Do you ever wonder if your hardware is running slower than it should be?
Well today I'm going to tell you about a small portable app you can run that will give you 5 minute performance check. I generally run this program every few months just to make sure nothing is running slow and it has helped me solve multiple issues including:
Low CPU performance. I had a below average CPU benchmark score so I ran User Benchmark with HWMonitor and saw the CPU was overheating and dropping the clock rate down to 800mhz briefly. I rebooted, reduced my clock speed by 100mhz, tried again and it was fixed. This also stopped micro stutters when gaming.
Slow SSD performance. I noticed a poor SSD benchmark result, had a Google, then applied an updated firmware form the manufacture's site. Boom fixed!
So here is how I do it:
Its also a great tool when overclocking to see how your hardware stands up against other peoples rigs. The GPU tests are no were near as thorough as PCMark or 3D Mark but this is quick, free and well laid out. I haven't managed to be able to untick certain benchmarks from the main menu which is annoying so if anyone knows how to do that leave me a comment.
Some good performance / PC focused forums for help:
Tom's Hardware
HardFroum
Overclock
