Think about this, which systems do need more benchmark programs? Would it be the newer Windows XP, 2000, Vista operating systems or its predecessors Win95/98?

If you want to get the most out of your PC, benchmark program is a must tool. Be it old or new, whichever kind of computer system you have these tools are indispensable.

Let me start with those old computer systems like Pentium I & II’s which run Win95/98. You could use Windows System Monitor to check on bottlenecks of your computer devices. The System Monitor shows a graphical chart usage for the processor, memory, disk drives, network connections and more.

If your system is sluggish, System Monitor could be a help in spotting possible cause of slowdown. It could also be used to measure the usage of your computer resources throughout the day. Should you find that 90% of RAM is being used most of the time during the day, then it would be good to consider upgrading the memory.

Starting System Monitor:

Select Start -> Programs -> Acessories -> System Tools -> System Monitor

The default System Monitor will show the Kernel: Processor Usage graph.

Steps on adding devices to be monitored:

1. Select menu Edit -> Add Item ->
   The Add Item window will open.
2. Select Category -> Memory Manger on the left pane.
3. Select Item -> Allocated Memory on the right pane.
4. Click Ok button.

What you have is a Windows System Monitor showing the processor and memory usage while opening www.techxplore.net with IE 4.0 browser.

It helps to keep track of your system device usage. Try this one if you still have those old system running.