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Mytour presents 5 essential tools for inspecting laptop hardware when buying a new laptop. Check the screen, hard drive, CPU, and RAM when purchasing a computer.
1. Discover 5 hardware inspection tools for purchasing a new laptop
Mytour introduces you to 5 tools required to inspect laptop hardware when buying a new laptop. Check the screen, hard drive, CPU, and RAM when purchasing a computer.
Before buying a laptop or even a desktop computer, research the prices and reputations of various stores to find the lowest-priced machine.
If the machine you're interested in buying isn't brand new but rather a used one, the next step is to inspect its hardware before purchasing.
For computers still under warranty, don't overlook hardware checks as the replacement or repair process (if needed) can be time-consuming. Moreover, many used computers often come without warranties.
Below, Mytour lists essential applications and tools allowing you to inspect crucial hardware components on both new and old computers.
1. Check for dead pixels on the screen
A computer screen is made up of very small pixels, displaying 3 basic colors: red, green, and blue. Sometimes, one of these pixels may malfunction, displaying only one color or no color at all.
To check for any dead pixels on your computer screen, you can use online tools like Dead Pixels Test or CheckPixels. You can also download IsMyLcdOK software to check the condition of your screen. These testing tools will display pages with various colors, making it easy for you to detect dead pixels. You should run the software in full-screen mode by pressing F11 to check every pixel.
2. Test the keyboard
Many underestimate the importance of the keyboard in a computer setup, but it's actually a crucial component as it's needed for most tasks. Keyboard inspection is particularly crucial for those planning to buy a laptop because if there's any issue with the keyboard, they'll have to take the whole laptop for repair.
To check if the keys on the keyboard are still functional, you can use online tool KeyboardTester or download KeyboardTest tool.
3. Check HDD/SSD health
An HDD or SSD drive is used to store both the operating system and all valuable files. Therefore, checking the health of the HDD or SSD is crucial. There are several available tools to check the health of HDD and SSD. For HDD checking, you can use HDSentitel.
All connected drives will be listed on the left. Here, you can also see the health status of the hard drive and any troubleshooting steps if needed.
Each manufacturer may set a threshold for hard drive failure and may also recommend users to use their exclusive tools for checking. Visit the HDD manufacturer's website to learn about their policies and tools.
For SSDs, there's a specialized application called SSDlife that displays the health status of your SSD in percentage and the estimated lifespan of the SSD. Similar to hard drives, you should also check on the official website of the SSD manufacturer.
4. Check CPU and GPU
CPU and GPU are the main components responsible for processing tasks, allowing you to use Microsoft's office software or play Candy Crush. Therefore, a computer can only perform well if these two components are in perfect condition. To check CPU and GPU, Van.vn recommends using Furmark.
To test low-end computers without dedicated GPUs, set the screen resolution to 1280 x 720 pixels; for mid-range or high-end computers with dedicated graphics cards, set the resolution from 1280×720 to 1920×1080 (full HD). If the screen shakes or distorts during testing, the GPU may be experiencing issues.
To test the CPU, open CPU burner and select Start to run the test. If the computer shuts down abruptly, flickers, or hangs, it could be due to hardware failure or inefficient cooling.
Note: Avoid running this test for extended periods as the computer may be forced to shut down due to overheating.
5. Check RAM
RAM is one of the crucial components that helps improve computer performance. RAM errors can lead to 'blue screen of death' or startup errors. The RAM testing tool you should try is Memtest86+ (Linux users may already be familiar with this tool).
However, testing RAM is not as simple as testing the components mentioned above. You will need to create a boot drive (USB or CD) because this testing tool can only be performed when the computer starts up and it only takes about 30 minutes to complete. For those with limited tech knowledge, RAM testing can be skipped if desired because RAM is one of the least likely components to fail.
Additionally, you should also check the USB ports, headphone jacks, microphone jacks, HDMI, DVI ports, and network ports...
Sales staff or computer owners may not want you to install new apps on the machine before purchasing, and you should try to calmly explain to them that 'being cautious is never redundant'. If the machine is defective, taking it to warranty centers or computer repair centers takes much more time and effort than hardware testing.
Hopefully, after reading this article, you will have enough tools in hand to confidently check the components of the machine as well as choose the best computer for yourself.
