Recently a kind-hearted user notified me of a freeware program by a company called CPUID. It’s called CPU-Z; a diagnostic program that gathers information about things like your processor and RAM, and then displays it right on your screen or outputs to a text file for printing. All the specifics on your system’s silicon innards can be made visual without even cracking the case open! Pretty slick, huh? Now you know to buy (insert name of component here) instead of going to the store and guessing!
Another, more potent option is Sandra from SiSoftware. Sandra is an impressively featured, free program (there are more potent purchasable versions, too) that does everything CPU-Z does and a little more to boot. Everything from operating system specifics to what peripheral is hooked up where can be discerned via this application, plus much, much more. I like it for it’s diagnostic powers, though. Sandra not only gives you the skinny on what’s inside, but also how to make it work optimally!
Put down the screwdriver, and stop worrying about buying the right component! These two programs offer all the help you need to find out exactly what’s on the inside, before actually going in there! After you get back from the store you can break out the tool kit, or call your resident guru to impress the heck out of them with your tech savvy!
~Andrew
