Hardware Monitoring Tools

Say you’ve purchased and set up a brand new PC! Great, congratulations! However, you notice that you can’t seem to find that second hard drive you swore you plugged in, and you don’t want to to open your computer back up until you know for sure that it isn’t being recognized by the computer instead of just being user error.

That’s where these hardware monitoring apps come in. From HWInfo to Open Hardware Monitor, these apps will ensure that you know what your computer has plugged in and is actively supplying power to. They will also usually inform you of the temperature of your computer parts, which is especially great for enthusiast users that love to overclock!

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CPU-Z
Free • Proprietary
System Information Utility
Benchmark Tool
Windows
Android
PortableApps.com
58 alternatives to CPU-Z
CPU-Z is a freeware system profiler (system monitor) application for Microsoft Windows (for all versions from 95 on) that detects the central processing unit, RAM, motherboard chipset, and other hardware features of a modern personal computer, and presents the information in one...
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CPU-Z Features
1. PortableCPU-Z can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
2. LightweightCPU-Z consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
Hardware Monitoring
Stress Testing
GNU/linux-libre
AMD
Top 3 alternatives
Rainmeter
Free • Open Source
Desktop Customization Tool
System Information Utility
Windows
30 alternatives to Rainmeter
Rainmeter allows you to display customizable skins on your desktop, from hardware usage meters to fully functional audio visualizers. You are only limited by your imagination and creativity.
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Rainmeter Features
Widgets
Customize skin
Customizable
CPU Monitoring
Live Wallpapers
Custom widgets
Colored Text
Hardware Monitoring
Desktop Widget
Skinnable
Top 3 alternatives
CrystalDiskInfo
Free • Open Source
Hard Disk Diagnostic Tool
Windows
PortableApps.com
40 alternatives to CrystalDiskInfo
Open-source HDD/SSD utility for monitoring S.M.A.R.T. values, disk temperature and other information.
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CrystalDiskInfo Features
1. PortableCrystalDiskInfo can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
2. Ad-freeCrystalDiskInfo doesn't contain any form of external advertising.
3. LightweightCrystalDiskInfo consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
Hardware Monitoring
Terabytes Written (TBW) info
Selective Wipe
Multiple languages
Support for S.M.A.R.T. data
Logging
Top 3 alternatives
HWiNFO (32/64)
Freemium • Proprietary
System Information Utility
Benchmark Tool
Windows
PortableApps.com
87 alternatives to HWiNFO (32/64)
HWiNFO are professional hardware information and diagnostic tools supporting latest components, industry technologies and standards. Both tools are designed to collect and present the maximum amount of information possible about computers hardware which makes them suitable for...
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HWiNFO (32/64) Features
1. PortableHWiNFO (32/64) can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
Hardware Monitoring
Temperature Monitoring
Support for S.M.A.R.T. data
Hardware Diagnostics
Fan Speed
Top 3 alternatives
Open Hardware Monitor
Free • Open Source
System Information Utility
Windows
Mono
67 alternatives to Open Hardware Monitor
The Open Hardware Monitor is a free open source software that monitors temperature sensors, fan speeds, voltages, load and clock speeds of a computer.
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Open Hardware Monitor Features
1. PortableOpen Hardware Monitor can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
2. LightweightOpen Hardware Monitor consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
3. Command line interfaceOpen Hardware Monitor either have CLI support or is a CLI-only app.
Temperature Monitoring
Hardware Monitoring
Voltage monitoring
Fan Speed
No installation required
History graphs
Export to CSV
Sensors
Discontinued
There has not been any code change since December 2020, also the community now wonders if it is abandoned: https://github.com/openhardwaremonitor/openhardwaremonitor/issues/1471 There also seems to be a fork called LibreHardwareMonitor (which is already listed as an alternative) and appears to be the most active fork right now.
Top 3 alternatives
Speccy
Freemium • Proprietary
System Information Utility
Windows
67 alternatives to Speccy
Speccy is an advanced System Information tool for your PC, available as installer version and as portable version in 24 languages. It does a quick scan of your machine and gives you a complete rundown of every piece of gear that's in your computer.
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Speccy Features
1. PortableSpeccy can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
Temperature Monitoring
