5 Tools to Check Your Laptop’s Health Before Buying or Selling

Whether you’re planning to sell your used laptop or looking to buy one secondhand, ensuring the device is in good health is essential. While the exterior can often be cleaned and polished to look great, what’s under the hood truly matters. A slow processor, overheating issues, or a failing hard drive can quickly turn a good deal into a nightmare.

Luckily, several free and reliable tools can help you assess your laptop’s health. These tools give you insights into key components like the CPU, hard drive, battery, and internal temperatures—helping you make confident decisions before closing a deal. Let’s take a look at five of the best tools you should use before buying or selling a laptop.

1. CrystalDiskInfo – Monitor Storage Health

If you’re concerned about the health of a laptop’s storage drive, CrystalDiskInfo is a must-have tool. It provides a detailed view of a hard drive’s status using S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) data.

Key Features:

• Shows drive temperature and uptime

• Displays read error rate, power-on hours, and reallocated sectors

• Indicates overall drive health (Good, Caution, or Bad)

• Supports HDDs, SSDs, and external drives

This tool is especially helpful when buying a laptop. A drive with high reallocated sectors or warning statuses may indicate the laptop is nearing the end of its lifespan or needs a new SSD soon.

2. CPU-Z – Analyze Processor & RAM

Before buying or selling a laptop, it’s important to verify that the CPU and memory match what’s being advertised. CPU-Z is one of the simplest tools to check processor details, RAM configuration, and motherboard specs.

Key Features:

• Identifies CPU name, speed, and core count

• Displays RAM size, speed, and number of channels

• Shows motherboard and chipset information

• Monitors live CPU core clocks

If you’re selling a laptop, CPU-Z helps you present the specs accurately. Buyers can also use it to confirm they’re getting the performance they expect.

3. HWMonitor – Keep an Eye on Temperatures

HWMonitor is a comprehensive tool that lets you monitor your laptop’s internal temperatures and voltages in real time. Overheating is a common issue in older or well-used laptops and can lead to slower performance or permanent hardware damage.

Key Features:

• Displays CPU, GPU, and hard drive temperatures

• Monitors fan speeds and voltage readings

• Offers minimum and maximum temperature tracking

• Supports most modern hardware sensors

Use HWMonitor to run your laptop for an hour and observe how hot the components get. If the CPU or GPU reaches unsafe temperatures, it could indicate dust buildup, dried thermal paste, or a failing fan.

4. BatteryInfoView – Test Battery Health

A healthy battery is crucial for laptop users, especially those who rely on portability. BatteryInfoView by NirSoft gives you detailed statistics about the current battery status, capacity, and history.

Key Features:

• Shows full charge capacity vs. original capacity

• Displays charge/discharge rate

• Battery wear level percentage

• Logs power changes over time

A high battery wear percentage can significantly reduce usable time between charges. For sellers, this tool can confirm if your battery still holds a decent charge. For buyers, it’s a useful way to avoid future replacement costs.

5. UserBenchmark – Overall Performance Snapshot

If you want an all-in-one benchmark that quickly checks how the laptop performs compared to others, UserBenchmark is an easy-to-use tool. It runs short tests on the CPU, GPU, SSD/HDD, and RAM, then compares the results with thousands of other systems.

Key Features:

• Runs benchmark tests in under 5 minutes

• Shows percentile rankings for each component

• Provides upgrade recommendations

• Highlights potential performance bottlenecks

UserBenchmark is useful for buyers who want to ensure the laptop performs as expected, and it’s also great for sellers looking to validate and showcase system strength.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re on the buying or selling side, these five tools can give you a complete picture of a laptop’s health and performance. Spending just 20 to 30 minutes running these diagnostics can save you from future headaches and ensure transparency in any transaction.

Here’s a quick recap:

Using these tools before a sale gives buyers peace of mind and helps sellers maintain credibility. Best of all, they’re all free to use and lightweight—making them the perfect pre-purchase checklist companions.