Shopping for a computer can be a nightmare. One thing is that you are not quite sure if you are getting the specs displayed or it is just a raw deal. Especially when you insist on making your purchase from some shady shops. You will be more comfortable making your purchase in an established electronic shop. A brand that you can relate to. If you insist on walking into those dimly lit establishments selling refurbished or ex-UK laptops, PCs and computer accessories, then trade carefully. Be cautious. Be vigilante.

When you are looking to purchase a new PC or rather upgrade to a new PC, cost is not the only factor that will drive you to your new purchase. You will have to check out various computer components to see if they meet your needs. The needs of a graphic designer are not necessarily the same as those of a business person.

The shop attendant will be kind enough to inform you of the different specs of the computer you are interested in. But that is just word of mouth. You need to be able to confirm these specs and Microsoft has made the process somehow simpler. There are about three different ways for you to check a computers system information.

Method 1

This process is not that entailing at all. This method applies to devices running Windows 10 operating system.

1. Click the Start button
2. Then click on the Settings button
3. Alternatively you can press Windows key + I to launch the settings app.
4. Then click on the System
5. In the next dialog box click on the About option on the left pane. This will show you a preview of your System Information ranging from the OS version, installed RAM and Processor. It also shows you the edition of Windows installed and whether it is 32 or 64 bit.
6. This is the same information you get when you right click the My Computer icon and choosing Properties on older versions of Windows OS.

Method 2

This option is much more detailed than the first one above. With this option you can even check the BIOS version and the date it was updated. Your system model is also displayed here.

1. Head over to the Search bar and type System Information.
2. Click on the System Information setting in the search results
3. This will open the System Information page. On the left of the window there are four options.
   1. System Summary – This gives you an overview of what is present in the PC
   2. Hardware Resources
   3. Components – If you want to know if the device has a dedicated video card, this is the place. The Display option lists the names of all installed graphics card.
   4. Software Environment

Method 3

This method will entail you using command prompt. The exciting bit is that it gives details such as the original install date of the Windows OS.

1. Press Windows Key + R to open the run window.
2. Type cmd in the open text box. This will open command prompt.
3. Then click OK
4. In the command prompt window type systeminfo.

You can use any of the methods above to check the system specifications of the Windows PC you intend to purchase before you first commit.