Hardware Monitoring
Multiple languages
CPU Monitoring
Bundleware
The installer propose you to install additional third party software like Google Chrome
Top 3 alternatives
GPU-Z
Free • Proprietary
System Information Utility
Windows
PortableApps.com
32 alternatives to GPU-Z
GPU-Z is a lightweight system utility designed to provide vital information about your video card and graphics processor.
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GPU-Z Features
1. PortableGPU-Z can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
Hardware Monitoring
Sensors
Top 3 alternatives
MSI Afterburner
Free • Proprietary
System Information Utility
Screenshot Capture Tool
Windows
48 alternatives to MSI Afterburner
A powerful overclocking tool for your graphics card, which also includes screen capture and video capture tools, plus overlays. Has a lower FPS hit than Fraps, and offers the same functionality. The beta versions include audio streams alongside the video capture.
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MSI Afterburner Features
1. PortableMSI Afterburner can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
2. Works OfflineMSI Afterburner can be used without the need to connect to the internet.
Overclock
Hardware Monitoring
Temperature Monitoring
FPS counter
OSD
In-Game Overlay
Fan Speed
Support for 64 bit
Gaming-focused
Gpu control
Top 3 alternatives
Grafana
Free • Open Source
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
Self-Hosted
Cloudron
Node.JS
47 alternatives to Grafana
Grafana provides a powerful and elegant way to create, explore, and share dashboards and data with your team and the world.
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Grafana Features
Web-Based
Metrics
Hardware Monitoring
Web interface
CPU Monitoring
Dashboard
Data visualization
Top 3 alternatives
Sidebar Diagnostics
Free • Open Source
System Information Utility
Windows
39 alternatives to Sidebar Diagnostics
SidebarDiagnostics - A simple sidebar for Windows desktop that displays hardware diagnostic information.
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Sidebar Diagnostics Features
1. PortableSidebar Diagnostics can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
Temperature Monitoring
Real-time monitoring
Hardware Monitoring
Performance Monitoring
Configurable
Fan Speed
Top 3 alternatives
AIDA64
Paid • Proprietary
System Information Utility
Benchmark Tool
Windows
Android
iPhone
Windows S
Android Tablet
HUAWEI AppGallery
Windows Phone
iPad
Tizen OS
81 alternatives to AIDA64
AIDA64 is a system information, diagnostics, and auditing application developed by FinalWire Ltd., that runs on Windows, Android, iOS, Windows Phone and Tizen operating systems. It displays detailed information on the components of a computer.
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AIDA64 Features
1. PortableAIDA64 can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
Hardware Monitoring
Overclock
Top 3 alternatives
Libre Hardware Monitor
Free • Open Source
Windows
.NET Framework
14 alternatives to Libre Hardware Monitor
Libre Hardware Monitor, a fork of Open Hardware Monitor , is free software that can monitor the temperature sensors, fan speeds, voltages, load and clock speeds of your computer.
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Libre Hardware Monitor Features
Temperature Monitoring
Hardware Monitoring
Voltage monitoring
Top 3 alternatives
Zabbix
Free • Open Source
Network Monitor
Linux
Self-Hosted
FreeBSD
OpenBSD
107 alternatives to Zabbix
Gather and analyze accurate statistics and performance metrics, visualize it, get notified about current and potential issues without delay, and take advantage of our time-tested professional development and support.
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Zabbix Features
Server Monitoring
Hardware Monitoring
Azure integration
Custom Dashboard
Top 3 alternatives
Glances
Free • Open Source
Process Management Tool
Process Monitoring Tool
Network Monitor
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
55 alternatives to Glances
Glances is a cross-platform monitoring tool which aims to present a large amount of monitoring information through a curses or Web based interface. The information dynamically adapts depending on the size of the user interface.
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Glances Features
1. Command line interfaceGlances either have CLI support or is a CLI-only app.
2. LightweightGlances consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
3. Website MonitoringGlances can detect and resolve website performance issues proactively.
Hardware Monitoring
Filesystem
Custom Plugins
Top 3 alternatives
Stats
Free • Open Source
System Information Utility
Mac
70 alternatives to Stats
Simple macOS system monitor in your menu bar.
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Stats Features
Hardware Monitoring
Sits in the MenuBar
Temperature Monitoring
CPU temperature
Fan Speed
Status menu widgets
Top 3 alternatives