer?
- Close all running apps.
- Remove any overclocking settings. *
* Note: Its important to stress your PC before overclocking, in order to ensure that your computer is stable and healthy under normal conditions. - Check the CPU temperature without load by using one of the hardware monitoring tools listed below.
- Start the stress tests and monitor the temperature of the main components (CPU, RAM, GPU) at the same time. If the temperature in one or more components exceeds or approaches the maximum temperature specified by the manufacturer, immediately stop the tests and try to correct the overheating problem.
How long do I have to stress my computer to make sure it is OK?
You must stress your computer at least one hour, because this is enough time for your CPU to catch the maximum temperature.
Disclaimer (WARNING):
Before we begin, we must warn you that stress testing can cause serious damages to your computer hardware, because it sometimes pushes it beyond the limits set by the hardware manufacturer. Therefore, perform the tests at your own risk and not for long periods of time. During stressing, constantly monitoring the temperatures of the components you are testing and abort the tests if the temperatures approaches or exceeds the maximum limits set by the manufacturer.
Best Tools to Stress Test your Computer (CPU, RAM & GPU).
Below you will find the best stressing tools to test your CPU, RAM and GPU stability and the best tools to view your computer’s temperatures and performance.
- Hardware Monitor Tools
- CPU Stress Test Tools
- RAM Stress Test Tools
- GPU Stress Test Tools
Hardware Monitoring Tools
Before you start stress testing the three main components of your computer, you need some tools to monitor in real time the temperature and utilization level of the components during the tests.
Below you’ll find some of the best hardware monitoring tools that you can use:
1. HWiNFO64
HWiNFO64 is a “freeware” monitoring tool used in monitoring, analyzing and reporting computer’s components. This tool comes with a user-friendly interface that is designed to track the information on your CPU, RAM and GPU and also monitor the temperature, workloads and fan speed of the PC.
When you compare HWiNFO64 with other system monitoring tools, it prides itself as a go-to resource tool to evaluate the performance and stability of your computer. Worthy of note is that the program is free to use for personal purposes. However, if you intend to use it for business: you need to upgrade to the Pro version to optimize features such as remote monitoring and shared memory support.
Get HWiNFO64 here
2. CPUID HWMonitor
CPUID’s HWMonitor, is another free hardware monitor that reads the thermal sensors of the CPU, GPU and hard drives, as well as the main PC health sensors : voltages, temperatures, fan speed.
Get CPUID Monitor here
3. Core Temp
In terms of performance and accuracy, Core Temp comes an inch close to HWiNFO64. Analytically, the program is more advanced for Intel CPUs as this provides a feature where you can see information for each processor’s core.
This monitoring tool can display all the vital information about your processors – ranging from the total cores, frequency, threads, models and more. The tool also allow Developers to add feature such as Plug-ins to improve its functionalities. The program is easy to understand and also comes as a lightweight software that can display temperature of each core, power consumption, modulations etc.
Get Core Temp here
How to Stress Test CPU.
The CPU stress tools test the CPU to its full potential (100% usage). Stress testing software uses various techniques to test your CPU at its maximum load, which is why they are also called CPU load tests.
By running a CPU stress tool for 1-2 hours, you will determine its stability and be able to discover and fix any overheating problems.* Below we mention some of the best CPU stressing tools out there.
Important: Immediately stop the stress test if the CPU temperature approaches or exceeds the maximum temperature limit specified by the manufacturer.
1. CPU-Z
CPU-Z by CPUID is a freeware utility that displays information on some of the main devices of your system: CPU, Memory, Mainboard, GPU, etc. Besides that, CPU-Z has a benchmark tool to compare your CPU with others and a stress tool to stress it.
To stress your CPU with CPU-Z:
1. Get CPU-Z from here and install the program.
2. Open CPU-Z and select the Bench tab. Click Stress CPU.
2. AIDA64:
AIDA64 is one of the oldest hardware stress testing tools on the market, with a lifespan of over 2 decades.
The program can display information about all of your computer’s software and hardware and can diagnose and stress the processor, memory, disks and GPU. What makes AIDA64 stand out is that it offers a more realistic analysis compared to other software designed for similar purposes.
The only disadvantage of AIDA64 is that it is not free for users who want to diagnose their computer all the time, because it’s paid version for home users costs $49.95. But if you want to test your hardware for a period of 30 days, you can use the TRIAL version.
