Whether you are preparing to install a demanding new PC game, buying a memory upgrade, or checking system compatibility for professional video editing software, knowing your exact hardware specifications is essential.
Windows 11 provides several built-in tools to check your CPU model, core count, total RAM capacity, and real-time clock frequencies. Here are the 3 best methods.
Method 1: The Fast Settings "About" Screen (General Overview)
For a fast summary of your processor and installed memory:
- Right-click the Start button (Windows logo) on your taskbar and select Settings (or press Windows Key + I).
- On the System tab, scroll all the way to the bottom and click About.
- Under the Device specifications section, look for:
- Processor: Displays your exact CPU make, model, base frequency, and generations (e.g., Intel Core i7-13700K 3.40 GHz or AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D).
- Installed RAM: Shows total capacity and usable memory (e.g., 32.0 GB (31.8 GB usable)).
- System type: Confirms whether your Windows installation is 64-bit.
Method 2: Task Manager (Live Speeds, RAM Slots & CPU Cores)
If you need detailed technical telemetry like memory frequency (MHz), slots used, or thread counts:
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to launch Task Manager.
- Click the Performance icon (the graph icon on the left sidebar).
- Select CPU:
- Displays real-time CPU utilization, base speed, core count, logical processors (threads), virtualization support, and L3 cache size.
- Select Memory:
- Displays total memory, memory in use, available memory, Speed (e.g., 3200 MHz or 6000 MT/s), Slots used (e.g., 2 of 4), and Form factor (DIMM / SODIMM).
Method 3: System Information Utility (Deep Hardware Report)
To view your motherboard model, BIOS version, and detailed hardware IDs:
- Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog.
- Type
msinfo32and press Enter. - In the System Summary window, you can view your BaseBoard Product (motherboard model), BIOS Version/Date, Installed Physical Memory (RAM), and Total Virtual Memory.
