Check Basic PC Specs in Settings About in 30 Seconds
Someone asks on the phone: which processor does your PC have, and how much RAM? You do not need to install anything for the basic answer. Windows already keeps it on one page — the About page in Settings — and you can be reading it in half a minute.
✍️ Technical Anshu🪟 Windows 10 / 11⏱️ The basic answer in about 30 seconds
🎥 Watch the full video — from this quick check to the complete configuration with CPU-Z, step by step
In the video, this is the traditional way shown first: before any tool, Anshu points at the system About settings, the basic specification page built into Windows. It is genuinely the fastest route to the two questions people ask most — which processor and how much RAM. This page shows you exactly where it lives, how to read every line on it, and — just as important — the honest list of things it cannot tell you, so you know when to stop here and when to run the full check.
Settings → System → About — Device specifications
Device nameDESKTOP-EXAMPLE
ProcessorIntel Core i5-12400F 2.50 GHz
Installed RAM16.0 GB
System type64-bit OS, x64 processor
The Device specifications block of the About page. Values are from one example machine — yours will list your own processor and RAM.
1
Open the About Page the Fast Way
Press the Windows key and type About your PC — open the result that appears
Or go step by step: Settings → System → About (the same path works in Windows 10 and Windows 11)
Or press Windows + R, type ms-settings:about and press Enter
The page has two blocks: Device specifications (the hardware) and Windows specifications (the software). Each answers a different kind of question.
2
Read the Device Specifications Block
Device name — the name this PC carries on your network. Useful when a technician asks which machine is yours
Processor — the exact CPU model and its base speed, for example Intel Core i5-12400F 2.50 GHz. This is the line to read out when someone asks "which processor?"
Installed RAM — the total memory fitted, like 16.0 GB
System type — 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor is the normal modern answer
Device ID and Product ID — identifiers a support desk may ask for; they identify this Windows installation, not you personally
3
Read the Windows Specifications Block
Scroll a little and the second block describes Windows itself:
Edition — Windows 11 Home or Pro. This decides which features you have (Pro adds BitLocker, Remote Desktop host and group policy)
Version — like 22H2 or 24H2. Update and support questions always start here
OS build — the precise build number, the line Microsoft support asks for when a bug is version-specific
Installed on — the date this Windows was set up, a handy clue on a second-hand machine
4
What the About Page Honestly Does Not Show
The About page is a summary, not an inspection. It will not tell you:
Your graphics card model or its memory — for that, use Task Manager's Performance tab or CPU-Z's Graphics tab
Your motherboard model or BIOS version — that lives in msinfo32 and in CPU-Z's Mainboard tab
How your RAM is divided — how many sticks, which slots are free, and the part number. That is the SPD tab's job
Your storage model or health — run Get-PhysicalDisk in PowerShell for the drive's model, type and health line
Knowing what a tool cannot do is part of using it well. About answers "which processor and how much RAM" in seconds — for anything deeper, move to the complete configuration check linked below.
5
When 30 Seconds Is Enough — and When It Is Not ⭐
About is enough when a support person asks for your processor, RAM and Windows version, when you are checking a new laptop matches its invoice on the basics, or when a game's requirement is only about the CPU and total RAM.
About is not enough when you are buying RAM (you need slots, type and part numbers), choosing a graphics card (you need the board, the PCIe slot and the power supply), or verifying a used PC before paying (you need every part read from the hardware itself). Those jobs belong to the full check — CPU-Z for the parts, msinfo32 for the complete report.
ℹ️ Installed RAM vs usable RAM: if Windows ever shows a slightly smaller usable figure next to the installed total, that is normal — a small part is reserved by hardware, and on machines without a separate graphics card the integrated GPU takes its share from system RAM.
🎥 See the Full Configuration Check in the Video
The About page is only the start — the video goes on to CPU-Z for the motherboard, RAM slots and graphics card details this page cannot show.
Open Settings, go to System, and choose About at the bottom of the list. The fastest route is pressing the Windows key and typing About your PC. Windows 10 keeps it in the same place: Settings, then System, then About.
Why does my PC show less usable RAM than installed RAM?
A small amount is always reserved. Task Manager's Memory page shows it as Hardware reserved, and if your PC uses integrated graphics, that GPU also borrows a portion of system RAM as its video memory. A difference of a few hundred megabytes — or even a couple of gigabytes on an integrated-graphics laptop — is normal behaviour, not a fault.
Can I verify a second-hand laptop using only the About page?
Only the basics. About confirms the processor and total RAM, but a proper pre-purchase check also reads the motherboard, the exact RAM sticks, the graphics card and the drive health from the hardware itself. That takes about five minutes with CPU-Z and the Get-PhysicalDisk command, and it is worth doing before money changes hands.
This guide follows the PC configuration check shown in the Technical Anshu video above • Stuck on a step? Ask in the video comments and the community will help 🙏