There are several computer speed check downloads available on the Internet. These tools are used for checking the speed of the CPU in your PC. You can either choose to download a freeware or shareware version of the tool to check the speed parameters governing the overall performance of your PC. You may also choose the web-based tools which you do not need to install in your computer. There are two types of speed checks that are generally done on PC's, one which checks the speed of the different components in your PC, such as, the CPU clock speed, the data transfer speed, etc. and the other where the bandband speed of your Internet is checked vis-a-vis the speed of your PC.



The speed of your computer CPU is measured by the actual performance of the CPU unit in your PC. The software utilized ideally indicates whether your CPU is over-clocked (which means if your CPU is running at a higher speed than that specified by the manufacturer), the CPU is running faster than it is rated for, or if your CPU is running in its specified speed range.

Generally, the speed at which your CPU runs is available in your computer, especially that of Pentium 4 or later versions. Your computer should be performing at this speed or below the speed as specified by the manufacturer. A detailed description of the three levels of caches, as supported by the CPU in your PC, is also made available by the computer speed check tool. The larger the cache size, the computer becomes that much faster. Some of the speed check tools feature memory speed checks which provide information about the speed at which your data transfers take place between the CPU and the memory. This information is usually given in megabytes per second. The speed of data transfer is measured by execution of large memory to memory transfer. The transfer rate determines how fast your computer is.

The speed of your PC does not depend on the clock speed of the CPU in your computer. Computer speed check tools are used for measuring other speed related critical factors which go on to determine the overall speed of your system. They are also used for determining the speed of your network and your Internet access speed. Advanced computer speed check software provides you with a control panel and a separate graphical window in which the speed related parameters of your PC are displayed. The control panel lets you to change the parameter settings to view different test results under different conditions.

CPU and memory timings depend on the BIOS setting of your computer. There could be several reasons why you notice your PC getting slow; your CPU speed has somehow become low or there is something wrong with your memory timings. Computer speed check software measures the actual speed of your computer and provides you with other functioning details of your PC which are related to your computer speed. The report generated by the software could be utilized to find out if your CPU is running slow.

Most of the present BIOS found in PCs today can automatically detect the type of CPU being used, and it also sets the clock timings for the CPU in your computer. The overall functioning of your PC depends upon the CPU speed, front side bus speed, and the multiplier factor. The "bus" in a computer is all about data transport. If the speed in transporting data somehow gets low, the overall speed of your computer will get slow. There are several computer speed check downloads available on the Internet offering various features from simply checking the speed of your CPU to presentation of a comprehensive report on speed related functioning of the PC.

The BIOS settings in your computer set the CPU speed. This is basically done by setting the multiplier factor in the BIOS which sets the clock speed of the CPU. For instance, a computer which has a processor of 550 MHz speed and a front side bus speed of 100 MHz, must be having a multiplier factor of 5.5 for the processor to work at 550 MHz. Before you change the settings in the BIOS, you should always find out the speed component that is affecting your PC performance. This can be done by using computer speed check software which provides you with detailed information regarding the speed related components in your PC.