Top free tools for tracking temperature and system performance
Top free tools for tracking temperature and system performance
They’ll all end up quite alike in the end. CPU-Z and GPU-Z are solid, easy-to-use options. For more advanced features, consider other monitoring tools. The main point is—are you planning to keep tracking things over time, or just doing quick tests?
You're aiming for long-term data tracking. I'll help you monitor how temperatures and usage change while you work.
MSI Afterburner is the #1 when it comes to GPU overclocking, fan control and monitoring. The software allows also in-game monitoring with most games. HWmonitor is best if you want simple but accurate system information in real time. Most people choose it because its from makers of CPU-Z. Speaking of which, CPU-Z provides all information about RAM and CPU you might need for overclocking. GPU-Z does same to GPU but if you are already using Afterburner, I don't see why you should install it. OpenHardwareMonitor is open source version of HWmonitor. It has basic voltage based fan control feature and nice widget but since its open source, update frequency isn't that good. Speccy (from makers of CCleaner) is overall system info tool which has very basic temp and usage monitoring. Aida64 is overall product for monitoring and stress testing. Con of it is that you need to buy full version. You get 30 days of free use. HWiNFO is something you might want to skip if you are looking for simple solution. It has read-outs for every sensor in your system. With time and patience you get it show what you need plus it has really good and customizable widgets. CoreTemp and RealTemp are basic CPU temp software. I haven't used CoreTemp for while so it may have more features or same as RealTemp does. RealTemp has notification area icons for both CPU and GPU temps, CPU temps with icon for each core if you wish. They both work bit wonky with AMD chips so I've seen HWmonitor suggested as their place as main CPU temp monitor. E: I should add Speedfan here too. Its only 3rd party software for complete fan control. While OpenHardwareMonitor can do voltage manipulation (reducing fan power from 12V to 7V), with Speedfan you can adjust fan curves for case and CPU fans if you mobo supports it. It also provides temps, but you might want to use another software to verify them. Speedfan uses just sensor names which don't always indicate what temp is actually in question.
AIDA64 stands out for long-term projects due to its intuitive visuals and snapshot-saving features.