BlueStacks is a virtual Android engine to run the AnTuTu Benchmark application on a computer. It has both edition EXE for Windows and DMG for Mac. Firstly, go for download to install BlueStacks on PC. Secondly, start the engine on the computer. Thirdly, register or log in on the Google Play server. Unigine Heaven Benchmark 4.0 MAC Download. SmartFPS.com is a free software to benchmark latest videocards and processors by real world games like Crysis, Crysis Warhead, Unreal Tournament 3.
Why are hard drives one of the most essential computer components? They hold your operating system, meaning that even if you have a powerful CPU and lots of memory, a slow-performing hard drive will inevitably result in slow-loading times and computer lags when trying to multitask. If you’ve been experiencing lags, how can you tell if your hard drive is performing fine, needs some minor tweaks or a complete upgrade? Whether you’re on Windows or Mac, you can test the performance of your hard drive very easily using the best hard drive benchmarking tools.
A benchmarking software tests your hard drive in a number of situations and gives you an overall picture of its performance. The good news is that the internet has plenty of such benchmarking tools available for free.
Some benchmarking tools offer extremely comprehensive tests, while others are quick and efficient. In what follows, we’ll look into the 3 best free benchmarking tools for Windows and Mac so that you can pick the one best suited to your needs.
Three Best Hard Drive Benchmarking Tools For Windows
· CrystalDiskMark
CrystalDiskMark is considered one of the most trusted benchmark programs, and there are good reasons behind its prevalence. It works for just about everything, whether it’s a mechanical hard drive, a USB drive, or an SSD. It is also very user-friendly and offers a very quick setup process with little in the way of configuration.
This program can estimate sequential, random read/write speeds, select test data, and support multiple languages. The user-friendly interface means that you can easily browse through the complete details of the test results, all of which are displayed on the primary window.
Besides the accuracy of the test results, another neat feature of this application is that it is pretty fast, does not put undue stress on the computer’s RAM or processor, and takes only a few minutes to complete the benchmarks. For best results, though, it is advisable not to have many or any applications running in the background before hitting the start button.
Read more: Why Is SSD Faster Than HDD?
· ATTO Disk Benchmark
ATTO’s Disk Benchmark software is popular among professional hardware reviewers and has the seal of approval of manufacturers like Corsair when it comes to running tests on SSDs. The tool runs sequential tests for read and write operations and uses block sizes starting from 512 bytes to 64 MB.
While most benchmarking software can come with a ton of features, making it difficult for the average user to operate, the ATTO Disk Benchmark is relatively simple to configure and offers an easy-to-use interface. There are detailed help options available for every feature as well. Since all its utilities are presented in a single window, pre-testing configurations take very little time.
Running the test requires you to select the drive of your choice, the total length and size of the transfer, and then to choose whether you want to leave options such as direct I/O, overlapped I/O and force write access enabled. In case you enable the first two, odd results due to system caching will be ruled out.
The results also feature graphs and read/write statistics. You can easily save the results generated or even print them directly from within the application.
· AS SSD Benchmark
Free Benchmark
This tool, like the name suggests, is primarily geared towards SSD drives. Like the ATTO Disk, this software, too, is a favorite among hardware review sites, such as AnandTech’s benchmark charts for SSDs. The look of the AS SSD resembles the CrystalDiskMark.
The software displays the read and write scores (sequential and 4 KB) and access times, along with a general overall final score. You could also change the result to Input/Output operations per second (IOPS) from the View menu. The Tools menu also offers some additional benchmarks like the Copy benchmark (that simulates copying a game, a program, or an ISO) and a read/write compression benchmark.
Bear in mind that the AS SSD uses incompressible data, as a result of which some SSDs, which compress their data, may generate a lower score than usual. The software is also portable.
Three Best Hard Drive Benchmarking Tools For Mac
· Blackmagic’s Disk Speed Test
Blackmagic’s benchmarking software can be downloaded for free on the Mac App Store. There are very few configuration settings that you need to worry about, and everything takes place on a single window, making this one of the more user-friendly Mac benchmarking tools out there.
This software tests the performance of your hard drive by writing large blocks of data to check its writing score, along with read tests that not only evaluate your hard drive’s current performance but also how its readability will be affected over time.
