Essential free PC software

robcolpoys · Jun 23, 2014

Hey guys
I am about to build my first gaming rig and wanted to get your opinions regarding software. Which programs would you recommend as the best free software for a gaming PC for any purpose? (IE: antivirus, registry cleaner, driver updater, etc.) I plan on only using my rig for gaming and some browsing but I will try to keep it clean from media and downloads and whatnot so I'm really only talking about the essentials. THANKS!

P.S. I don't know a whole lot about computers, other than the fact that I love gaming.

Eduello · Jun 23, 2014

Browser: Chrome
Antivirus: Avast
Registry cleaner: CCleaner
Driver updater: None, always update your drivers manually. Updating software is known to download wrong drivers from time to time and can also cause other issues (malware) for your PC.

RookieOfTheYear · Jun 23, 2014

I also use Ccleaner to clean my registry and temp files. I have had it on ever computer I've owned for the last 10 years now. Also you might want some monitoring software to monitor CPU/GPU temps and while gaming or fine tuning. For that I recommend HWMonitor. Great program! Here are links to the two programs.

Ccleaner: http://download.cnet.com/CCleaner/

HWMonitor: http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html

Oh, another good program to have is CPU-Z: http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z/versions-history.html

robcolpoys · Jun 23, 2014

What exactly is the purpose of CPU-Z?

Liking the responses guys, thanks for the help.

schwatzz · Jun 23, 2014

Browser: Firefox
Anti virus: Avira or Avast and Malwarebytes
Ccleaner
Libre Office

Eduello · Jun 24, 2014

robcolpoys :

You can check your specs with CPU-Z, and it can also be used to check that your hardware is working correctly (at least partially). For example, you can see if your GPU is actually running at PCI-E 2.0/3.0 x16 (whatever your motherboard supports) speeds or not.

Skoty27 · Jun 24, 2014

Well my recommendation for software will vary depending on your system.

For instance I have a nVidia card and I use EVGA Precision X as my software to vary the fan speed on my GPU

I also use Core Temp to watch the temp of my processor.

Those two programs I highly recommend especially if your going to be primarily using your comp as gaming as you dont want to ruin any of your hardware.

Hope this helps

schwatzz · Jun 24, 2014

oh and VLC player is a must have

supasieu · Jun 24, 2014

Avast + Malwarebytes
Speccy + Ccleaner
Acronis Drive Monitor + MyDefrag + InfraRecorder
Firefox/Chrome
K-Lite codec package + VLC
Adobe Reader + Adobe Flash Player + Java

ComputerWhiz305 · Jun 25, 2014

Certainly I would recommend downloading the Defraggler and running it monthly. It will always keep you computer running fast and is my favourite free defragging tool on the internet.

Defraggler: https://www.piriform.com/defraggler

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