When dealing with an old PC, identifying its components can be both challenging and essential, whether you’re looking to upgrade it, repair it, or simply understand the machine’s capabilities. Knowing how to recognize various parts, from the processor and motherboard to RAM and storage drives, is crucial for making informed decisions about the system. In this guide, we’ll explore key methods and tools you can use to accurately identify the components of an old PC, helping you get the most out of your vintage hardware.
Guiding You in Identifying Your Computer’s Components Using the Black Tower as an Example
Before Identifying the PC Components
Use a Checklist to List the Components
Before starting the inspection, I suggest using a small Excel sheet that you can fill out as you go through your inventory. This will help you keep track of all the components of the PC you’ve retrieved and whether they are functional (thanks to tests we’ll conduct later).
The Windows License Sticker
If there’s a Windows license sticker on the PC case, congratulations! You’ve acquired a free Windows license 😀. This allows you to use this version of Windows legally, avoiding the need to use cracks that can install all sorts of malware on your computer.
A Windows XP Home Edition license sticker. You didn’t think I’d leave the key visible, did you? 😀
Recently, it’s been shown that retrieving old Windows XP licenses can be quite useful. For example, when Windows 8 was launched, Microsoft had a promotional offer: upgrading to Windows 8 for €29.99 from Windows XP, Vista, and 7. It was therefore possible to retrieve an old PC with a Windows XP sticker and take advantage of Microsoft’s promo offer: you could get Windows 8 for only €29.99 🙂. Let’s hope this deal is renewed when their next operating system is released 😉
A little tip if you want to remove the Windows license sticker from your case: it might be useful if you prefer to keep your license stickers in a safe place or if you plan to change the case and reattach the sticker to the new one. Use a hairdryer to heat the sticker for at least 5 minutes to make it more flexible, making it easier to peel off without damaging it. Then, use a sticky note or something flat to remove the sticker. Be gentle; the stickers are very fragile!
Once removed, store the license sticker, preferably on wax or parchment paper (yes, the kind you use in the oven :D).
Knowing the Computer’s Components
You have two methods to identify the components of your computer.
- The first involves using diagnostic software like Speccy. This is the simplest method but the least effective for precisely identifying a component.
- The second method involves disassembling the components of your PC one by one and reading the model numbers on them. This way, you can precisely identify the motherboard model, the power supply’s wattage, the hard drive’s capacity, the RAM type, the graphics card model, etc. Don’t skip this step of visually recognizing the components.
Why not use software to detect my computer’s components? Isn’t that easier?
It’s certainly easier but not necessarily the wisest method! If you can’t start the PC for various reasons (motherboard failure, faulty power supply…), you won’t be able to use diagnostic software. In such cases, being able to identify the components by sight is essential. Furthermore, visually recognizing the components is far more reliable since you’ll have the exact model number, unlike diagnostic software, which might provide incorrect data if it doesn’t have the component in its database. Finally, it’s much more fun to do 😀 Trust me!
Manual Method “By Eye”
Now, let’s get to the heart of the matter: we’re going to disassemble the PC to see what it has inside. The only tool you’ll need is a good old Phillips screwdriver. If you don’t have one… get out! 😀
Remove the side panel. It’s possible the previous owners kept some components, so don’t be surprised if there’s no hard drive, for example. If you’re lucky, everything will be intact 🙂. If not, note the missing components so you can get the PC back in working order later.
I got lucky—all the components are present in the computer.
First, inspect the case; everything seems OK except for the front USB ports, which are broken.
Apart from that, the state of the computer isn’t too bad—there’s not too much dust compared to some PCs I’ve come across. However, there’s a strong smell of cigarette smoke… For a crab or a human, it’s unbearable! 😡 Cigarette smoke, unfortunately, penetrates very well inside cases, and all the components absorb this smell… They gradually become greasy and sticky, which is bad for their performance and lifespan 😠.
The only way to get rid of this unbearable odor—which gets even worse when you turn on the PC and the fans start spinning!—is to clean the components. We’ll see how to do that in a future article 🙂
Let’s start the disassembly! If you’re not used to taking apart a computer, note how the components are connected (like the hard drive, DVD reader/burner, power supply to the motherboard, etc.) so you can put them back together afterward.
Here are the components you’ll want to know the model of: the processor, motherboard, graphics card, hard drive, power supply, and RAM. Disassemble all these components—except for the motherboard and power supply, which you can identify without removing them—using your Phillips screwdriver. Then, look for the manufacturer and model number on each of them. Finally, do a Google search to find out the component’s specifications and compatibility with other peripherals. If you have a smartphone, you can use the “Barcode Reader” app on iOS, Android, or Windows Phone and scan the component’s barcode to access its specifications.
Here are some examples to help you identify your PC’s components.
The Motherboard
As I mentioned earlier, you don’t need to disassemble the motherboard to identify its model. The model is either on a sticker on the motherboard or directly printed on it.
For example, on the PC I recovered, the motherboard model is printed below the processor socket, to the right of the northbridge. It’s a Gigabyte GA-7VT600 1394.
