If you own a laptop or desktop computer, it might be helpful to know the basics about the software and hardware. One thing it can do is check to see if the device is ready to install a new version of Windows 11 or an app. The specs can help you decide if a part needs to be improved or if you need to buy a new computer if the computer starts to run slowly. Being aware of this can also help you figure out what’s wrong if the gadget stops working.
Windows 11 always lets you see information about your computer, like its CPU, RAM, motherboard, video card, model and serial number, drivers, and Windows update and version. Setting, System Information, PowerShell, and the Command Prompt are all places where you can do this. (Depending on the use, the information that is provided may be a little different.) This guide will teach you everything you need to know about the hardware and apps on your laptop or desktop computer.
Table of Contents
Check Specs Using the Windows 11 Settings App
This is the best and first way to see what your Windows 11 PC can do. This will let you know what version of Windows you have and give you a short list of information, like the processor and RAM. These are the steps you need to take:
- There should be a Settings app in the Start menu.
- Find “System” and click on “About.”
- Here you get the specs for your machine. Some of these are the type of processor you have, how fast its base clock is, and how much RAM it has.
- If your software is linked to a certain version of Windows, these facts can help you figure out what’s wrong. Still, these are only a few facts; you may want to know more. There are other choices that we can make.
Using the DirectX Diagnostic Tool
This is a great way to learn more about your system’s hardware and what features it can handle if you’re mostly interested in game specs, such as the CPU, GPU, and audio devices. This is how to quickly get to the DirectX Diagnostic Tool:
- On the Start screen, type dxdiag and press Enter.
- You could also open Run by pressing the Windows key plus R and typing dxdiag there.
- It will ask you if you want to check to see if your drivers have been signed online. Type “Yes.”
- You can see your Windows specs a little below that. You can see what build and version of Windows you have here. Some of you may already have Windows 11 version 22H2 or the first version of Windows 11.
- The “System” tab on this main page shows basic system data. It shows the version and build of Windows you have, as well as the version of your BIOS and some information about your processor and RAM. The most interesting part is the Display tab, though. There may be more than one if your PC has more than one GPU, like a lot of gaming computers do.
- You can find out what your GPU is called, how much memory it can use, what driver version you have, and what DirectX features it supports here. Since you need DirectX to play games on your PC, some games might not work well if they don’t have certain features.
- On the Input tab, you can see a list of all the keyboards, mice, and other input devices that are linked. The Audio tab tells you about your sound drivers.
Using System Information
What else do you need? System Information is a great tool for finding out more about your Windows 11 PC’s specs. Window has had this tool for a long time, so it’s pretty old.
When you want to get to System Information, just type “System Information” into the Start menu until it shows up. If that doesn’t work, try this instead:
- Turn on the computer.
- Check out the list of all the apps.
- Scroll down one level to get to Windows Tools.
- Click on Details About the System.
By default, the System Information window shows a summary of the system when it starts. This list tells you about your processor, like how fast its base clock is, how many physical cores it has, and how many logical processors, which are also known as threads, it has. You can also find your RAM on this page.
To learn more about the other parts of your PC, click on the “Components” link in the side menu. There, you can see information about the speaker(s), sound card(s), storage, and other parts of the screen. Some parts can be made longer, so you can find a lot. This is one of the most complete breakdowns you can find, but not all of it will help everyone.
Using Windows Terminal
If you like tools that are built on the command line, you can also use the Windows Terminal app to learn more about your system. You can run both Command Prompt and Windows PowerShell from Windows Terminal, which is a terminal server. Both of these can tell you about your PC’s specs, but they do it in slightly different ways and with slightly different directions. It looks a little better when you use Command Prompt.
Using PowerShell for Windows
PowerShell can be used on Windows 11 to get basic information about a laptop or desktop machine.
- To use PowerShell to check the device specs, follow these steps:
- Get going.
- Right-click on the first PowerShell file you find and select “Run as administrator.”
- Type this code and press Enter to learn about the hardware: Get-ComputerInfo -Name -Name
- To see only the features of a certain part, type the following command and press Enter: “Get-ComputerInfo -Property “PROPERTY-NAME”” is the name of it.
- In the command, change it to PROPERTIES-NAME to see the files. In this case, the facts about the software are shown: To find out about the machine, use Get-ComputerInfo with the “bios*” property.
- Keep in mind that the command’s asterisk (*) fits any value that starts with “BIOS.”
You will see a full list of hardware information from Windows 11 or the property you picked in the command when you are done with the steps.
Using the Command Prompt
- Type “Command prompt” into the Start menu until it shows up. After that, press Enter.
- Type “systeminfo” into Windows PowerShell and hit “Enter.”
Create Hardware Specs Report
Another thing that can be done with the app is to make a report about computer hardware and software. To make a report with the Windows 11 system specs, do these things:
- Get the system started.
- Type “msinfo32” into Google. The System Information app will open when you click on the first link.
- Pick up the group on the left side of the screen to send the tech specs.
- For quick help, pick “System Summary” to send everything. Pick “Display” instead if all you need to do is send details about the graphics card.
- Pick “File” from the list.
- Click the “Export” button.
- Pick out a spot to keep the file.
- Give the report a name that tells you what it is, like “Office PC Specs.”
- Click the “Save” button.
- When you’re done with the steps, the specs will be saved as a text file. After that, any text tool will be able to open this file.
Conclusion
To sum up, it’s important to know what your PC’s specs are, especially if you want to get Windows 11. Knowing about the parts of your computer’s hardware can help you keep it up to date and avoid problems before they happen. This will also make things go faster.
This article has talked about several ways to check your PC’s specs on Windows 11, from using built-in tools like the System Information application to using software from other companies. You can make smart decisions about how to set up your PC if you have this information, whether you’re looking at processor specs, RAM specs, disk caps, or graphics card specs.
Not only is it a good idea to check your PC’s specs often, you have to do it to avoid hardware problems and keep your computer running smoothly. Know what your PC can and can’t do so you can make smart choices about upgrades, software installs, and taking care of your system in general.
In other words, the first thing you need to do to get your PC ready for Windows 11 is to learn everything you can about it. The switch to the new operating system will be easy and quick now that you know these things. Taking these steps will keep your PC useful and strong for a long time.
Moreover, you can always check out our detailed guide on 3 Best Alternatives to Notepad++ Text Editor for Mac or How to Enable Controlled Folder Access in Windows?
