Is there a stress test to confirm a computer's build specs?
 

Is there an independent, safe way to test for this?

Short answer yes but I've been out of the IT industry for a couple of years so I can't recommend any "current" software.

I'm sure someone will chime in shortly.

Tom's guide publishes benchmarks for various components like video cards and CPU.

For example, here is the procedure to test video card: https://www.tomsguide.com/how-to/how-to-benchmark-your-graphics-card

Windows device manager will also tell you hardware is installed.

There are so many aspects to perf, there’s no one thing that will show your computers limits.

You buy a new fast computer to do a specific thing. Time it doing that thing, that’s the best case.

A lot of modern high end computers can’t cool themselves adequately, fans run fast and then they’re thermally throttled. Whatever you do, run the test a while so you can see the perf when it’s heat soaked.

Here’s a good write up:

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/stress-test-cpu-pc-guide,5461.html

^^^^ What he said...

"Yer only as fast as your slowest bottleneck" :D

It just depends....

If you just want to see the component list that is easy ion Win 10 or 11.

Just go the the System and then the About and it will show you what your computer is for the CPU and memory. Mine below:


Device name Ripper
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-9960X CPU @ 3.10GHz 3.10 GHz
Installed RAM 256 GB (256 GB usable)
Device ID 9EB77E88-9C52-4C7A-A321-D3964C85AECD
Product ID 00310-71280-00001-AAOEM
System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
Pen and touch No pen or touch input is available for this display

That will verify you have what the vendor said it is.

To really test a system system performance, yea, something like the Tomshardware is fine.

All of my desktops are waterpumpers.

My office used to get a good 15 degrees warmer than the rest of the house due to the heat coming of my PCs

I had to run an in room AC unit in there to keep it habitable in summer.

Built some new rigs with water cooling and it’s worth every penny and more.

Rigs stay nice and cool and are so quiet you’d think they weren’t even running.

That's what I was thinking. I don't think you can easily fake the specs as reported. I suspect those specs are based on the bios seeing the components and therefore some sort of burned in component name/spec. I'd be surprised if you could get a cheaper processor to show up as a different processor. Even if you were overclocking the processor, I suspect that would show up. But maybe I'm wrong. Where there's a will....

cpu-z is a complete report on what is in the box and a performance test

will id the exact cpu chip mem amount m/b type and revisions any add on cards

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&ua ct=8&ved=2ahUKEwjPhPODiNn8AhUXUjABHZPiAFUQFnoECE8Q AQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.techpowerup.com%2Fdownloa d%2Fcpu-z%2F&usg=AOvVaw0IrsdTO1JF-WHuZyZPgu02

Thanks all! Lot's of good advice/links to act on.
I just use three laptops around the house, including one on the garage "workbench" used more often as a bar/gathering spot. I think Steve is right that the specs aren't easily faked. I come up with all sorts of concerns about minutia since retirement.

My needs don't involve computers with liquid cooling! lol you guys

You asked a pretty sophisticated question but turns out you didnt care about the answer?

Its pretty dang easy for a laptop vendor to fake most software reported specs. Root kit can do it too.

Check this out: a hard drive that fakes its capacity:

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/08/walmart-lists-a-30tb-portable-ssd-for-39-it-is-naturally-a-scam/

I accidentally...by writing "stress test", asked a sophisticated and misleading question. I was just looking for an independent review of what's in my machines more along the lines of NOTA's link. The graphics cards and cooling issues are not an issue for me. Sorry for the confusion.

In one thread I mistakenly used the word "weight" rather than "mass" in a question and about had a physics book inserted the hard way by resident engineers. :)

I've downloaded and used free "UserBenchmark".
It compares your PC performance against the other averages. Reviews suggest some bias though.

There are a bunch out there:
https://www.lifewire.com/best-ways-to-benchmark-pc-5074893
https://www.techradar.com/best/best-benchmarks-software

You are using a no name chinese sourced external component as an example
and while it’s a legit scam product, they are on Amazon as well, that’s a far stretch from a name brand manufacturer of PC’s.

I don’t see Acer, Dell, Samsung, Lenovo, Apple, MSI etc…. ever doing something like that.

They have nothing to gain and everything to lose.

'They'?

Supposing I bought a branded but refurbed laptop from ebay I would totally go to the trouble of validating it before I put it to use. I've saw this scam in person in a pawn shop.

It is easier to hack an os install to fool a newb than to build custom scam ssd hardware. 69 cores? 12 ghz? Graphics card with 99 gb of memory?

Anyway, that is what I thought he was trying to verify against. A genuine machine stress test will validate that you actually have the perf you paid for.

https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/

This benchmarking tool is perfect to virtually compare builds or test your actual build and compare with others.

40MHz Intel 486DX2
8MB RAM
500MB hard drive
1MB SVGA-capable graphics card
3.5" floppy drive
Windows 3.11

;)

^^^^ Why do you have that much RAM .... seems excessive :D

I just download that and ran it. It loved the hardware, but my skill level at the game part was a zero since I don't play games at all, and I did not even try at that part with just a mouse and no joystick or other game device.

GPU stress testing

https://www.geeks3d.com/furmark/

CPU (and other hardware) comparison tool

https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/

Passmark

https://www.cpubenchmark.net/singleCompare.php