Get AIDA64 here
How to stress your CPU, RAM & GPU with AIDA64:
1. From Tools menu choose System Stability Test
2. Select the components that you want to stress and press the Start button.
3. During the stress you can monitor the temperature of the components under test from the main program window in the Computer > Sensor menu.
3. Prime95
This software is the brainchild of Goerge Woltman who is the founder of GIMPS – a distributed computing project that conduct research about the Mersenne prime number. Prime95 offers a blended test that can also stress test the RAM. It gives user insight to know the extent they can overclock their computer. The tool can also test various caches of data on PC such as L1, L2 and L3.
To get the best out of Prime95, it is required that you run it if for a period of 6 – 10 hours without stopping to know the stability of the CPU.
Get Prime95 here
To stress you CPU & RAM with Prime95.
1. Download Prime95 according your Windows architecture (32 or 64bit).
2. Extract the downloaded ZIP file, and run prime95.exe from the extracted folder.
3. Press the Just Stress Testing button.
* Note: To start Prime95 tests manually go to Options > Torture Test.
4. At Torture test options, select one of the following options according what you want to stress and click OK:
- Smallest FFTs (tests L1/L2 cashes, high power/heal/CPU stress)
- Small FFTs (tests L1/L2/L3 cashes, maximum power/heal/CPU stress)
- Large FFTs (tests memory controller and RAM
- Blend (tests everything CPU, cashes & RAM)
5. A worker thread will open for every logical CPU stressed with information about the stressing.
6. During stress always look at the hardware monitoring tool to monitor the CPU temperature and stop Prime95 (from the Test menu click Stop), if the CPU gets hot enough or exceeds the maximum temperature set by the manufacturer.
4. CINEBENCH
Another significant CPU stress testing tool that is a major player in the market is CineBench R23 which is good at benchmarking and rendering videos.
Cinebench is a real-world cross-platform test suite that evaluates your computer’s hardware capabilities and the most important is free.
How to Stress Test RAM to Diagnose its health.
Diagnosing RAM is one of the safest ways to identify the root cause of computer problems. Problems with computers that crash, shut down or restart with a blue screen of death (BSoD), are usually caused by faulty RAM. Below we mention some of the best RAM stressing tools out there.
* Notes:
1. The best way to test your memory is to check it first in Default settings (BEFORE setting the memory to the XMP profile settings).
2. If the memory test fails in default configuration, then the memory is faulty and you must replace it. (if you have more than one DIMMs, check them one by one to find the faulty one.
3. If the memory test fails in the XMP profile configuration settings, I suggest resetting the memory configuration to the default.
1. MemTest86+
MemTest86 + is the most reliable and popular tool for stress testing RAM.
However, this tool does not work with the Windows graphical interface and must be downloaded to a bootable CD/DVD or USB flash drive.
To Diagnose Memory with MemTest86+
1. Get MemTest86+ (Download the «Pre-Compiled Bootable ISO (.zip)»). *
2. Extract the downloaded ZIP file and burn the contained ISO file to CD/DVD.
* Note: If you want to create a USB bootable drive with MemTest86+
1. Download the «Auto-installer for USB Key (Win 7/8/10)«.
2.Extract the downloaded ZIP file and run the «Memtest86+ USB Installer.exe» to create a bootable USB.
3. Boot from DVD (or USB) and the tool will automatically start checking the RAM.
2. MemTest86
MemTest86 from Passmark Software, uses the same code as MemTest86+ but it’s updated frequently. MemTest86 boots from a USB flash drive and tests the RAM in your computer for faults using a series of comprehensive algorithms and test patterns.
There are free, professional and self booting editions of MemTest86 available, but the MemTest86 Free Edition is enough to diagnose your memory for problems.
To stress RAM with MemTest86:
1. Get MemTest86 here.
2. Extract the «memtest86-usb» ZIP file.
3. Plug an empty USB drive on your PC. (>= 512MB capacity)
4. Launch the included ImageUSB.exe application.
5. Click the Write button to write image to USB drive.
6. When the process is completed, restart your PC and boot from the USB drive. The tool will automatically start stress testing the RAM.
3. Prime95
As we mentioned above, you can stress your computer’s memory with Prime95 by selecting the option «Large FFTs» in Torture Test options. Prime95 is an excellent and reliable tool to stress your computer memory after overclocking.
4. MemTest64
TechPowerUp’s Memtest64 is a lightweight, standalone utility that allows you to check your system’s memory for problems within the Windows environment, something that MemTest86 & MemTest86+ do not provide.
