Computer speed check

by Ethan Hunter

There are several computer speed check downloads available on the Internet. These tools are used for checking the speed of the CPU in your PC. You can either choose to download a freeware or shareware version of the tool to check the speed parameters governing the overall performance of your PC. You may also choose the web-based tools which you do not need to install in your computer. There are two types of speed checks that are generally done on PC’s, one which checks the speed of the different components in your PC, such as, the CPU clock speed, the data transfer speed, etc. and the other where the bandband speed of your Internet is checked vis-a-vis the speed of your PC.

Computer speed check tools measure the actual performance speed of the CPU in your computer. Typical computer speed check software would indicate various aspects of your CPU speed parameters, such as, whether the CPU in your PC is over-clocked with your CPU clock speed running at a higher rate than specified. It would also indicate if the CPU is running faster than what it is rated, and whether the CPU is operating in its usual normal range.

Normally, the rated CPU speed is available on any Pentium 4 or later CPUs. The CPU of your PC should be running at this speed or below the rated speed specified by the manufacturer. Computer speed check software provides detailed description of your Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 caches as supported by your CPU. Having larger cache sizes would mean a faster computer system. The memory speed is defined by how fast your CPU can access data in the memory. This indication is usually provided in megabytes per second. The software times this speed by executing large memory to memory transfer. Larger transfer rates would mean a faster PC.

The speed of your PC does not depend on the clock speed of the CPU in your computer. Computer speed check tools are used for measuring other speed related critical factors which go on to determine the overall speed of your system. They are also used for determining the speed of your network and your Internet access speed. Advanced computer speed check software provides you with a control panel and a separate graphical window in which the speed related parameters of your PC are displayed. The control panel lets you to change the parameter settings to view different test results under different conditions.

The CPU speed and memory timings in your computer are controlled by the settings in your BIOS. There could be several reasons for your PC to slow down. It could be lower CPU speed, or there might be something wrong with your memory timings. To find out the actual speed of the CPU in your PC, computer speed check utility provides the actual measured speed of the CPU. Depending on the features available, the tool also provides you with information regarding the other speed components in your PC. The analysis provided by the utility could be used to find out the reason your computer is running slow.

The BIOS found in the present computer system can automatically detect the type of CPU being used in your computer. The CPU clock rate is also set by your BIOS through a multiplier factor. The speed related functioning of your PC depends upon the clock speed of the CPU in your PC and the data transfer rate between the CPU and memory. The “bus” system is responsible for transporting data, and the rate of transfer determines the overall speed of your computer. If the data transport rate is low, your PC will have a slower operating speed. Computer speed check tools, available on the Internet, have various features from just a basic utility to check CPU speed to providing extensive details relating to the other parameters in your computer which affects speed.

Appropriate changes in your BIOS settings can be made to set the multiplier factor in your PC which in turn reflects on the clock speed of the CPU. For example, a computer having a processor speed of 550 MHz, with a front side bus speed of 100 MHz, has its multiplier factor set at 5.5 for the CPU to work at 550 MHz. Before you make any adjustments to the CPU speed in your computer you should find out the various speed parameters which are governing overall performance of your computer. Computer speed check software has the feature to provide you with the entire information which you may utilize to diagnose the parameter affecting the performance of your PC.

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