In case you have a single hard drive, then simply quit all your background applications and hit the ‘Start’ button. In the case of multiple drives, you can select the drive of your choice by pressing the gear button (between the two speedometer circles) to access settings or by using the File and Stress menus available at the top of the screen. Blackmagic also allows you to choose the stress level for the testing (with a minimum of 1 GB and a maximum of 5 GB).
On the speedometers, you can find the drive’s read speed on the right and the write speed on the left. This gives a very clear picture of how long it will take to load applications and videos and, conversely, the time it will take you to write a file to the drive.
Blackmagic was created for video editors, and hence, you’ll find a series of tables underneath the main measurements that are meant for video editing professionals. In case you are not interested in that particular field, you can ignore that information and just focus on the two gauges.
Read more: External Drive Is Read Only On Mac: Why And What To Do
· AmorphousDiskMark
CrystalDiskMark may not be available for Mac, but AmorphousDiskMark is a good alternative with similar features and functionality and a very-similar-looking minimalist user-friendly interface.
This software measures your hard drive’s performance in megabytes per second (MB/s) and Input/Output operations per second (IOPS). The result is shown in the main window. A neat feature of this application is that it features four types of tests, each for testing a different type of data block.
Because of this, AmorphousDiskMark can perform read/write measurements on sequential 128 KB blocks, random sequence 4 KB blocks, sequential 1 MB blocks as well as random sequence 4 KB blocks. You can also adjust the value of the test counter and the test size (that goes from 50 MB to 32 GB) and pick the particular drive of your choice. The software can test internal disks as well as all drives connected to your Mac, which it automatically detects.
After finishing the test, the software allows you the option to take a screenshot of your result so that you can share and save it.
· NovaBench (Basic)
The basic version of NovaBench is free, and you can download it either from the Mac App Store or their official website.
This software again offers a very simple interface for users. To begin the test, simply click ‘Start Test’ on the splash screen. You may get a new window asking you to close other applications. Do that and you can proceed with testing.
After the click, the full tests are completed in a matter of minutes and saved with the date and time within the application. You can view them again from the NovaBench start screen.
Paid Benchmarking Tools:
If you are feeling a bit more ambitious and want to invest in carrying out a thorough check of your hard drives, you could always opt for a paid benchmarking application. Here are a couple of choices you could go with:
· HD Tune (for Windows)
HD Tune is pretty well-known and is considered to be an essential part of every tech user’s USB toolbox. The free version has not been updated since 2008 and may have minor issues with the latest hard drives, which is why the paid version is the safer bet.
HD Tune allows you to change the block size from 512 bytes to 8 MB, and you can change the slider to opt for faster or slower test speeds. A faster test generally has lower accuracy, whereas a slower test is more comprehensive and thorough and offers greater accuracy.
Free Benchmark Software Mac Version
After the test is done, the graph that appears will display the minimum, maximum, and average read speeds, along with the burst rate and the average access time (in milliseconds).
Whether you need to share the TV or you'd like to get a little gaming in while people think you're working, let's take a look at the setup process and my opinion on how well it actually works. If you indeed go with this option, keep in mind that a headset plugged into the controller will lose the use of its microphone and you also won't get any haptic feedback.For Bluetooth-enabled Xbox One controllers, you can connect as you would any other Bluetooth device. You can continue using your headset plugged into the controller, and you'll receive haptic feedback.If, however, you're too far away from your Xbox One for a solid controller connection — whether trying out remote play or in a far corner of your home — you can connect the Xbox controller straight to your Mac with either Bluetooth or a USB connection. OneCast works just fine if you have your Xbox controller connected straight to your Xbox One. That's all changed with the arrival of OneCast, a macOS app that is designed specifically for streaming your Xbox One to your Mac. Xbox one remote play macbook.
· NovaBench Pro (for Mac)
You can purchase NovaBench Pro from their official site. The paid version of NovaBench has some neat features along with the ones offered by the free version, such as portability, scheduled tests, private profile scores, and a command-line interface (CLI).
If you choose to schedule tests, NovaBench runs the test silently in the background when you are not using your computer during your chosen interval. You can schedule tests daily or monthly as you like. The CLI allows you to write scripts using NovaBench’s benchmarks and easily run tests via remote sessions. With private profile scores, you can make your NovaBench performance score private.
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