The software is easy to run for a novice, obviously because a button is all it requires to stress test the memory of the PC.
Get MemTest64 here
5. Karhu RAM Stress Test.
Another memory stressing tool you can try is the Karhus RAM Test, which is not free and is priced at $ 10.99 to get the license.
How to Stress Test GPU.
The essence of stress testing GPU is to know the limit of the graphics card. PC Users who perform task such as graphics design, video rendering, and graphics-intensive games are advised to regularly test the GPU to determine it’s processing power. Below we mention some of the best Graphics Card stressing tools out there.
1. 3Dmark
As a Gamer, you need this tool to compare the performance of your PC with other devices that has similar hardware. 3Dmark had been around for well over 2 decades. Besides, it has variety of features that can test both sophisticated PC and lightweight computers.
Any score below the average mark is an indication that the cooling system, PC config or hardware components is faulty. 3DMark is a utility that can also be useful before and after overclocking a PC. 3DMark is integrated with Steam and can be purchased for $29.99 in the store, but there is a basic edition of 3DMark that is free to use.
Get 3DMark here
2. FurMark
Furmark is primarily developed for benchmarking. However, it is capable of stress testing the GPU for best result. The tool’s interface can be a bit old fashioned, however, it still comes good for the purpose it is designed to accomplish.
The downside of using the tool is that it places too much workload on the graphics card, so I suggest you do not run it for a long time.
Get Furmark here
3. UNIGINE Benchmarks tools.
GPU stress testing is not complete if we don’t mention Unigine benchmarks that can be effectively used to determine the stability of PC hardware (CPU, GPU, power supply, cooling system) under extremely stressful conditions, as well as for overclocking.
- Related article: Ten+ Tips to Keep your Computer Fast and Healthy.
That’s it! I hope to find this article helpful. Let me know if this guide has helped you by leaving your comment about your experience. Please like and share this guide to help others.
If this article was useful for you, please consider supporting us by making a donation. Even $1 can a make a huge difference for us in our effort to continue to help others while keeping this site free:
We’re hiring
We’re looking for part-time or full-time technical writers to join our team! It’s about a remote position that qualified tech writers from anywhere in the world can apply. Click here for more details.
If you want to stay constantly protected from malware threats, existing and future ones, we recommend that you install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware PRO by clicking below (we
do earn a commision from sales generated from this link, but at no additional cost to you.
We have experience with this software and we recommend it because it is helpful and useful):
Full household PC Protection — Protect up to 3 PCs with NEW Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Premium!
How to Stress Test CPU (Best CPU Stress Testing Tools)
by Goran Damnjanovic
Last update 12 Apr 2021
XbitLabs participates in several affiliate programs. If you click links on our website and make a purchase, we may earn a commision. Learn More
Installing a new CPU or replacing the thermal paste on a CPU should always be followed by a round of CPU stress testing to check out if thermals are in order. Overclocking or undervolting a CPU should also be accompanied by lots of stress testing since here we’re not only looking at thermals but also stability. How you should stress test your CPU? Which programs should you use? And which stress test apps are the best? Read the answers below.
Contents
When You Should Stress Test Your CPU?
When you build a new machine, half an hour of GPU and CPU stress tests are always welcome.
Some people also like to performs CPU stress test all-nighters but these are only recommended when overclocking.
Next, each overclocking step should be followed by a short stress test. And once you find the peak stepping, it’s time for longer tests. When undervolting CPUs, a successful boot into Windows should be followed by a CPU stress test for stability purposes.
Also, when you replace your cooler, do some testing to see if it all works as intended. The same story goes each time you apply a fresh coat of thermal paste. Finally, if you start experiencing crashes and BSOD situations, torturing the CPU should be one of the first troubleshooting steps.
How To Stress Test CPU
Different situations ask for different stress tests. Prime95 is an old but still excellent tool for all kinds of CPU torture tests. When you build or buy a new machine, run it for a couple of hours to see just how efficient your cooling and airflow are, as well as to see whether the system runs stable.
After you’ve done with Prime95, an hour or so playing a CPU-intensive game should give you topped out thermals of the whole system. Games are also great real-world tests for both CPU and GPU since they use the whole system, not just single components.
A similar recipe applies after you replace thermal paste or the cooler. An hour of Prime95 should be more than enough. The test shouldn’t last longer because, unlike when testing a new PC, you don’t test stability here, just thermals.
