A new gaming PC does not need a pile of paid utilities. A handful of well-known free tools will tell you what hardware you actually have, warn you before an SSD fails, fix a broken graphics driver, record your games and tidy up Windows. None of them cost anything for home use, and most are open source.
Forge PC has not run a lab test of these programs. This list is an editorial selection of long-established tools, and every claim about what each program does or how it is licensed comes from the developer's own website, read on 13 November 2026. Download them only from the official sites named in our sources, not from download portals that bundle extra software.
Quick list
Tool | What it is for | Licence (per developer) |
|---|
HWiNFO | Detailed hardware information and sensor monitoring | Freeware for non-commercial use |
CPU-Z | Quick CPU, motherboard and memory details | Freeware |
CrystalDiskInfo | SSD and hard drive health (S.M.A.R.T.) | Free |
Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) | Completely removing graphics drivers | Free |
OBS Studio | Recording and live streaming | Free and open source |
7-Zip | Opening and creating archives | Free, open source (mostly GNU LGPL) |
Microsoft PowerToys | Extra Windows utilities | Free, open source |
HWiNFO: the best all-round hardware monitor
HWiNFO shows almost everything about your PC's hardware, from exact component models to live temperatures, clock speeds, voltages and fan speeds. It is the tool we recommend in our guide to monitoring temperatures and FPS. The developer says HWiNFO64 is freeware for non-commercial use only, with a paid Pro version for business use, and offers both an installer and a portable version.
Use it for: checking temperatures under load, confirming a new part is detected, and diagnosing throttling.
CPU-Z: the quick check
CPU-Z is a small freeware tool that, in CPUID's words, "gathers information on some of the main devices of your system". It is a fast way to confirm your CPU model, motherboard and memory details. After you enable a memory profile, the Memory tab is the standard way to confirm it worked; our XMP and EXPO guide explains how to read it.
Use it for: a 10-second hardware check, or confirming RAM is running at its rated speed.
CrystalDiskInfo: check your drives' health
CrystalDiskInfo is a drive utility that reads S.M.A.R.T. information and shows a health status for SSDs and hard drives, including NVMe drives. It is a quick way to spot a drive that is wearing out or reporting errors, so you can replace it before it fails.
Use it for: checking a second-hand drive, keeping an eye on an older SSD, or deciding whether to clone your drive to a new SSD. And whatever it says, keep a backup; see how to back up Windows 11.
Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU): fix a broken graphics driver
Wagnardsoft's DDU is designed to completely remove AMD, NVIDIA and Intel graphics drivers, including leftover registry keys, files and driver store entries. The developer says it is meant for cases where the normal uninstall "fails", or when you need a thorough clean. It is not something to run every time you update. Use it when a driver install is corrupted, when you switch between AMD and NVIDIA, or when troubleshooting crashes.
Use it for: a clean slate before reinstalling a driver. Then follow our graphics driver update guide.
OBS Studio: free recording and streaming
OBS Studio describes itself as "free and open source software for video recording and live streaming". It is the standard choice for recording gameplay or streaming to Twitch and YouTube. Our OBS Studio vs Streamlabs comparison and streaming setup guide explain how to get started.
Use it for: gameplay capture, streaming, and recording tutorials or calls.
7-Zip: open any archive
Windows can open ZIP files on its own, but 7-Zip gives you more control, including its own 7z format with LZMA and LZMA2 compression, and it can pack and unpack 7z, XZ, BZIP2, GZIP, TAR, ZIP and WIM. Its developer says it is "free software with open source", with most code under the GNU LGPL licence.
Use it for: mod files, driver packages and compressing large folders before you back them up.
Microsoft PowerToys: the missing Windows features
PowerToys is Microsoft's own set of "free, open-source utilities" for power users. Its tools include window-layout management, key remapping and a quick launcher called Command Palette, alongside many smaller utilities.
Use it for: snapping game guides and Discord into custom layouts on a big monitor, or remapping a key your keyboard lacks.
Already built into Windows
Before you install anything else, remember the free tools Windows 11 already includes: Microsoft Defender for antivirus (see our Defender vs paid antivirus comparison), Windows Backup, Task Manager for checking what is using your CPU and memory, and Game Mode, covered in our Windows 11 gaming settings guide. Your graphics card's own app is free too; see NVIDIA App vs AMD Software.
Our verdict
Install HWiNFO and CPU-Z on every new build to confirm your hardware and keep an eye on temperatures, run CrystalDiskInfo on any drive you care about, and keep DDU on hand for driver problems. Add OBS Studio if you record or stream, and 7-Zip and PowerToys for everyday convenience. All are free for home use; HWiNFO is freeware for non-commercial use only. We have not lab-tested these tools; descriptions and licences come from each developer's official site.
