What sort of hardware tests would you do on a new computer?

I'm buying a new laptop, and I was thinking that it would be good to test out all of it's components to make sure that I don't have a dud.

What are all of the things that I could do to test them out? More precisely, what programs would be good to use to test everything out with?

 

Normally I'll run something like the Unigine Heaven benchmark on loop for a few hours with a HW monitor to test cooling, same with Prime95, I'll of course check for dead pixels with some of the nice free websites out there, maybe run a memtest86+ bootable check.

 

3DMark and PCMark. wPrime as well.

 

And run some kind of HDD test to report bad blocks. Most disk manufacturers have the software available for download on their websites. If you're not sure about the specs, PCWizard or Everest will be helpful. Oh, and they will also provide a nice SMART report that you may want to check as well.

If you're buying a SSD, please disregard.

 

The only thing I'd do is turn up the heat to 30-35 celcius and start gaming for 2-3 hours straight (cod or assassins creed) on max settings. If it won't overheat, i'll be satisfied ^^ Benchmarks and all that stuff doesn't interest me, my hardware needs to survive hardcore gaming sessions, nothing more.

 

There is a linux distro that is intended for burn-in tests of hardware.

http://www.stresslinux.org/sl/

works well

 

OCCT gets my vote.

http://www.ocbase.com/perestroika_en/index.php?2008/03/14/23-what-is-occt

 

Ah, yes, I recall something about testing the RAM with memtest. That's definitely something I'll look into.

So far, these are the things that I plan on doing:

Memtest
3DMark
Prime95 for processor stuffs. (Probably will use wPrime for this, unless Prime95 is better...)

PCWizard for HDD and a few other things, just to "re-test" a few of them.
OCCT to triple check for s and giggles (It sounds interesting)

The Stresslinux one scares me, no offense to the poster xD I feel intimidated by things that run in Linux like windows besides the cmd prompt and ASCII games xD

Also:

Should anything go wrong with my laptop purchase, I have no idea how to take advantage of a warranty. The directions and the like would come with it, oui?

Thanks a lot for all your help guys

 

LCD testing software to make sure no dead pixels, stuck pixels.

 

Everest Stability Test (With Hard Drive Stress Test Checked)

Slap in some Quake 4 and go at it

 

Oh! Wicked! Thanks a lot! I was wondering what I would use for those dead pixels...

I'll check that out too!

I guess if I use Everest, I could take out another one of the other ones...

I don't have Quake 4 though

 

This is a quick overview of my (current) standard test for new systems:

1):
Multiple instances of MemTest run concurrently with at least two instances of Prime95 and left running for at least 24 Hrs. With this part completed I continue with:

2):
Visual inspection for stuck/dead pixels using white/black/gray/red/green/blue full screen backgrounds. (Screen was left on for duration of testing above).

3):
IntelBurnTest v2.3 for at least 10 minutes - not longer than 15 minutes.

4):
Install all software in the final needed configuration and then test each and every port (USB/HDMI/VGA out/etc.).

5):
With all software and hardware working normally - I then run steps 1 - 3 again.

For the remainder of the week, the computer is rebooted at least twice a day and left running the rest of the time with standby and sleep also used/tested inbetween.

With no (unexplained) glitches shown to this point, I am now more than a little confident that I can trust the new machine a little.

Note that I do not torture test the machine (I'm not trying to kill it!): each notebook is used with a notebook cooler throughout the testing phase (1-3 especially) and used without one as I would use it in 'normal' use (for me); on a desk and without obstructing any cooling vents or intakes (this is to judge subjectively if it is 'too hot' for me to continue using).

With the above tests 'passed', I feel that I can leave the old machine it replaced behind (or at least simply in my vehicle if the client is important enough to need to bring a backup).

When I really 'trust' it though is when the manufacturer has finally stopped issuing driver and/or BIOS updates - if I still have the machine in use at that time.

Yes, this does take at least a week (7 full days) to run through - but this is equivalent to almost a month of actual 'typical' use for me. Anything shorter/quicker will not show up anything more than obvious glitches and the return period would be long past if I bought a new machine and simply used it 'normally' - hoping it will turn out fine. This is of course a production environment where I have other (older/proven) systems to rely on while 'testing'.

I don't know if your system needs are this critical - but even if I purchase a system for 'personal' use, I still follow the above break-in routine just to know that the money I put towards the system was spent wisely; at least at the time of purchase (things can and do break afterwards, of course).

Hope this helps.

 

Alright, so I ran the 3dmark on my video card, and for some reason it's not detecting my video card... It's saying that the resolution required isn't supported.

What's up with that?

Is my laptop's GPU not working or something? >_>

 

My vote goes for "Core Damage".

 

I have absolutely no idea what that means.

It's detecting the GTS 360M... But when I run the 3dmark, it says this:
"Required resolution 1280x1024 is not supported."

I only get like, 1fps in the benchmark, and at the end, it says "Generic VGA" or something on the results instead of my 360.

 

Apparently, for some reason, either your notebook or the GPU won't run the 1280x1024 resolution. Without knowing exactly which model notebook you have, it's difficult to say which might be the problem.

 

he has a GTS360M so it most likely an ASUS G51J or the new Toshiba Qosimo X500 series... that's weird... have u got NVDIA video drivers installed? Also is ur 3D Mark properly installed?

 

Well, if it's one of the X500s... I seem to remember that a bunch of them have pretty low resolution LCDs. I wonder if that might be the problem? I've never tried running 3dmark, myself, and I almost categorically refuse to get anything under WUXGA... then again, I like 17" machines.