When overclocking or overvolting, the first thing you should do is perform a couple of runs of both multi and single-threaded Cinebench R20 or R23 benchmarks. If all goes well, spend a couple of hours in Prime95, and then game for an hour. If all tests run successfully, you could let Prime95 run overnight as a sort of final confirmation that the OC is stable enough for regular usage.
When it comes to the monitoring software, focus on CPU thermals but also thermal data from motherboard sensors.
For instance, Mos sensors show you VRM temperature, which could throttle your CPU if it goes too high (over 90 degrees Celsius or higher).
Now, when you open Prime95 you’re greeted with lots of different settings, so let us explain which settings to use depending on your use case. When testing a new build, you can just select the “Blend” option. It combines all other tests and is great for new systems because this way you can test both the CPU and memory. Important since most RAM modules nowadays use some sort of XMP. If the app, or any of the threads, doesn’t crash or stop running, you’re fine.
Next, when overclocking, first use the “Large FFTs” test to test your XMP memory profile. A couple of hours should be fine. The large FFTs test should be followed with a “Small FFTs” test, which is the most demanding CPU torture test found in Prime95. This one can sweat even the most powerful CPUs.
If you want to test single-core boost clocks, select only two threads (one physical core) in the “number of torture test threads to run” option in Prime95.
When overclocking, especially Intel CPUs, it’s worth testing the system in a demanding game to see if the whole system’s stable when the CPU is overclocked.
Finally, when replacing thermal paste or installing a new CPU cooler, half an hour to an hour of Small FFTs is recommended. Now, since the Small FFTs test puts an unreal strain on the CPU, you should also perform hour-long gaming tests where you should get a realistic look at your CPU’s thermal performance. Or, you can use Aida64, which doesn’t unrealistically push the CPU like Prime95.
The Best CPU Stress Test Tools
Check out the best CPU stress test you can use below. When it comes to online CPU stress tests, we don’t recommend using them. It’s better to use a tried-and-true tool that’s available for free than a shady online tool. Also, most CPU benchmark and stress test apps are extremely lightweight and downloading them shouldn’t be an issue even if your internet connection is slower than slow.
Prime95 – This is a very old but still relevant CPU stress test tool.
It’s updated for modern CPUs making it the best free CPU stress test you can get.
Aida64 – Not as punishing as Prime95, but still a solid way to test your CPU more realistically. It’s not free, but comes with a 30-day trial period.
Cinebench R20/R23 – When benchmarking your CPU, Cinebench R23 is a bit better because it runs each test three times by default, giving you more precise results. But when torture testing your CPU, there’s no difference which version you’re using. Both versions of the benchmark have a custom stress test duration option.
CPU-Intensive Games – Gaming for an hour or two is a great way to conclude stress testing the CPU after getting affirmative results in Prime95. As good as it is, Prime95 cannot put the whole system under strain. On the other hand, cruising through Night City in Cyberpunk 2077 will tell you whether your system can handle the CPU being OCed. Other great games to test the CPU include Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey or Valhalla (especially to test single-core boost), Civilization VI (just get a late-game save file and start ending those turns), as well as any recent Total War game (again, late-game save files are recommended).
CPU Monitoring Tools
HWiNFO – The best monitoring tool you can get. It’s free, it gets constant updates, it works great with a wide range of hardware, and it’s lightweight.
HWiNFO + RTSS – You’ll need this combo to monitor CPU thermals while in-game. Once you install HWiNFO get RTSS (Riva Tuner Statistics Server) and install that one too. Next, open RTSS and turn Stealth Mode on (allowing the app to work with some multiplayer games). After you’ve done that, open HWiNFO, click on Run and then click on the settings button.
Next, click on the OSD (RTSS) tab. There, assign the hotkey for toggling the OSD and then select which data you want the OSD to include. Next, click OK. Also, make sure that both the HWiNFO and RTSS are running when you start the game.
How to find out what processor is in a Windows computer: all the ways
Novice users may not know the technical information about their computer. Meanwhile, its parameters are important, determining the speed of the system.
Knowing exactly what is inside the computer, you can understand whether it needs an upgrade and how compatible it is with new software.
|
Apple in Telegram and YouTube. Subscribe! |
💚 BY TOPIC: How to automatically switch the language (layout) on the keyboard in Windows.
