How to Test Your PC for Hardware Failures: Tips and Tools to Know
Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2024 11:00 am
If you've ever opened up your computer, you know there's a lot of hardware in there. It's all a potential point of failure. There are certain pieces of hardware that are more prone to failure than others.
Equipment that generates heat or has moving parts tends to fail more often. With computer hardware testing, you can check your system and detect failing hardware before everything else fails.
What can go wrong with PC hardware?
The parts that break the most are fans, hard drives, CPUs, and GPUs.
RAM also tends to fail as well. It is continually being written and rewritten to (flashed). Solid state memory can handle only so many flashes before it starts to fail. The problem also applies to solid state hard drives.
The best way to avoid getting caught out is to run regular hardware diagnostic tests on your computer. Here's how to run hardware tests on Windows 10.
Windows 10 Hardware Diagnostic Tools
Windows 10 has two built-in hardware diagnostic tools. The first analyzes system performance on your computer, and the second runs memory tests on your Windows 10 PC.
Performance Monitor
Performance Monitor is a native desktop application in Windows 10. It is the operating system's most holistic tool for finding and diagnosing hardware and system problems.
To open the app, search for your name in Cortana and click the link. You may need to wait a few seconds while the app collects data.
If you want a quick overview of your system's hardware, use the left pane to navigate to Reports > System > System Diagnostics > [Computer Name] .
It provides various hardware, software, CPU, network, disk and memory checks, plus a long list of detailed statistics.
Dig a little deeper and you'll find live performance graphs (under Monitoring Tools > Performance Monitor) and customizable datasets (under Data Collector Sets).
Windows memory diagnostics
A computer's central processing unit (CPU) uses RAM to store short-term information. Anything stored in RAM is lost when you turn off the machine.
There are many warning signs when your RAM is close to failure. They include poor performance, frequent crashes, video cards failing to boot, corrupted data files, and incorrect RAM information in the Windows System app.
If you are wondering how to run a memory test on your RAM, you need to use the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool.
It works by writing and then reading your computer's RAM. Different values signal faulty hardware.
To launch the tool, press Windows + R to open the Run window, type mdsched.exe and press Enter . Windows will prompt you to restart your computer.
The test will take a few minutes to complete. When it's finished, your machine will restart again. You'll see the results on the screen once you return to the Windows desktop.
(If Windows doesn't automatically show you the results, open 99 acres database Viewer by right-clicking the Start button, going to Windows Logs > System, and finding the most recent file named MemoryDiagnostic .
Third-party hardware diagnostic applications
If you're looking for something specific or a little more powerful, you'll need to turn to third-party software.
There are plenty to choose from, but here are four of the best computer diagnostic apps.
1. MemTest86
MemTest86 is well established as the best tool for testing your RAM on Windows. It's more powerful than Microsoft's Windows Memory Diagnostic tool.
The app has 13 different RAM testing algorithms and supports DDR4, DDR2, and DDR3 RAM. You can boot it directly from a USB stick or CD, and Microsoft has signed the app's code for Secure Boot compatibility.
Unlike the Windows tool, MemTest86 also has a full graphical interface.
Download: MemTest86 (Free)
2. CrystalDiskInfo
If you want to focus on testing your hard drives, install CrystalDiskInfo.
The app’s main feature is its “Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology” (SMART) test. It provides data on various aspects of your drives, including the read error rate, a reallocated sector count, spin-up time, and more.
CrystalDiskInfo also includes advanced power management and audio management tools.
And if you leave the app running in the background, it can provide live alerts if your drives get too hot or experience other failures.
Equipment that generates heat or has moving parts tends to fail more often. With computer hardware testing, you can check your system and detect failing hardware before everything else fails.
What can go wrong with PC hardware?
The parts that break the most are fans, hard drives, CPUs, and GPUs.
RAM also tends to fail as well. It is continually being written and rewritten to (flashed). Solid state memory can handle only so many flashes before it starts to fail. The problem also applies to solid state hard drives.
The best way to avoid getting caught out is to run regular hardware diagnostic tests on your computer. Here's how to run hardware tests on Windows 10.
Windows 10 Hardware Diagnostic Tools
Windows 10 has two built-in hardware diagnostic tools. The first analyzes system performance on your computer, and the second runs memory tests on your Windows 10 PC.
Performance Monitor
Performance Monitor is a native desktop application in Windows 10. It is the operating system's most holistic tool for finding and diagnosing hardware and system problems.
To open the app, search for your name in Cortana and click the link. You may need to wait a few seconds while the app collects data.
If you want a quick overview of your system's hardware, use the left pane to navigate to Reports > System > System Diagnostics > [Computer Name] .
It provides various hardware, software, CPU, network, disk and memory checks, plus a long list of detailed statistics.
Dig a little deeper and you'll find live performance graphs (under Monitoring Tools > Performance Monitor) and customizable datasets (under Data Collector Sets).
Windows memory diagnostics
A computer's central processing unit (CPU) uses RAM to store short-term information. Anything stored in RAM is lost when you turn off the machine.
There are many warning signs when your RAM is close to failure. They include poor performance, frequent crashes, video cards failing to boot, corrupted data files, and incorrect RAM information in the Windows System app.
If you are wondering how to run a memory test on your RAM, you need to use the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool.
It works by writing and then reading your computer's RAM. Different values signal faulty hardware.
To launch the tool, press Windows + R to open the Run window, type mdsched.exe and press Enter . Windows will prompt you to restart your computer.
The test will take a few minutes to complete. When it's finished, your machine will restart again. You'll see the results on the screen once you return to the Windows desktop.
(If Windows doesn't automatically show you the results, open 99 acres database Viewer by right-clicking the Start button, going to Windows Logs > System, and finding the most recent file named MemoryDiagnostic .
Third-party hardware diagnostic applications
If you're looking for something specific or a little more powerful, you'll need to turn to third-party software.
There are plenty to choose from, but here are four of the best computer diagnostic apps.
1. MemTest86
MemTest86 is well established as the best tool for testing your RAM on Windows. It's more powerful than Microsoft's Windows Memory Diagnostic tool.
The app has 13 different RAM testing algorithms and supports DDR4, DDR2, and DDR3 RAM. You can boot it directly from a USB stick or CD, and Microsoft has signed the app's code for Secure Boot compatibility.
Unlike the Windows tool, MemTest86 also has a full graphical interface.
Download: MemTest86 (Free)
2. CrystalDiskInfo
If you want to focus on testing your hard drives, install CrystalDiskInfo.
The app’s main feature is its “Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology” (SMART) test. It provides data on various aspects of your drives, including the read error rate, a reallocated sector count, spin-up time, and more.
CrystalDiskInfo also includes advanced power management and audio management tools.
And if you leave the app running in the background, it can provide live alerts if your drives get too hot or experience other failures.