March 08, 2023
what is the best software to stress test laptops
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Prime95
AIDA64
Unigine
FurMark
HWMonitor
All answers
Memory Testing
BIOS Reset
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Research
Source: "21+ Programs to Analyze and Benchmark Your Hard..." (from web, www.techspot.com)
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CPU-Z
- Free software that provides a set of instructions to provide information about the processor, motherboard, and system memory.
- Also contains a simple CPU benchmark and stress test
- Available for Windows PCs and Android
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GPU-Z
- Free software that uses an instruction set to gather information about the specifications of the graphics card
- No benchmark tool but can monitor and log the output from the settings and sensors on the card
- Available for Windows only
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HWinfo
- Free software that provides a comprehensive summary of the hardware in a clean and informative way
- Also contains active sensor readouts for the CPU, RAM, motherboard, graphics card, case fans, storage drives, and more
- Supports 32 and 64-bit versions of Windows, and there’s even one for DOS
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Speccy
- Free software that provides a system summary
- Has some sensor logging capabilities
- Available for Windows PCs
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AIDA64
- 30-day trial of software that provides detailed information and stress testing and diagnostics capabilities
- $59.95 to unlock all features, with technical support and updates for a year
- Versions for Windows, Android, and iOS
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HWMonitor
- Free software that monitors temperatures, fan speeds, and voltages
- Available for Windows PCs only
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Open Hardware Monitor
- Free software for monitoring sensor outputs
- Available for Windows and Linux
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I-Nex
- Free Linux-only tool for providing specifications summary
- Not updated as often
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Cinebench
- Free software for benchmarking using ray-tracing techniques
- Tests CPU performance and does not use GPU
- Available for Windows and macOS
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SiSoft Sandra
- Free ‘Lite’ version with a wealth of tests
- $69.99 to unlock everything, with support and updates for a year
- Available for Windows only
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PCMark 10
- Free ‘Basic’ version with a single overall benchmark test
- $29.99 to unlock all tests, with additional features
- Separate version for Android
Source: "Best utilities for stress testing in 2020" (from reddit, r/overclocking)
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Unigine Heaven
- Set to maximum quality and run in a loop
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FurMark / MSI Kombuster
- GPUs tend to clock down due to power and thermal limits when running FurMark
- Lower resolutions put more stress on the VRMs
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Final Fantasy XV Benchmark
- Set to maximum quality and run in a loop
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MemTest64
- Best run from safe mode without a pagefile
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HCI MemTest
- One instance per thread
- Linpack Xtreme
- MemTest86
- Prime95 small FFTs
- Prime95 custom run of FFTs from 512K to 1024K with 90% of RAM
- Prime95 custom run of FFTs from 512K to 1024K with 80% of RAM + LuxMark or FurMark running in the background at 720p.
- TestMem5
- Karhu RAM Test
Source: "How harsh is the Prime95 stress test compared t..." (from reddit, r/overclocking)
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Prime95
- It uses high intensity algorithms on specific instruction sets to find mistakes as fast as possible
- Almost all high end benchers rely on Prime95 in combination with other tools when seriously overclocking
- No other non-testing program is anywhere as “harsh” as Prime95
- It is not the end-all-be-all of CPU stability testing
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Other Software
- Video transcoding or even rendering don’t tax your system as hard as Prime95
- C-States and lightly threaded loads in games can cause instability that Prime95 won’t detect
- Disabling C-States can help with stability issues
Source: "I do not understand the results of the prime95 ..." (from reddit, r/buildapc)
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Prime95:
- Used to test CPU stability
- Not the result from the software you’re after, but the side effect of running the software you’re after
- If you can run Prime95 for hours and not crash, that’s a good sign your CPU is stable
- Useful for testing overclocks
- Lower graphical settings on GPU intensive, but ultimately less noticeable elements (like soft shadows, particles, etc…)
- Reset BIOS
- Check guides in /r/overclocking
- Modify voltage to get it stable at stock clocks
Source: "What is the best tool for Stress testing PC? No..." (from reddit, r/techsupport)
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Prime95
- Used to test overclocks
- Can be used for long periods of time
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Furmark
- Used to stress test PC
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AIDA64
- Better than Prime95 and Furmark
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3DMark
- Better than Prime95 and Furmark
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Intel’s EIST
- Disabling it and running at a constant clock speed would fix issue
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CPUID HWMonitor
- Used to monitor CPU temps
💭 Looking into
What are the potential risks of stress testing laptops?
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What are the best practices for stress testing laptops?
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What is the purpose of MemTest?
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What are the features of HWMonitor?
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What are the features of HeavyLoad?
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What are the features of FurMark?
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What type of software is Prime95?
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What types of tests can OCCT run?
