Speccy

Speccy is a software utility that can tell system administrators many details about the computer they're running it on. After the program goes through a short routine, it'll tell the user what kind of processor they have and how much memory they have access to. It also polls the graphics adapter for more information about the type of display attached to the system.

Computers that have integrated graphics will instead report this information to Speccy, which will then pass it onto the user. Details like the amount of video memory and the speed of the GPU are normally included. Speccy can also tell users the manufacturer of their CPU, it's clock rate and the bit count. Users who want to know whether they're able to run 32 or 64-bit applications can run Speccy and quickly find the answer.

Specialists are going to appreciate the sheer amount of information that Speccy returns as well as the speed it's capable of processing it. Some might get a bit confused at the sudden rush of statistics, however. It's clearly designed with system administrators and hardware hackers in mind. Nevertheless, those who want to There's also no real way to change any of the details. Speccy is just a reporting application and doesn't provide users a way to comment on them or take notes about their current situation.

That being said, those who are filing report requests can use Speccy to answer questions posed by technicians. It may also prove helpful to gamers who are concerned about whether or not their machine meets basic system requirements. They'll get an at-a-glance view of every device attached to their machine, so they'll know right away if any upgrades have to be made before they install the hottest games. Support staff from game companies may sometimes ask questions about a player's hardware configuration. When that happens, they can turn to Speccy to get all of the answers they're looking for.

Since Speccy polls the actual APIs that Windows uses to check out hardware devices, you'll get information that's every bit as accurate as the Device Manager applet could provide for you. In fact, it may actually be more accurate since the Windows Control Panel has a tendency to hide certain details that might be important for those who are trying to diagnose problems.

Recent versions of Windows have downplayed the Control Panel to where it's no longer even really a relevant location. Users who find themselves dealing with this sudden lack of an important tool can turn to Speccy to get them the data they need. Since it's small and installs very quickly, it's likely to become a fixture of virtual repair kits across the Windows ecosystem.

Pros

• Provides all relevant CPU details
• Returns total amount of RAM
• Reports on hard disk sizes
• Polls the graphic card for stats

Cons

• Information may prove terse for some users
• No option to change details