SpeedFan 4.46

Most modern computers have very fast CPUs and graphics cards. The same goes for the RAM memory, which is becoming faster and faster. But the problem with these very fast components is that they can generate a lot of heat, especially under heavy load. This is why a computer user should pay particular attention to cooling solution, for extending the life of hardware components. But in order to see the efficiency of a cooling solution, you would need to view the temperature of different hardware components.

This is now possible, as most hardware components have temperature sensors built-in. The only problem is how to access the information transmitted by those sensors. SpeedFan can help you in this case. This simple Windows application can read the temperature from various hardware sensors and can display it in a clean and intuitive interface.

The installation wizard of SpeedFan completes fast and the program starts monitoring the temperature from the moment it is launched, without requiring some additional configuring. All the temperature values will be displayed in the main interface, together with the number of rotations for the system fans. From the main interface, the user can manually adjust the speed of the fans, for lowering the noise level or he can set the program to do this automatically, according to the temperature value.

But SpeedFan is not only limited to monitoring the temperature, as it can also help you overclock your CPU, offering support for a wide range of motherboards and processors. This should be done with great caution, as rising the frequency of a processor too much can cause stability issues. The program can also display some information regarding the RAM memory installed into the system.

By accessing the SMART tab, the user can view information about his hard disks, which are received using the SMART feature. Knowing this information can help you predict if your hard disk will stop functioning in the near future, allowing you to back up your data in time. For helping you observe temperature variations in time, there is a chart displayed in the interface, which can display the evolution of the temperature for a certain hardware component or for all of them. This can help the user see how efficient his cooling solution is.

Pros:
It can display the temperature for a wide range of hardware devices, like the CPU, GPU, motherboard and hard disk. Besides that, it allows controlling the rotation speed for the system fans. Furthermore, it can overclock the CPU. Moreover, it can display SMART information for virtually any hard disk that supports this feature.

Cons:
Certain features, for example, the overclock function, require computer experience.

SpeedFan can efficiently monitor the temperature for various hardware devices, allowing you to see if the used cooling solution is good enough.

SpeedFan has been reviewed by Jerome Johnston on 15 May 2012. Based on the user interface, features and complexity, Findmysoft has rated SpeedFan 5 out of 5 stars, naming it Essential