A Step-By-Step Guide on How To Check Your PC Specs

Users who want to build a custom Windows computer or are planning to sell their premade one always want to know about the specifications of their machine. They usually want to know about the CPU, GPU, RAM, motherboard, and disk space.

The good news is that finding this information is relatively easy, even if you’re not tech-savvy. To help you along, this article contains simple and clear instructions on how to check PC specs in just a few clicks.

How To Check What CPU You Have

Knowing what CPU a computer has and how fast it is is essential, whether you’re looking for a gaming PC or a laptop. We’ll offer you several methods for figuring this information out, depending on which OS you’re using.

Let’s start with Windows 11 and the three ways to find this information in this version.

The First Method

You won’t need any third-party apps, as everything is within reach of several clicks. This method also works on Windows 10.

• Go to the Start menu.
• From the Start Menu, click Settings.
• Once in Settings, navigate to System.
• Click About.
• Expand the device section, and you’ll find the CPU information.

The Second Method

This is actually two methods in one: You can use Windows PowerShell, or Windows Terminal to check your computer specs.

If you want to find information about your CPU generation via Windows Terminal (a.k.a. cmd) or PowerShell:

• Go to the Start menu.
• Look for PowerShell and click Run as Administrator from the right-click menu.
• You can also type “cmd” or “Windows Terminal” into the search bar.

First, type in “wmic,” press Enter, then type “cpu get info,” and press Enter again. Of course, neither command contains quotation marks.

The Third Method

This is the last option for finding information about your CPU on Windows 11. It’s as simple as the previous ones – the only difference is that you’ll be using Task Manager.

• Right-click on the Start Button and select Task Manager, which will appear in the drop-down menu.
• When you open the Task Manager, go to the Performance tab and once you find the CPU on the list, click on it.
• You’ll see the information about your processor in the top-right section.

Finding CPU Info on Windows 7 and 8

Checking PC specs concerning your CPU on Windows 8 is also pretty simple. Go to the Charms bar and then navigate to Settings. From there, click on PC info, continue to the System panel, and you’ll find all relevant information.

On Windows 7, the process looks a bit different:

• Find your My Computer shortcut.
• Right-click on it and select Properties.
• Aside from info about your CPU, you’ll also see other system specs.

How To Find Out How Much RAM You Have

Finding out information about your RAM is straightforward, regardless of which Windows version you’re using. Let’s start with Windows 7. 

Go to:

• Control Panel
• System and Security
• System page

Another way is to right-click the My Computer shortcut and go to Properties. From there, move to the System menu and look at Installed Memory.

When it comes to Windows 10 and 11, you should use Task Manager to see the computer specs regarding your RAM.

• Right-click the taskbar at the bottom of the screen
• Click on the Task Manager button
• Select Performance
• Go to Memory

Here, you’ll get all the information about your RAM, including the form factor, the system’s physical memory slots, and, of course, the speed.

On Windows 8, go to:

• Charms bar
• Click on Settings
• Click on PC Info
• Navigate to the System panel

In the System panel, you’ll see all the information about your RAM, but also all the needed information regarding your processor and whether you have a 32-bit or 64-bit system.

How To Check What GPU You Have

If you have a PC and want to see if you can play demanding video games or dive into the world of AR or VR, or both, you’ll need to check if your GPU can take the heat. To check this on Windows 10 or 11, do the following:

First, press the Start button:

• Search for the Device Manager.
• From the Device Manager, select the arrow right next to Display Adapters.
• In this section, you’ll find your GPU.

Bear in mind that there could be two options under Display Adapters. If you have a laptop, this shows your integrated graphics card and the dedicated graphics card. You should be looking for the dedicated graphics card in your PC info.

Another reason you might want to find this information is if you want to sell your computer. Your potential buyers will likely be interested in knowing which GPU the computer has; for example, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, 2070, 2080, or an AMD card.

How to Check What Motherboard You Have

While checking the previous specs we mentioned takes just a few clicks in most cases, motherboard info isn’t that easy to locate. There’s more than one way for you to get this information, so we’ll explore each one separately. Luckily, the same procedure applies to Windows 7, 8, 10, and 11.

Command Prompt

There are three steps you need to take if you want to find the information about your motherboard using the command prompt. Do this:

1. Type ‘cmd’ in the windows search bar and hit enter
2. Type wmic baseboard get product, Manufacturer in the Command Prompt
3. You’ll get the information about the motherboard model/name and the manufacturer

System Information

You can also check the motherboard model by going to the System Information menu.

1. Type “system information” in the Windows search bar.
2. Go down to the System Summary Tab, and scroll down to find BaseBoard Manufacturer or Motherboard Manufacturer.
3. The information next to one of these two will indicate the model of the motherboard.

This method seems easy and simple, but sometimes you’ll only be able to get the information about your motherboard manufacturer, not the model number. Because of that, we’ll offer one more method for finding out what motherboard you’re using. 

Open Your Computer and See What Motherboard You Have 

If you want to get the information about your motherboard and you’re handy with hardware, the best option is to open your computer and see for yourself.

Once you open it, look at the motherboard’s chipset. You’ll find a four-digit code comprised of one letter and three numbers.

How To Check the Remaining Space On Your Hard Drive

This is probably the easiest step from this list. Here’s what you need to do to check how much space you have on your hard drive on Windows 10 and 11.

• Go to File Explorer and click This PC.
• Go to Devices and Drives.
• You will be able to see how much unused disk space you have left.

To check how much space you have left on your hard drive on Windows 7 or 8, use the Command Prompt.

• Press Windows + R simultaneously to open Run.
• In the Run box, type “cmd” (no quotation marks).
• Then, type “wmic logicaldisk get size,freespace,caption” (no quotation marks) and hit Enter. Be warned - the available disk space will be delivered in bytes, not gigabytes.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re selling your PC or have just bought a new one and want to confirm its features, you might want to read this article and learn how to find the specs of your PC. Even though there is PC-spec-checker software available, you don’t really need it.

We made sure you can find this information even if you’re using Windows 7 or 8, so simply follow these easy steps and find all the information regarding your computer’s specs in a few easy clicks.