1. Everest Ultimate Edition

Everest Ultimate Edition is more than just a performance benchmarking tool. rnThis utility also providesrna plethora of general information about your computer. It costs $39.95 (USD), but a free trial is available forrndownload.

Everest Ultimate Edition Summary

The software providesrndetailed statistics about things like your operating system, your motherboard,rnand your storage. 

Everest Ultimate Edition Menu

The software can alsornperform benchmarking tests for your memory, CPU, and FPU. It even provides a number of established benchmarks so that you can see how your system stacks up.

Everest Ultimate Edition Report Wizard

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Additionally, the utility provides a really nicernreporting engine that you can use to view and export a variety of report types.

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Everest Ultimate Edition Report Summary

Here’s an example of a report summary in Everest Ultimate Edition.

Everest Ultimate Edition Report Memory Read

You can save, email, and even print your benchmarking reports.

2. SiSoftware Sandra

SiSoftware Sandra is a modular benchmarking and informational tool for the PC. It costs $49.99 (USD), but a free trial is availablernfor download. The software is also free for private or educational use.

SiSoftware Sandra Home tab

SiSoftware Sandra can bernused on domain networks or on standalone PCs. 

SiSoftware Sandra Tools tab

The software uses arncollection of modules to evaluate hardware, software, and performance. 

SiSoftware Sandra Benchmarks tab

The software’srnfunctionality can be further extended by adding additional modules.

SiSoftware Sandra Hardware tab

Here’s a look at the Hardware tab.

SiSoftware Sandra Software tab

Here’s a look at the Software tab.

SiSoftware Sandra Overall Score

The one thing that I foundrnamusing about this particular application was its power consumption metrics. Irnran SiSoftware Sandra on a virtual PC. As such, the software did not know howrnto accurately compute power consumption and therefore reported the virtualrnmachine’s power consumption at 65,496.25 watts.

3. PerformanceTest

PerformanceTest is yet another utility for compiling system information and benchmark performance testing. It costs $26.00 (USD), but a free trial is availablernfor download.

PerformanceTest System

Here’s the information you can expect to see on the System tab.

PerformanceTest Summary

PerformanceTest is similarrnto Everest Ultimate Edition in that it provides a number of establishedrnbenchmarks as a way of giving you a basis of comparison. 

PerformanceTest Tests

Here are the types of tests you can run in PerformanceTest.

PerformanceTest status

You can follow the progress of a test while it’s running.

PerformanceTest results

When the testing resultsrnare displayed, your computer’s performance benchmarks are displayed in greenrnalongside the established benchmarks.

PerformanceTest PassMark Advanced Disk Test

Perhaps the best feature ofrnthis utility is that you can run custom tests. 

PerformanceTest PassMark Disk Thread test

There is even an option tornrun scripted testing.

4. Fraps

Fraps is really different from the other benchmarking utilities in this review.rnI chose to include it because Fraps is a utility that I personally use on arnregular basis. It costs $37.00 (USD), but a free trial is available for download.

Fraps FPS

Fraps is designed to help you to benchmark the frame raternof DirectX applications. When playing a game for instance, Fraps displays arnyellow number in the upper left corner of the window, indicating your currentrnframe rate. This number dynamically adjusts as your frame rate changes.

Fraps Movies

The other really cool thing about Fraps is that it canrnrecord video and screen captures of DirectX applications. Hard core gamersrnsometimes use Fraps to make a movie of their game play so that they can uploadrnit to YouTube or a similar video hosting service.

Fraps Screenshots

Here are the Fraps screenshots options.

Fraps display

Here you can see the yellowrnnumber that’s displayed in the upper left corner of the window, indicating the current framernrate. 

5. Fresh Diagnose

Like most of the other utilities that I’ve reviewed, Fresh Diagnose is a tool for benchmarking performance and for compiling system information.rnHowever, there are a couple of things that set Fresh Diagnose apart. rn

The first thing that sets Fresh Diagnose apart is thernprice. It’s free!

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Fresh Diagnose Fonts

The second thing that sets Fresh Diagnose apart is thernlevel of detail that it provides. While many utilities provide information onrnCPU and disk architecture, Fresh Diagnose also provides granular operatingrnsystem information. For example, the software provides information on fontsrnthat are installed, your system policies, and Windows Startup configuration.

Fresh Diagnose Processor Benchmark

The actual benchmarking capabilities are supposed to be available only to registered users. However, a bug in the program allowsrnnon-registered users to launch benchmarks by using the Start command that’srnlocated on the Benchmark menu.

Fresh Diagnose options

Here are some of the options available with Fresh Diagnose.