Are you looking to build a new PC? Do you have no idea what you should change or keep in your current computer? If you’re in this situation right now, then the first step you should take is to know more about your PC. What are its basic specs – CPU, GPU, motherboard? Here, you’ll know how to know everything there is about your computer.
Table of Contents:4 Ways to Check Your PC’s SpecificationsWhat Information Can You See in the PC’s Specs?Why Is It Important to Know Your PC’s Specs?
4 Ways to Check Your PC’s Specifications
There are four ways you can know about your PC’s specs. If you have a Windows 10 operations system or a Mac OS, then follow these steps to know how.
- Through System Information
If you have a Windows 10 or any other Windows OS, you’ll find most of your PC’s specs in the System Information window. To get there, click the Windows logo at the bottom left-hand corner of the screen. You’ll find that a menu pops up in the left corner. In the bottom area, you’ll find a gear icon that signifies your PC’s settings. Click this icon.
A window will pop up that has several options for you to choose – system, devices, etc. Click ‘System’. Another menu will open and this time, on the left-side, click the ‘About’ tab. If you don’t see it right away, scroll down in the list of tabs since the About tab is at the end of the list. Click that.
You will be directed to all the information of your PC’s specs. You know you’re in the right place if it shows a ‘Device specifications’ header at the top of the window.
- Through Device Manager
What about if you want to know about the in-depth information on your PC? You can do this by going to the Device Manager. To go there, press the Windows icon found on your keyboard and press ‘X’ while holding the Windows key down.
This will open a menu that has the Device Manager on its list. Click the Device Manager option and another window will show up. If you’re not a tech-savvy person, then you might want to stay away from this window because aside from it being very technical, there’s not much you can do unless you want to uninstall or disable something.
Going back to the Device Manager, on the left side, there’s a list of all of the PC’s components. Click the component you want to check to expand the category. You can also double-click the category to get a window that contains information on that area only.
- Through the Apple Menu
If you have a Mac OS, looking for your PC’s specifications will be a little more straightforward. One of the ways is through the Apple Menu found at the top left-hand corner of the screen. In this area, you’ll find the Apple logo. Click the logo and choose ‘About This Mac’. A window will appear with all the information you’re looking for.
The window has six categories, but at first glance, you will be able to see the basic specs of your computer. Other categories include displays, storage, memory, support, and service. Explore these options so you get a better idea of the specs of your Mac.
- Through Spotlight Search
Spotlight search is your Mac’s counterpart for the Windows Search bar. To go to the spotlight search, press command then the spacebar. This will show a bar where you can just time whatever you are looking for. For this particular concern, you can just type ‘About this Mac’. Because the spotlight search for Mac is very intuitive, even typing ‘display’, ‘storage’, and ‘support’ will show the ‘About this Mac’ option listed as a possible hit. When you’ve seen the ‘About this Mac’ option, hover your mouse pointer over it or press the down arrow to go to it and then press enter. This will direct you to the PC specifications.
This is not an exhaustive list of all the ways you can get your PC’s specs since different operating systems and versions have a slightly different touch to it. If you have a different version of a Windows OS, the steps might be slightly different and the wordings may not be the same. However, the steps described here are the general ways of how and where you can look for your PC’s information.
What Information Can You See in the PC’s Specs?
Your PC’s specifications often contain information about the processor, graphics card, storage, devices installed, and other hardware information. It will also contain the manufacturer’s details, like the name of the manufacturer, the serial number, and the name of the device itself.
It’s important to know that these specs can be a little hard to understand especially if you have zero background on what a GPU means or what an Intel HD Graphics 620 refers to. As much as possible, if you don’t understand those things, it’s best to do a little research and not go tinkering with your PC first. If you update, disable, or uninstall a device, it will affect how your PC is running and a lot of things can go wrong from there.
Why Is It Important to Know Your PC’s Specs?
So, now you know your computer’s CPU, memory, and GPU. What now? Usually, your purpose for knowing what your PC’s specs are is because something went wrong or you’re upgrading. If it’s the former, it would be better to ask a technician or an expert if the problem is a lot more complex than installing or uninstalling. If it’s the latter, then knowing your PC’s specs will help you decide which parts need replacing.
If you’re replacing parts, make sure that you look at the motherboard specs first before anything else because it will dictate what your PC can accommodate. This includes the processors that you can add. As for devices, you’ll most definitely find information about that in the Device Manager rather than the System Information in Windows. For Mac, you can just go to the Settings or System Preferences.