PC specs: see what is inside a Windows PC

PC specs tells you what is inside a Windows PC. Open it from Settings › PC specs, the first row of Settings. It is one read-only page that scrolls. It only reads. It does not change anything on the PC.

The main use is checking a used laptop before you pay for it. It can also answer “how much memory do I have, and can I add more?” on your own PC.

PC specs was added in Devpit v0.5.0. It works on Windows 10 and 11. What you see depends on what the PC reports. Anything the PC does not report is shown as not reported by this PC.

The top of the page

The first line names the PC: the maker, the model, the kind of PC (such as laptop or desktop), the Windows edition, and the time it was read.

Reading takes about a second on a typical laptop. The drive health and activation parts take a few seconds more. The page fills in as each part arrives, so you can start reading at once.

Buyer’s check

Under the title is a short Buyer’s check. It lists plain-language flags for things worth asking about. Each flag has a status badge, a word and a reason, so you never have to go by colour alone. A flag that is a rule of thumb says (rule of thumb).

A flag means “look closer”, not “do not buy”. If Windows or the PC maker does not report something, Devpit leaves it out. It never flags missing data.

It can flag:

• Battery. The battery holds under 80% of its design charge (worn), or under 60% (very worn). Or a laptop has no battery found.
• Drive health. A drive that Windows reports as warning or unhealthy.
• Drive wear. High wear, only when the wear was read.
• Spinning hard disk. Windows is installed on a spinning hard disk.
• Memory. One memory stick with a free slot (the memory then runs single-channel). Sticks that do not match. Less than 8 GB of memory.
• Windows not activated.
• Company licence. A volume (company) licence on a PC that is not in a company domain. Ask how Windows was activated.
• Managed by an organisation. The PC is joined to a domain, Entra, device management or Autopilot. Autopilot registration lives in the cloud and cannot always be seen from the PC.
• Windows 10. It no longer gets security updates.
• No TPM 2.0.
• Serial number. A branded PC with a placeholder serial number.

Some things are shown as plain notes, not flags: Secure Boot off, the BIOS date, memory running below its rated speed, soldered memory that cannot be upgraded, and whether virtualization is on.

At a glance

Next comes a short summary, one line each for Processor, Memory, Storage, Graphics, Display, Battery and Windows.

What the page shows

Below that, each part of the PC has its own section.

Section	What you see
Battery	Health, charge now and when new, cycle count, charge state
Memory	Slots, size of each stick, type, speed, form factor, maker, part number, memory in use
Storage	Each drive: model, kind, size, health, volumes, used and free space
Processor	Name, cores and threads, cache, base clock
Graphics	Name, memory, driver version and date
Display	Built-in or external, resolution, refresh rate, size, HDR, touch
Windows & security	Edition, version, activation, licence, Secure Boot, TPM, management
System & firmware	Maker, model, serial number, BIOS version and date, uptime
Network adapters	Physical adapters and built-in devices

Battery

A laptop battery wears out with use. The page shows health as the full-charge capacity now divided by the capacity it was designed for. It shows the watt-hours now next to the watt-hours when new. If the laptop reports a cycle count, you see that too. You also see the charge state, and the maker and chemistry.

Memory

The slots are drawn as filled and empty boxes, so you can see at a glance whether there is a free slot. Each stick shows its size, its DDR or LPDDR type, its rated speed and its form factor: SODIMM, DIMM or soldered. It also shows the maker and part number, and how much memory is in use now. Soldered memory cannot be upgraded. PC specs never claims the memory is dual-channel.

Storage

Each drive shows its model, whether it is NVMe, SATA or USB, whether it is an SSD or an HDD, its size, and the health Windows reports. The size is the one Windows shows. It also lists which volumes the drive holds and their used and free space, and the BitLocker state when Windows reports it.

Wear, power-on hours and temperature of the drive need more access than a normal read. When that data is missing, the page offers it: press e and accept the one Windows admin prompt. If you say no, you still get the rest of the page.

Processor

The name, the number of cores and threads, the cache and the base clock. On a processor with performance and efficiency cores, it shows that split. The boost clock is not shown.

Graphics

The name of each graphics adapter, its memory, and the driver version and date. Built-in graphics are shown as sharing system memory.

Display

Each screen shows whether it is built-in or external, its resolution, its refresh rate now and the highest rate available, whether HDR is on, and whether it is a touch screen. The size comes from the screen’s own data, when it reports it.

Windows & security

The edition and version, whether Windows is activated and which licence channel it uses, Secure Boot, the TPM version, and whether an organisation manages the PC. It also says whether the PC maker stored a Windows licence in the firmware. The key itself is never read out.

System & firmware, network and built-in devices

The maker, model and serial number, the BIOS version and date, and how long the PC has been on. The network section lists physical adapters only: name, type, link speed and MAC address. It also lists built-in devices such as Bluetooth, a camera and a fingerprint reader.

Keys

Key	What it does
↑ ↓ or j k	Scroll
PgUp PgDn Home End	Scroll by a page, or to the top or bottom
← → or [ ]	Jump to the previous or next section
r	Read the PC again
c	Copy the report to the clipboard
s	Save the report as a Markdown file on your Desktop
e	Read drive wear and hours, with one admin prompt. Only offered when that data is missing
?	Show the keys for this screen
Esc	Go back

With the mouse, the wheel scrolls, and a click on a section name jumps there.

Copy or save the report

c and s both ask first: Include serial numbers and MAC addresses? The default answer is No. Say Yes only if the person who will read the report should have them.

A save never overwrites a file. If the name is taken, the new file is named with (2), then (3), and so on.

What it does not show

• CPU or GPU temperature, and fan speed. Windows does not expose them reliably without a driver, and Devpit never collects temperatures.
• Boost clock.
• Live usage graphs. This is a page about what the PC is, not a monitor of what it is doing right now.
• Benchmarks. There are no speed scores.
• Product keys. The Windows key stored by the PC maker is never read out.
• IP addresses. Those are in Ports & Network.

Privacy

• PC specs is read-only.
• Nothing is sent anywhere.
• Serial numbers and MAC addresses are visible on screen. They go into a copied or saved report only after you answer Yes. The default answer is No.
• The OEM Windows key is never read out.
• The only extra privilege is the optional admin prompt for drive wear. It runs one fixed read and nothing else.

See Safety and privacy for the rules that apply, and the safety rules (numbers 56 to 61) for the test that pins each one.

Buying a used laptop

This is general advice. A clean report is not a guarantee.

1. Ask to check the laptop before you pay, in a public place.
2. Look at the battery health. A battery that holds much less than it was designed for will not last a day away from the charger.
3. Check that Windows is activated, and that the PC is not still managed by a school or a company. An organisation can control or lock a managed PC.
4. Look at the drive health. A drive that reports a warning is a reason to walk away or to ask for a lower price.
5. Check the memory. Soldered memory cannot be upgraded. One stick in a two-slot laptop leaves room to add more.
6. Check that the model and serial number match the sticker on the laptop and the box.
7. Test the screen, keyboard, touchpad, ports, speakers, webcam and charger yourself.
8. Ask for a receipt and a way to reach the seller afterwards.

Where to find it

Open Devpit Settings from the main menu with 6. PC specs is the first row, in the This PC group. Press Enter to open it, and Esc to go back. The Settings guide describes every other row.