20 Jul Quality of Life Tools for Your PC
Your PC system is an invaluable resource for day-to-day tasks, whether personal or professional. Thus, it’s a great idea to utilize quality software tools to maintain or improve system performance. Sometimes, it’s not always about investing in hardware upgrades, but rather making the best use of what you already have.
QoL tools for PC systems can vary, but all provide useful intel or services. We’ll cover a few to help improve your PC experience, whether laptop or desktop.
QoL PC Tools
Getting the most out of your PC system varies, but it is never a bad thing to have essential metrics and information about your hardware.
CPU Temperature Tracker
Your PC system generates heat. While it’s normal to expect increases in temperature, an escalation in said temperature can have undesired consequences. Random system freezes and crashes are common if a PC system reaches dangerous temperature levels, but consistently high temperatures will outright damage sensitive computer components.
A critical and quality type of software is a CPU temperature tracker. These lightweight applications provide readable layouts of your current CPU temperature levels. You can use this to check if your CPU temperature is reaching unusually high levels. For instance, if you run a hardware-intensive program, you can see what the temperature ceilings are.
Software like a CPU monitor is handy for several reasons. For instance, it provides insight as to whether or not your hardware is getting sufficient cooling. You can also see what programs, if applicable, are causing the most hardware strain. This is important, as unsafe heat levels can permanently damage a CPU component, rendering your PC system unusable.
HDD Monitoring Software
Where the CPU is like the heart of a PC system, a disc drive is the brain. But much like temperature monitors, software for your HDD disc drive is important too.
Tools exist for Solid State Drives as well, though SSDs are typically faster and more stable than their counterparts. That does not mean Hard Drives are not important. They’re an inexpensive investment and capable of storing enormous amounts of data. That said, SSDs are efficient at self-reporting technical issues and/or memory limitations.
However, HDDs use mechanical parts and a rotating disc to operate. Therefore, they’re more susceptible to crashes and failure the longer they’re used. Knowing if your HDD is failing and checking on its expected lifetime is invaluable intel, and while it’s difficult to determine the exact expected lifespan of a hard drive, monitoring tools can offer a level of useful insight.
It’s a strong utility for older hardware, worth utilizing if you suspect your HDD is failing or on its last legs.
UI Suites
You can also, if desired, overhaul user interface functions or add utilities to your PC with UI suites. Windows, for example, has an optional toolset “PowerToys,” adding new functions to your system with light performance demands.
PowerToys and similar suites offer a range of functions like advanced screen zoom, cutting/pasting options, screen locks, window tab adjustments, and custom shortcut bindings, to name a few. UI suites and programs can offer a range of new tools and functions otherwise not available with default user interfaces.
File Location Tools
It’s essential to find your file folders and files when you need them. However, modern changes to Windows make this challenging, if not impossible. File location software and tools can fix this by allowing users to instantly locate their program, file, or folder without fighting the bulwark of unrelated results.
Everything is one such example, a free and powerful resource allowing Windows users to quickly locate files by name.
Using your PC system means getting the best out of it. Utilizing QoL software can improve your experience.
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