Knowing your PC’s specs can be pretty handy. Especially if you’re planning on an upgrade or troubleshooting a pesky performance issue. Or hey, maybe you’re just curious about what’s under the hood, and want to learn more about how computers work. Whatever it is, you’re in the right place.

We’ll show you how to check your PC specs on Windows, Mac and Linux. And we’ll even recommend a few third-party tools that’ll give you a more detailed look too. Time for a spec check…

Why checking your PC specs is important

Put simply, it helps you to understand what your system is capable of. And, if it’s starting to chug a bit, it might explain where it could do with a few improvements.

Here’s the most important reasons to check your PC specs:

• Troubleshooting – Whether it’s crashing loads or taking ages to boot up, knowing your specs can be handy for diagnosing any problems. With detailed info on all your hardware, it’ll hopefully point you in the right direction.

• Gaming requirements – Gaming can be pretty resource-intense on your PC. So, checking your specs can help to see if your rig meets the minimum and recommended requirements for the games you want to play. It’ll save you from the frustration of buying a game, just to find out your PC can’t run it smoothly.

• Working out upgrades – Time for some new components? Head over to your specs and work out which parts might need an upgrade. For example, if your RAM is maxed out, adding in some more could give your PC a big boost.

How to check PC specs on Windows

There are a few ways to check your PC specs on Windows. Here’s how to use them:

System Information

1. Open System Information – Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog.

2. Review the details – The System Information window will pop up, showing you loads of info about your system, including the operating system, CPU, RAM and more.

Task Manager

1. Open Task Manager – Right click on the taskbar and select Task Manager. Or press Ctrl + Shift + Esc.

2. Check CPU and RAM – Click on the performance tab to see real-time usage of your CPU, RAM and other components.

3. Advanced details – Press on the CPU, Memory or other tabs to get more detailed info.

DirectX Diagnostic Tool

1. Open DirectX Diagnostic Tool – Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog. Type dxdiag and press Enter.

2. Check the info – The DirectX Diagnostic Tool will open, showing you information about your display, sound and input devices.

Settings

1. Open Settings – Click on the Start Menu and selected ‘Settings’.

2. System Information – Go to ‘System’, then ‘About’ to see basic information about your PC, from the model and processor to the amount of installed RAM.

3. Advanced System Settings – Click on the ‘Advanced system settings’ link to open the System Properties window. Then go to the Advanced tab and click on the Environment Variables button for a more detailed rundown.

How to check PC specs on Mac

If you’re a Mac user, there’s a straightforward way to check your system specs…

About This Mac

1. Open About This Mac – Click on the Apple menu in the top-left corner of your screen, then select ‘About This Mac’.

2. Review the details – The overview tab will show you basic information about your Mac, including the model, processor and memory. You can click on the ‘System Report’ button for extra detail.

3. Find out more – With the System Report open, you’ll see a full overview of your Mac’s software and hardware, including the CPU, GPU, RAM, storage and more.

How to check PC specs on Linux

On a Linux machine? You can check your system details using Terminal commands. Here’s how:

lscpu

1. Open Terminal – Press Ctrl + Alt + T to open the Terminal.

2. Run lscpu – Type ‘lscpu’ and press Enter.

3. Review the details – This command will pull up details on your CPU, including the architecture, number of cores and clock speed.

lsblk

1. Open Terminal – Press Ctrl + Alt + T to open the Terminal.

2. Run lsblk – Type ‘lsblk’ and hit Enter.

3. Check the info – You’ll now have a list of all block devices, including your hard drives and partitions.

neofetch

1. Install neofetch – If you don’t have neofetch installed, you can install it using your package manager. For example, on Ubuntu, you can type ‘sudo apt-get install neofetch’.

2. Run neofetch – Type ‘neofetch’ and press Enter.

3. Look at the info – neofetch will display a summary of your system information, including the operating system, kernel, CPU, GPU and more.

Best third-party tools to check PC specs

While the built-in tools are good for a quick overview, third-party ones usually give you more in-depth analysis. Here are a few of the best:

CPU-Z

• What it does – Offers precise details about your motherboard, CPU, RAM and graphics card.

• Pros – Easy to use and offers a lot of useful data.

• Cons – No real-time monitoring.

Speccy

• What it does – Provides detailed info about all aspects of your PC.

• Pros – User-friendly interface, real-time monitoring and detailed reports.

• Cons – Needs an internet connection for some features.

HWMonitor

• What it does – Shows you the temperature, voltage and fan speeds of your components.

• Pros – Detailed temperature readings and real-time monitoring.

• Cons – Less detailed information about your hardware specs.

HWiNFO

• What it does – Rounds up everything you need to know about your hardware.

• Pros – In-depth reports with real-time monitoring.

• Cons – Can be pretty overwhelming if you’re a complete PC newbie.

How to find specific hardware details

If you need to find specific details about your hardware, here’s how to do it manually:

Checking CPU details

• Windows – Open Task Manager and go to the Performance tab. Click on the CPU for a detailed breakdown.

• Mac – Open About This Mac and click on the System Report button. Go to the Hardware section and select Processor.

• Linux – Open Terminal and type lscpu to see your CPU info.

Checking GPU details

• Windows – Open Task Manager and go to the Performance tab. Click on the GPU for a detailed breakdown.

• Mac – Open About This Mac and click on the System Report button. Go to the Hardware section and select Graphics/Displays.

• Linux – Open Terminal and type lspci | grep -i vga to see your GPU details.

Checking RAM details

• Windows – Open Task Manager and go to the Performance tab. Click on Memory for a detailed breakdown.

• Mac – Open About This Mac and click on the System Report button. Go to the Hardware section and select Memory.

• Linux – Open Terminal and type free -h to see your RAM usage and total capacity.

Checking storage details

• Windows – Open File Explorer and right-click on This PC. Select Properties and then Advanced system settings. Click on the Environment Variables button for more detail.

• Mac – Open About This Mac and click on the System Report button. Go to the Hardware section and select storage.

• Linux – Open Terminal and type lsblk to see a list of all block devices, along with your hard drives and partitions.

Checking motherboard details

• Windows – Open Command Prompt and type wmic baseboard get product,manufacturer,version,serialnumber.

• Mac – Open About This Mac and click on the System Report button. Go to the Hardware section and select Motherboard.

• Linux – Open Terminal and type sudo dmidecode -t baseboard to see your motherboard details.

Need more advice?

So, that’s how to check PC specs. Decided it’s time for a new PC after looking? Here’s 5 questions to ask before buying a desktop computer. And if you want to get one of the latest machines on the market, read our piece – What is an Ai PC? – for a full rundown.