3 Essential Tools Every PC Gamer Should Install

Just because you’ve built or purchased a gaming PC doesn’t mean you fully understand the hardware inside it, although there are some essential tips every beginner should know. You’ll want to understand this knowledge to get the best performance from your games, whether they’re AAA or indie. That means you need the right tools for the job, and with so many choices, it’s easy to get lost in the weeds with apps that often complicate things or overlap with the operating system’s built-in tools. With proper guidance, it’s quite easy to get a complementary set of essential tools that every PC gamer should install, one of the many reasons why you should choose PC gaming over consoles.

First, check your hardware. This is where CPU-Z and GPU-Z come into play. From there, you’ll need software that collects data by monitoring your PC’s sensors so that you have a performance history, making it easier to spot irregularities and troubleshoot them. That’s exactly what HWiNFO 64 brings, and it can work in tandem with MSI Afterburner’s optional RivaTuner installation. By combining these two apps, you can view an in-game overlay while still benefiting from HWiNFO’s more detailed reporting.

With the right tools, you can see how your hardware is performing game by game with live statistics. This allows you to adjust your graphics settings to get the most out of your hardware by using it correctly, improving performance and getting the most out of your hard-earned money.

Technically, these are two separate tools, but they effectively cover the most important hardware on your PC: your motherboard, CPU, GPU, and RAM. With CPU-Z, you can easily identify your processor to confirm that it is legitimate hardware, and you can also identify your motherboard and RAM. Better yet, the app also shows users their live CPU and memory frequencies, making it easy to see your clock speeds. So you can not only check your hardware, but also ensure that your components are operating within their intended parameters. Just keep in mind that you can only take snapshots of your hardware information; The app does not have live logging despite having live reporting.

By upgrading to GPU-Z, you can use it to check your GPU, identify the model and its specifications, and check your video memory capacity; you can also view GPU and memory clocks, not to mention temperatures. Looking at the app’s output will give you an idea of ​​your normal operating conditions, data that will help you troubleshoot if you’re having issues while playing your games, perhaps with an overlay that reports your system stats, and that’s where the HWiNFO 64 and RivaTuner tools come in (more on that below). And if you’d rather avoid unnecessary overhead with as few tools installed as possible, you can even use GPU-Z to record your sensor readings, just like if you want to run the app in the background while you’re gaming, to then review your logs when finished to see if there have been any particular issues with your performance.

If you want to record as many sensors as possible, HWiNFO 64 is the tool to use. It goes well beyond GPU-Z to GPU and video memory, and also includes reporting on your CPU and RAM, all in one app. Better yet, HWiNFO 64 can essentially connect to the RivaTuner Statistics Server (RTSS) application, greatly expanding its live overlay reporting. So, not only can you analyze your CPU/GPU’s temperatures, clock speeds, usage, power readings, and fan speeds with HWiNFO 64, but you can also cross-reference your GPU data with GPU-Z to make sure the reported stats match up.

Your main goal with HWiNFO 64 is to run its logging in the background before you start playing, for example if you plan to open one of the more demanding titles that you want to tame. When a game starts misbehaving, perhaps skipping a few too many frames, you have logs to help you fine-tune what might be limiting performance, whether it’s your CPU, GPU, or memory. This way, you can better identify which component deserves a closer look.

So not only can HWiNFO 64 help detect any cooling issues with a particular piece of hardware, but because you can plug that information directly into RTSS, you can watch that data in real time with an overlay to get a better idea of ​​which particular parts of a game are causing your system to loop, so you can either adjust your gaming settings to de-stress your system or determine which components are worth replacing to upgrade your rig for demanding AAA games.

Not only can MSI Afterburner monitor your hardware, but thanks to the built-in RivaTuner Statistics Server app, you can view this information in real time with an in-game overlay. You can also use the app to adjust your GPU settings, whether you’re using an AMD or Nvidia card. This is handy for those who want to overclock or underclock their GPU, adjust fan speeds, and set a custom fan curve. Setting your curve can mean the difference between sitting next to a noisy jet engine that cools down too aggressively at the slightest sign of heat, and a generally quiet room thanks to the fact that you’re setting a curve that speeds up when your games get demanding. Paired with the RTSS overlay connected to the HWiNFO 64’s stats, you can watch your temperature rise and fan speed change in real time, making it easier to adjust them when you can see their behavior.

Once you’ve mastered trial-and-error tuning your fan curve, you can do the same with overclocking and underclocking, testing the instability of your new settings in demanding games or GPU benchmarks. All silicon is slightly different, so it’s best to adjust things yourself, rather than following someone else’s specific settings which could cause your equipment to warp. The goal is to balance performance and stability, and these tools make it easy to monitor and test your changes—essential things every PC gamer should install to keep their gaming PC running smoothly.