Source: "16 Best Tools to Stress Test Your PC (CPU, RAM,..." (from web, www.gearprimer.com)
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HWMonitor (Free)
- Real time information such as utilization, temperature, clock speed, and power usage of the onboard components
- Keep desktop CPUs under 70°C and desktop GPUs under 100°C
- Laptop CPUs under 95°C
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Prime 95 (Free)
- Utilizes the CPU to find Mersenne prime numbers and in the process, generates a very heavy workload on the CPU
- An uninterrupted 6 hour run of Prime95 indicates that the CPU is good and will not have issues over its usable lifetime
- Options to test Small FFTs or Blended test
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Intel Processor Diagnostic Tool (Free)
- Ability to set a minimum time for the benchmark to run and the test can even be set to automatically shut itself down if the CPU overheats
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CPU-Z (Free)
- Lightweight tool to check the specifications of your CPU, memory, motherboard, and RAM
- Can run CPU stress test
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Cinebench R20 (Free)
- Tests the system’s GPU performance by rendering an extremely detailed 3D scene
- Can be looped indefinitely
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AIDA64 (Paid)
- System Stability Test which has the ability to stress the CPU, RAM and GPU
- Gives information about the CPU such as utilization, frequency, temperatures, and whether thermal throttling was detected during the stress testing
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Memtest 86+ (Free)
- Test if the memory will cause any problems
- Can be loaded onto a bootable USB drive
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Memtest 64 (Free)
- Easy to use and operates in the Windows OS
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Furmark (Free)
- Stresses the GPU by producing a complicated 3D image
- Extremely intense stress test
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Unigine Heaven (Free)
- Tests the system’s GPU performance by rendering an extremely detailed 3D scene
- Can be looped indefinitely
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3D Mark (Free/Paid)
- Renders extremely detailed 3D scenes
- Stress your system using a collection of workloads that simulate real world use
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Intel Xtreme Tuning Utility (Free)
- Stress test the CPU, memory and GPU
- Information about the CPU such as utilization, frequency, temperatures, and whether
Source: "10 Best PC Stress Testing Tools for CPU, GPU, a..." (from web, thepcbuild.net)
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AIDA64 Business Edition
- Supports a wide range of hardware and technology
- Memory diagnostics, monitoring, hardware monitoring graphs and data, sensor monitoring
- Graphical user interface
- Automated performance test
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CPU-Z
- Includes CPU and GPU stress test tools
- Can find out when your BIOS needs an update
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IntelBurn Test
- Easy to use
- Automated performance test
- Supports both 32-bit and 64-bit versions
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MemTest86
- Test your system’s RAM before you buy more
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Prime95 (Blend Test)
- Shows all the right stats
- Provides the best support for hardware bells and whistles
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GPU-Z
- Lightweight program that displays information about your video card in real-time
- Monitors temperature and fan speeds
- GPU database of hardware specifications
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Heaven & Valley Benchmarks (Unigine)
- Professional benchmarking program used to evaluate physics engines and render visual effects
- Standard version includes five benchmarks and other features, Advanced version includes more than 14 different tests
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3DMark
- Benchmarking program developed by Futuremark
- Ramp up your computer’s performance until video card is under extreme load
- Used by many reviewers and industry professionals to test performance of their systems and components
Source: "Stress test and benchmark software...." (from reddit, r/buildapc)
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OCCT (Use Small & Large Data Set Testing):
- Use the link http://www.ocbase.com/index.php/download to download the program
- Use the small and large data set testing
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Prime95:
- Use the link https://www.guru3d.com/files-details/prime95-download.html to download the program
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FurMark (Set to Full-Screen and Your Max Resolution for your Monitor):
- Use the link https://geeks3d.com/furmark/ to download the program
- Set to full-screen and your max resolution for your monitor
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HeavyLoad (Select Top Icons for Separate Components):
- Use the link https://www.jam-software.com/heavyload/ to download the program
- Select top icons for separate components
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HWMonitor:
- Use the link https://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html to download the program
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MemTest:
- Use this program to test memory for 24 hours to guarantee there is no faults
Source: "Best Stress test PC software." (from reddit, r/sysadmin)
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Prime95
- It is free and can be used to look for potentially defective hardware components.
- It has been updated and used for over a decade.
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Tron
- It is a automation tool.
- It is built by /u/vocatus/.
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OCCT
- It can be used to run stress tests on the CPU, GPU and PSU.
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Built-in Diagnostics
- Dell and HP hardware have inbuilt diagnostics which can be used to identify and resolve the hardware issues.
Source: "Question about stress testing software" (from reddit, r/laptops)
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AIDA64
- Used for CPU stability testing
- 100% load on CPU
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Unigine
- Used for GPU stability testing
- All graphics settings on max to get 100% load on GPU
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HWinfo or Hwmonitor
- Used for voltage/temp monitoring
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XTU
- Used for Intel CPU and iGPU undervolting
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Msi Afterburner
- Used for GPU undervolt
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Suggested running time between increments
- An hour for GPU
- 24 hours for CPU
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What is the best laptop stress testing software?