The main technical element of the system is the processor. The operation of this “brain” of a computer is determined by the architecture, the number of cores, and the clock frequency. That is why obtaining accurate information about the processor model is so important for understanding the current capabilities of the system and the need for an upgrade. We will tell you about a few simple ways to find out the processor model of your computer and additional information about this module.
Among the above methods, only the first pair is suitable for Windows 10, while the rest can be used in other versions of Windows.
💚 BY TOPIC: How to create an icon in Windows to shutdown / restart your computer.
Method 1. Follow the path Start → Settings → System . Select « About » or « About » on the left. The main window will display the characteristics of the device. Among other information, you can see the processor model there.
In Windows 7, similar information can be seen in menu Control Panel → System and Security → System . The list of information about the computer will also indicate the processor model.
Method 2. The Windows Task Manager also has the information we need. To get it, right-click on the « Start » button, then select « Task Manager » and go to tab «Performance» . On the left you will see a list of indicators of the main modules of the system, the first in the list is the CPU.
Click on this item. In the main window on the top right you can see the name of the processor model. In the lower part of the window, additional information about it appears: its current and base frequency, number of cores, cache size.
Method 3. Use the key combination Win + R to open the window « Run «. The Win key is located on the keyboard at the bottom left, between the Ctrl and Alt keys, and has an emblem in the form of the Windows logo. In the window that appears, enter the command msinfo32 . The application « System Information » will start. In its main window you will find a long list, but we are interested in the item « Processor «. It is there that the information of interest to us is contained.
Method 4: Open a command prompt and type wmic cpu get name .
The processor model will be displayed in the window.
Method 5. The last method concerns many third-party programs that reveal the detailed characteristics of the computer, primarily the processor. The simplest and most common of them is CPU-Z. It is interesting and useful in that it specializes just in the characteristics of the processor. In CPU-Z, you can see an abundance of useful information about it.
Usually these methods are enough to determine your processor model. But this is far from the only way. For example, you can find out which processor is in the computer’s BIOS. We will not consider the most difficult method — disassembling a computer and physically studying the microcircuit — nevertheless, this option is not the most convenient.
🔥 See also:
- How to reduce the size (compress) video without losing quality on a Windows computer, Mac and Linux.
- Hidden folders and files in Windows: how to hide (show) photos, videos, documents, disks.
- How to clear (delete) cache in Telegram on iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows or Mac computer.
🍏 We are in Telegram and YouTube, subscribe!
How useful is the publication?
Click on a star to rate!
Average rating 3.7 / 5. Number of ratings: 3
No ratings yet. Rate first.
Tags: iFaq, Programs for the computer.
How to find out what processor is in a laptop or computer
Not every PC user knows what processor is in his laptop or computer. But this information can be useful, for example, when you need to find suitable drivers. Fortunately, finding out the name of the chip that is installed in a PC is not at all difficult, and this can be done in several ways.
Some of the available options can be called official, as they are implemented through the software features of Windows. However, we will consider other methods that involve the use of third-party software.
By the way, more tips on operating, setting up and repairing laptops can be found on the blog of the ZETO.UA online store. Also, schematics of various boards are regularly published there.
How to find out what processor your computer has on Windows 10 or later
The first method is the easiest, but it is only available to users whose laptops are running Windows 10 or newer.
It is enough to open the «Start» menu by clicking on the icon of the same name with the right mouse button, go to the «Settings» section → the «System» subsection and select the «About» item in the side menu. In the block «Device characteristics», which will be displayed in this window, the name of the processor model will be indicated.
How to view the processor model through the task manager
You can also find out which processor is in a laptop or PC using the task manager. To do this, right-click on the “Start” icon and select “Task Manager” from the menu, then go to the “Performance” tab and click on the “CPU” item.
The name of the chip will be displayed in the upper right corner of the window, and its characteristics below the diagram.
How to find the processor name using the command prompt or Windows PowerShell
To use this method, you must open a command prompt. To do this, right-click on the «Start» icon, and then select one of the available items from the menu that opens: «Command Prompt» or «Windows PowerShell».
Then you can enter the command wmic cpu get name , press the «Enter» button and see the name of the processor model.
How to see which chip is in the laptop in the «System Information» section
The last way that you can use without installing additional software on your computer. You just need to simultaneously press two keys: “Win” (the button with the Windows logo) and “R”, then enter msinfo32 in the corresponding field and press “Enter”.
In the window that appears, in the «System Information» section, you can find the «Processor» line, in which the name of the chip will be indicated.