A Google search gives me all the details I need to know about the motherboard I have. Some interesting details, for example:
- Socket A, compatible with Athlon XP, Athlon, and Duron processors. The motherboard also supports AMD Athlon XP processors with a 400Mhz FSB.
- Chipset: Realtek Ethernet 10/100Mb network chip, Realtek ALC655 AC97 audio chip, VIA VT6306 FireWire IEEE1394 chip.
- Compatible RAM: DDR400(PC3200), DDR333 (PC2700), and DDR266 (PC2100). The motherboard supports up to 3GB of RAM.
- Also: SATA support with RAID 0, 1, and 0+1 functions, USB 2.0, FireWire, Dual-Bios…
The Hard Drive
Remove the hard drive, usually located in the bays on the right side of the case, using your Phillips screwdriver.
Unlike the motherboard, hard drives often have several serial numbers. First, look for the drive’s family, such as DiamondMax Plus 9, which will provide a lot of information. You can also do a Google search with one of the serial numbers to find a more detailed spec sheet.
The key characteristics to note for this hard drive:
- Capacity: 120GB
- Interface: IDE
- Rotation Speed: 7200rpm
- Cache Size: 2MB
- Transfer Rate: 133 Mbps
RAM
To remove the RAM sticks, gently pull apart the small latches at the ends of the DIMM connectors. Remove all the sticks, as it’s common to find different RAM models installed.
Look at the information on the labels; they often provide the main characteristics of the RAM sticks without needing to Google the serial number.
For the first stick, for example, just by reading the label, you know it’s a 512MB DDR1 RAM stick from the Exilir brand, of type DR-400 (PC3200).
To determine if you have DDR1, DDR2, or DDR3 RAM, you can first refer to this image that shows the physical differences between these generations of RAM:
Another method is to identify the frequency (e.g., 166Mhz), designation (e.g., PC2700), or type (e.g., DDR-333) of the RAM. Then refer to the DDR1, DDR2, and DDR3 specifications to find out which generation your RAM belongs to based on the previous information.
The Graphics Card
Unscrew the graphics card from the case or remove the latches holding it in place.
You should start to know the procedure 😀. Read the information on the label. Like RAM, there’s usually a lot of information available without needing a Google search.
For this graphics card, note: VGA, DVI, and S-Video outputs, AGP port, Geforce 6600 GPU, 128MB memory, DirectX 9.0 and Shader Model 3.0 support… To find out how your graphics card performs, you can Google “test + graphics card name” or “review + graphics card name” to find old tests and reviews to see what types of games you can hope to play.
Finally, don’t forget to visit the official website of your graphics card manufacturer or the GPU maker (Nvidia, ATI, or Intel) to check if there are drivers for the version of Windows you plan to install on the PC.
The Power Supply
Same procedure for the power supply; the most important thing is knowing its
wattage. This will be useful if you want to replace it with a more recent one (check that the wattage is sufficient for your configuration).
It’s also crucial to know if the PSU is standard ATX format or proprietary to the computer model. For example, in some DELLs, the PSU is proprietary, meaning it won’t be compatible with other motherboards and cases.
Also, if you want to add more recent components (like a graphics card), make sure the power supply has the necessary connectors and wattage to support them.
CPU
Finally, let’s take a look at the CPU. To do this, you’ll need to remove the fan and heatsink, which are attached to the motherboard. This may involve undoing a couple of screws or releasing some latches. After removing the fan and heatsink, you’ll see the CPU. Gently lift it out of its socket, and look for the model number or any other identifying information printed on the chip itself.
Software Method
Before using diagnostic software that will scan your computer and automatically identify the components for you, you need to know whether or not you have access to Windows. If you have access to Windows, you will be able to use the Speccy software. If you don’t have access to Windows, you’ll need to use Hiren’s Boot CD.
You have access to Windows
Speccy is the reference software to know the components of your computer. Download, install and then launch it.
To get more information about a component, click on one of the categories in the left-hand column. For example, for the processor, you can know its frequency, its number of cores, its full name…
You don’t have access to Windows
If you can’t boot to Windows with the PC, you can use Hiren’s BootCD. It is a bootable CD that contains a range of utilities to identify, troubleshoot and test all the components of your computer. Download the Hiren’s BootCD ISO and burn it to a CD-R. Then start your computer from this CD.
From Hiren’s main menu, select “Mini Windows XP” which launches a Windows XP LiveCD with lots of interesting diagnostic utilities.
Once the mini Windows XP is launched, you can use the system information utilities included in the LiveCD. To do this, go to the HBCD Menu.
Go to Programs > System Information and choose from one of the utilities. I recommend that you use SIW (Sys Info for Win), it will provide you with all the necessary details so that you can identify your components precisely.
Use the menu on the left to browse through the different categories (Motherboard, CPU Info, Video…) and identify each component of your PC.
Conclusion
At the end of this process, you should have a clear understanding of your computer’s components, their specifications, and their condition. This knowledge will help you make informed decisions about whether to upgrade, repair, or retire your old PC.
