Have they given you a PC that, although not the most recent, seems to do quite well in everyday operations and are you curious to find out what processor it is equipped with? Are you looking for a solution to monitor CPU performance in real time but don’t know which program to rely on? No problem, I’m here to help you out. In this guide, in fact, I’m going to show you in detail how CPU speed is measured .
Know that it is a very simple procedure, and that there are so many methods to take a look at the processor speed, available on both Windows PC and Mac, but also on Android devices, iPhones and iPads. You will be able to use both internal resources of the operating systems (to obtain basic information on the performance of the CPU in use and on the current workload), and third-party programs, able to provide more details on the status of the processor.
If you are ready to get down to business, I suggest you take a few minutes of free time and dedicate yourself to reading the next paragraphs. You will see that it is not necessary to be a computer technician to succeed in your intent. Happy reading and good luck for everything!
Index
- How do you measure CPU speed on Windows
- Predefined tools
- CPU-Z
- Other solutions to measure CPU speed
- How do you measure CPU speed on Mac
- Predefined tools
- iStat Menus
- How to measure CPU speed on Android
- How to measure CPU speed on iPhone and iPad
How do you measure CPU speed on Windows
On PCs running Windows , measuring CPU speed is possible through several methods. You can take advantage of both the computer’s default tools – for basic performance monitoring – and download free software , which provides much more information about the processor.
In any case, none of these methods require too high skills in the IT world, so don’t worry. Stay focused and take a look at the next few paragraphs to know how to proceed.
Predefined tools
The first method to measure the processor speed on a computer with a Windows operating system is to rely on the service called Task Manager : this software, integrated in all the most popular versions of Windows, allows you to monitor the status of the system and the characteristics of the hardware components that make up the computer, including the processor.
To reach the Task Manager , you can simultaneously press the Ctrl + Alt + Del keys on the PC keyboard and then click on the Task Manager button in the pop-up window on the screen. Alternatively, you can directly press Ctrl + Shift + Esc . Again, you can right-click on an empty spot on the taskbar and select the Task Manager item from the context menu.
Once the software is open, go to the Performance submenu , then click on the CPU item , located in the first box located at the top on the left. In the monitoring screen, you can find some useful information such as the CPU model name, a graph regarding the usage load and, among other things, the Speed , expressed in GHz .
In addition, you can also check the Base Speed , which is the minimum speed that the processor can reach. Under the item Processes you can find all the processes currently running on the computer, while in those Cores , Physical Processors and Logical Processors you can get information on the characteristics of the CPU architecture.
To see just the power of the processor, you can also avail yourself of the section Device Specifications of the settings of Windows. Go, therefore, to the latter (by pressing on the gear icon in the Start menu ) and go to System> Information . You will find information on the base speed under Processor , expressed in GHz in the screen shown.
Still, you can view information about the CPU running the command msinfo32 in the panel Run ( Win + R ) or in the search bar in the Start menu . The processor speed will be indicated to you, in GHz , under the Processor item in the window shown.
Finally, you can use the DirectX Diagnostic Tool , which can be called up via the dxdiag command in the Run panel ( Win + R ) or in the search bar of the Start menu. The processor speed is expressed in GHz next to the Processor item .
CPU-Z
One of the best free programs on Windows to monitor the characteristics of your CPU is undoubtedly CPU-Z . This software, developed by CPUID , allows you to have detailed information about your processor, in a much more complete way than that offered by the Task Manager. It supports all major Intel and AMD processors.
To download it, connect to its official website and click first on the purple Setup – English button on the left and then on the Download now button ! .
When the download is complete, open the .exe file obtained and click in sequence on the Run , Yes and Next buttons . Then accept the conditions of use of the program, putting the check mark next to the item I accept the agreement , and click on Next for four consecutive times and then on Install and Finish to complete the setup. If you are asked to install other software, deny your consent.
Now, start CPU-Z through its icon on the desktop, click on the Yes button and consult the information given by the software. CPU-Z, despite its name, doesn’t just offer information about the processor. In fact, in the bar at the top you can see several items, such as Mainboard , Memory and Graphics , which give information about the motherboard, RAM memory and video card.
What interests you, in any case, remains the CPU tab , open by default when the program is opened. Starting from the first information displayed, there are both the model name of the processor ( Name ) and the code name used by the developer to indicate the series of CPUs ( Code Name ).
The item Max TDP ( Thermal Design Power ), indicates the maximum heat that the processor cooling system can dissipate, and is expressed in Watts . In Package it is expressed on the type of socket , or the type of socket that the processor uses to connect to the motherboard.
To find the CPU speed you can refer to the Clocks submenu , which contains information regarding the processor speed GHz . In Core Clocks you can see the speed in real time that your processor is reaching, while in Bus Speed you can see the speed on the Bus (communication channels) of the same.
