Over the past few years, a substitution of concepts has taken place in the computer world. A computer stress test designed to identify and eliminate hardware and software errors is very popular among fans of all kinds of games. It is used to calculate FPS (the number of frames per second) and is used as an argument among peers about the availability of modern gaming hardware. The purpose of this article is to explain to all owners of personal computers, why in fact there are so many stress test programs in the world, how to use them, identify and fix problems in the system.
Best deal
Many people noticed that when buying a computer there is an opportunity to buy both assembled and assemble it for spare parts. Moreover, a ready-made computer for some reason costs more than a PC assembled in the presence of a buyer. The user will also be very surprised to learn that in a similar configuration and price range the complete solution will be a little more productive. The fact is that a company engaged in self-assembly of personal computers pays great attention to the performance and stability of the system. No matter how compatible the components are, they have different potentials. The task of the collector is to find a middle ground, with the minimum cost of components to achieve maximum performance. And, judging by the numerous reviews of the owners of such PCs, the manufacturer manages to achieve such goals. Some stores also conduct a stress test of the computer during assembly, but most buyers do not understand what it is for, and refuse a favorable offer.
Reason for Instability
It may sound rude, but it is the seller in the store who is responsible for the unstable operation of the personal computer. The lack of professionalism and competence of both the consultant and the assembler leads to the failure of expensive components. This is all explained quite simply. The computer in the presence of the user is assembled for parts. The emphasis is on the price of goods and stock. Frequency indicators, current consumption and quality of energy supply, delays in data transmission, cooling system - all this is simply ignored by the seller. But it’s enough to carry out only one stress test of the processor, for example, to see a weak link in the system and select components to eliminate it or to focus on it in case the user wants to save on a purchase.
Stress testing task
The stability of any system is determined by the supply of such a load at which components will operate at their maximum capabilities. If there is some kind of marriage or one of the components of the system is less productive than the others, it will immediately become clear from the test results. It is worth explaining that the stress test program performs without accelerating the frequencies and raising the voltage on the device buses, because failure under the load of any device will be classified as marriage. Accordingly, the seller must replace the device or return the money without any problems. Indeed, logically, the system is constantly subjected to a stress test during games that require high system performance, which in no way are involved in overclocking devices. It is mandatory to test the processor, video adapter, RAM, power supply and hard drive.
PC heart
The correct selection of components should begin with the processor. It is under his characteristics that the components are selected, and not vice versa. After all, all the tasks in the computer are performed only with his participation, and any failure will lead to a complete stop of working capacity. Therefore, the stress test of the processor is the most popular not only among users, but also software developers. Testing is understood as a set of ready-made mathematical operations that are provided by separate threads for each processor core. This calculation makes the processor work at full power, which leads to the fact that it begins to heat up. When working in an emergency, the central processor may give the wrong result - this will be an indicator of instability. Sometimes it happens that when the device is heated, it is generally not capable of delivering a result, activating the protection system, it simply turns off, and the user contemplates the blue window of Windows "death".
RAM
A processor test for performance is often performed in conjunction with RAM. "Communicating" with each other at the same speed, the central processor and memory transmit to each other different volumes of information. The calculation results are placed in different memory cells. After filling in all cells, data is read and overwritten. The speed of writing and reading information by the processor from memory determines the performance of the latter. All thanks to the existing template, which indicates the averaged data on the transmission speed between similar chips. The data was revealed as a result of hours of work by the developers themselves. When buying a computer, you need to strive to match the speed performance of the processor and RAM. Otherwise, the non-synchronous operation of this pair will lead to a decrease in the performance of the entire system.
Argument for game lovers
The stress test for a video card among players is no less popular than testing a central processor. Indeed, speed and realism during the game depend on this adapter. This erroneous opinion leads to the fact that, having bought the most expensive video card and a weak processor, most gamers were not lucky enough to enjoy their favorite game. Just one processor test for performance in conjunction with a video adapter would show a weak link, and the user could correct the situation before buying. Video cards are also tested during overclocking, which is often recommended by the manufacturer. A high-quality cooling system and proper overclocking can significantly improve the performance of the device. When testing an overclocked video adapter, you need to be extremely careful, because significant overheating leads to the appearance of "artifacts" - rectangular areas on the monitor screen of different sizes and colors that cannot be eliminated in the future.
Only stars above
To determine the weakest component in the system, it is not necessary to conduct complex tests, which are offered by many software manufacturers. Predict the joint stress test of the processor, RAM, video adapter and hard drive by looking at the speed of their data bus. In terms of performance, a hard drive is a weak link. However, such a test will show the overall stability of the system. In most cases, hard disk performance is not critical for testing, the program simply does not take into account the speed of the drive. But if there are bad sectors on the hard drive, the user’s attention is surely drawn to this.
Quality power supply
The program will not be able to correctly conduct any test of the processor if a weak or poor-quality power supply is installed in the system. The most consuming components in a PC are the video adapter and processor, so the power calculation for the power supply of the entire system should not be calculated according to the nominal values, but according to the theoretical maximum load. In most cases, a positively passed stress test for a video card is an indicator that the power supply is installed high-quality, and will cope with any task in the future. Judging by the numerous reviews of former owners of cheap power supplies, it is not recommended to conduct a stress test of devices in the presence of unknown Chinese manufacturers in the power supply system.
Quick testing
The main criterion for not testing the system is time. Indeed, sometimes a stress test checks the system for more than one hour. I always want to get the desired result as soon as possible. Thanks to the IntelBurn Test software, this is entirely possible. At first, the program conducted a test of Intel Core processors. Only recently has it added support for rival AMD processors. The goal of IntelBurn Test is to find processor instability during overclocking. Instability in the test manifests itself very quickly in the form of an independent stop of the process with an error message or a BSOD window with the code x124. There are only two results in fact - either during acceleration the system will work stably or not. No additional features are provided.
An integrated approach for the processor-memory link
S&M is also able to quickly test processors for stability. On the market, the application is positioned to test the performance of processors and RAM after raising the nominal frequencies. It will appeal to all fans of AMD, as it supports the FX processor test. In addition, any user will like the functionality. In addition to all kinds of filters that can be limited to testing by selecting its narrow specialization, the user is provided with an informative report on the stress test. The developer recommends performing all tests from the DOS environment, ensuring that such information collection will be more accurate. To do this, the installer provides a set of tools for writing to a floppy disk and running in a 16-bit environment, which will conduct a stress test of the processor and memory outside of the resource-intensive Windows system.
You can’t do a test ad
Known to every player, software called AIDA64 is advertised on almost every page on a computer forum. And if users have no questions about the speed of work and the information content of the report, then a lot of them arise regarding the objectivity of the data. With the release of new processors, developers do not have time to update the database and criteria for testing the system for stability. There were situations when the tests of the i5 processor, when compared with the performance of such systems, showed a lower result than single-core processors. AIDA64 has established itself as an informative program. Allows you to see the model or temperature of the device, update the driver and the like trifles. But trusting her with a stress test of expensive equipment, judging by the numerous user reviews, is not worth it.
Favorite test of all players
OCCT is considered the best application for comprehensive testing of the system for stability and performance. Not only the processor test is individual in it, the program can work alone with RAM and a video card. The implementation of this approach allows the user to obtain more reliable information in the report. There are a lot of reviews on this application. Both positive and negative. All the positives come down to ease of use, fine-tuning and an extensive report in Russian. What are the reviews about the possibilities of testing the video card! Not every application can work with memory blocks on a video adapter. Negative comments were left by all owners whose low-cost power supplies burned out during the testing process, "taking" with them an expensive video adapter and the motherboard of a personal computer.