Ok i downloaded all the progs from a review site

But how and which of them do i run ?? didnt quite understand that from the site!!!

Memtest86+
Prime95
Prime95 XP/2003 64-bit
Stress Prime 2004 - single core
Stress Prime 2004 - dual core
Xtreme Systems SuperPi mod v1.5
Intel Thermal Analysis Tool (TAT)

I have an Abit IP35 Pro Board, Q6600, Stock Cooler, Crucial 2B Ram, Crosair 450W, 1 Optical & Hard-Drive (SATA), P180B Case

Ohh and does it make any difference if i later change from XP to Vista.....what i mean is would i have to the entire torture test when i install Windows Vista.......

Please HELP...THANKS!!!

Heya Rash219 Welcome to PCHF

Why do you feel you need to run a torture test? You only really need to do that if you think you are having heat/shutdown issues.

In that list, Prime95 would be my torture test of choice. Run that for about 4 hours or more and you'll definitely see if anything is heating up too much.

Memtest86 isn't a torture test, it is a memory diagnostic. Can't say I know much about the rest in your list.

The best torture test I've seen is in Everest (the technician version...can't remember what it's called). While the test runs, it shows the temperature of each device you are testing, not just the CPU.

Hope that info helps

Thank for the welcome and thanks for allyour previous help.......

The reason i want to do the test is to make sure its stable enough to run on a 24/7 scale....ppl say to run prime95 24hrs minimum to find any problems......the thing is on one site some said if you run a dual core open two windows of Prime95....the problem wit me is i run a Quad Core so i know i have to run 4 windows but how to set it up is a problem....???

Hope you get what i am trying to say ....anyways i will chk on that Everest Prog u told !!...

Sorry for the "Welcome" lol. I welcomed another user just before you and I think I still had that in my head But belated welcome anyway haha.

But yes, if you plan on having your unit run for long periods of time, torture tests will let you see how your unit does "under pressure" so to speak.

A torture test isn't going to find problems really. It will just show you how hot your components get when you stress them. Usually, if you suffer from overheating problems, running Prime95 for just a short while will get your components nice and hot (normally a few hours is more than enough time to tell if you have a problem). But in your case, letting it go for a full day will show you how your unit will do over a long period of use.

The Everest version that has the nice torture test is the "Ultimate Engineer Edition." Each component you test has it's own temperature meter, which is a really nice feature. If you use that test, just note down what the temperatures are at, then look online for acceptable temps. If they are too high, then you'll know you need better cooling. If you find your computer turned off at some point, then you know something overheated and you definitely want to get some better cooling.

As far as the Quad core thing...I'm pretty sure you just need one Window open. If any of the cores overheat, it will cause your computer to shut down. If one of your cores has a problem, Prime95 (or any torture test I know of) will not tell you which core is bad. One open Prime95 or Everest window should get the CPU nice and hot.