The CPU architecture features are present alongside the Cores and Threads entries . Finally, through the Tools button , you can decide to export the CPU data through a file of type .TXT or .HTML , and check the latest updates of the program.
Other solutions to measure CPU speed
In case the solutions I have provided you so far are not enough, I leave you some valid alternatives.
- Speccy– is a program developed by Piriform (the same development house as CCleaner), which allows you to thoroughly analyze the information regarding the system hardware, including the CPU. From the official website you can download the program installer and purchase the PRO version of the programfor€95 . Once installed, to find the processor speed information in the submenu called CPU. In particular, you can find the base speed under Stock Clock Speed , while that on each core in the Cores drop-down menu, located at the bottom.
- HWiNFO– this program is a convenient alternative to CPU-Z and Speccy. It is also available in a portable version, which does not require installation. Once you have the program, to find information on the CPU speed, go to the submenu on the left Central Processor (s) , then select the item related to your processor. This program offers an accurate analysis of the speed of the various cores especially in the Operating Points
How do you measure CPU speed on Mac
Do you own a Mac ? No problem. Again, checking the CPU speed is child’s play. You can use both tools integrated into the operating system and – for more advanced needs – third-party tools.
Predefined tools
The macOS default tools allow you to find out some basic information about the CPU, such as its power or the load status of running processes.
If you simply want to know the CPU power in use on your Mac, you can go to the Apple menu > About this Mac , present at the top left. A window will open with the basic information of the Mac in use: then by clicking on the System Report button and selecting the Hardware item from the side menu of the next window, you will be able to consult the Name of the processor and the Speed of the same (expressed in GHz ).
Also, you can find additional information related to CPU architecture , Total Number of Processors and Total Number of Cores .
If, on the other hand, you want to view real-time information about the CPU, you can use the default Activity Monitor application , accessible from the Other folder of the Launchpad.
Once opened, you can monitor through the CPU tab all the information regarding the running processes and their “weight” on the processor.
In particular, in correspondence with the item CPU load , there is a graph that shows in percentage how much the processes started by the system or those started by the user are having weight on the processor. The same data is expressed through percentage values right next to the System , User and Inactive items .
Also, in Processes , you can check how many processes are currently open, while in Threads the total threads used. Furthermore, next to each process, in the % CPU column , it is shown in percentage how much that process is affecting its performance.
iStat Menus
You can check CPU speed on Mac in more detail through the popular iStat Menus program . This software is also useful for monitoring the performance of RAM, disks, network activity and much more in real time, using customizable icons that “sit” on the menu bar, near the system clock. It is also compatible with Macs with Apple Silicon chips (eg M1).
The trial version of the program has a duration of 14 days , and can be downloaded directly from the official website by clicking on the download button . The complete one (also available on the Mac App Store , but I recommend you download it from the official website) costs 10.99 euros .
Once the program has been downloaded, copy it to the macOS Applications folder , start it and follow the wizard to install the components necessary for it to work (you will need to enter the password of your user account). Once this is done, through the icon dedicated to the CPU you can check the load of the processes activated by the user, those activated by the system, the processor temperature and various graphs that show on the screen the impact that open processes have on performance. You can customize the icons and parameters to be shown in the iStat Menus preferences .
If you have an Intel-based Mac, you can see an additional CPU frequency entry in the program by installing the free Intel Power Gadget program .
How to measure CPU speed on Android
In case you intend to measure the CPU speed on devices with an Android operating system , you cannot fail to choose the mobile version of the CPU-Z software , the most complete in terms of information on the processor and other hardware components of smartphones and tablets.
Once installed, by visiting the relevant page of the Play Store or an alternative store (for devices without Google services) and pressing the Install button , open it and you can find information on the processor speed in the menu called SOC .
In particular, you will find the model name next to the Model item , the number of Cores , and the real-time and maximum speed of the processor. To locate it, refer to the Clock Speed entry .
The first number (expressed in MHz or GHz ) refers to the current speed of the processor, while the second, which remains fixed and is usually indicated in GHz , refers to the maximum speed that the processor can reach.
Furthermore, in the submenus named CPU0 , CPU1 etc., you can monitor the speed of the individual cores present in the processor architecture. CPU-Z for smartphones and tablets also offers the opportunity to check the status of the Battery , System and Sensors . The free version involves the display of advertisements every two or three swipes between categories.
How to measure CPU speed on iPhone and iPad
To measure CPU speed on iPhones and iPads , my advice is to rely on third-party applications, and especially Lirum Device Info Lite .
Once installed from the App Store , through the link I just provided you (by pressing the Get button and verifying your identity with Face ID , Touch ID or password ), open the application, press the ≡ button and go to the This Device menu > CPU that opens on the side to access information about the processor installed in the device.
You can find the real-time and maximum CPU speeds at the CPU Actual Clock and CPU Maximum Clock entries , expressed in GHz .
