“I need a new computer!” is a cry often heard by parents and system administrators alike. But often, the problem isn’t in the hardware – if the user isn’t an avid gamer or using a really ancient system, more often than not the problem is a crudded-up Windows installation (yes, I know, “this doesn’t happen on Linux”).
Proving to your user/kid that the hardware isn’t the problem is often easier said than done. What they see is just a slow computer, but PassMark’s PerformanceTest may be able to help you prove that the hardware isn’t all that wimpy.
First of all, you should know this is a Shareware product. You get it for a 30-day free eval period, after which you should buy it. But for most home users, 30 days should be plenty – you just want to see if you should buy a new computer, and if so, how much would that computer really be better than what you have now.
PerformanceTest runs a fairly comprehensive battery of tests, including CPU, graphics (2D and 3D), memory, hard-drive and CD performance. It then lets you upload the results onto its online database, and you can also pull information from the database to compare your system to right within the program.
For some reason, I was unable to find other systems listed as running Windows 7 x64, and so I had to compare my system with rigs running Vista x64.
Even if you don’t want to benchmark your own system, the database provides some very illuminating statistics. If you’re on the market for a new system, you should definitely take a stroll through some of the charts.