How to Know If Your PC is

Low End or High End:

Understanding the
Performance of Computers
Without Turning it on.
Check the graphics card model.
People often refer to it as the GPU (graphics processing unit).
But that’s only the processor chip part of the graphics card.
The last two digits tell you how powerful the graphics card is
within the generation. Here’s what they roughly mean:
• 30, 40,50: Low-end
• 60, 70: Mid-range
• 80, 90, Titan: High-end
“Ti” suffix indicates a more powerful version of the same card.
AMD uses similar names for their Radeon graphics
cards. The first number is for the generation, and the
last three digits indicate how powerful it is. Here’s a
quick rundown:
• 300, 400, 500: Low-end
• 600, 700: Mid-range
• 800, 900: High-end
Note: Like with “Ti,” the “XT” suffix means it’s more
powerful than the standard version.
Look at the CPU model
A low-end CPU can’t keep up with a high-end GPU. This is known as a “CPU
bottleneck.”
Both Intel and AMD use similar nomenclatures. AMD uses “Ryzen” and Intel “i” to
indicate the model:
• Ryzen 3, i3: Low-end
• Ryzen 5, i5: Mid-range
• Ryzen 7, i7: High-end
• Ryzen 9, i9: Enthusiast
The first number is the generation. A newer version of a less powerful model roughly
matches the older, more powerful one (e.g., a new Ryzen 5 is similar to a previous-gen
Ryzen 7). The last three numbers tell you how powerful the CPU is within the generation
and model. If there’s an “X,” “XT” (AMD only), or “K” (Intel only) at the end of the
name, it’s a slightly more powerful version.
Review the capacity, speed, and latency of the RAM
Let’s first go over the size of RAM sticks. More is always better. Here’s a
quick and easy way to tell what RAM size means for the PC:
• <16 GB: Low-end
• 16-32 GB: Mid-range
• 32+ GB: High-end
RAM frequency is expressed in MHz and describes how many commands
the stick processes in a second. The higher the number, the better.
CAS latency, CL, or ram timings indicate the delay between clock cycles to
access data. A lower CL latency means the RAM is better.
there’s a difference between DDR versions. DDR5 is faster than DDR4, which
is faster than DDR3. Latency refers to the time delay between when a
command is entered and when the data is available. Latency is the gap
between these two events.
Column T E C H N O L O GY
MODULE
SPEED
CLOCK
CYCLE
CAS
LATENCY
LATENCY
(NS)

address strobe
(MT/S)
TIME(NS)

latency, also SDR 100 8.00 3 24.00

called CAS
SDR 133 7.50 3 22.50

DDR 333 6.00 2.5 15.00

latency or CL, DDR 400 5.00 3 15.00

is the delay in DDR2 667 3.00 5 15.00

clock cycles DDR2

DDR3
800

1333
2.50

1.50
6

9
15.00

13.50

between the DDR3 1600 1.25 11 13.75

READ DDR4 1866 1.07 13 13.93

command and DDR4 2133 0.94 15 14.06

the moment
DDR4 2400 0.83 17 14.17

DDR4 2666 0.75 19 14.25

data is DDR4 2933 0.68 21 14.32

available. DDR4 3200 0.62 22 13.75

DDR5 4800 0.42 40 16.67

Inspect the storage device types, speed, and capacity
There are two main storage device types: solid-state drives
(SSDs) and hard disk drives (HDDs).
SSDs are often 10 to 15 times faster than HDDs, if not more.
Almost all mid-range computers have some type of SSD in them.
NVMe is a type of ultra-fast memory that uses the
motherboard’s PCIe M.2 slot for faster bandwidth. Note that an
SSD can use the M.2 slot without being NVMe.
PC builders rarely put an NVMe into low-end PCs. They usually only
have HDDs.
If they do have an SSD, it’s likely a slower SATA SSD.