Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Process Explorer VS PassMark MemTest86

Compare Process Explorer VS PassMark MemTest86 and see what are their differences

Process Explorer logo Process Explorer

The top window always shows a list of the currently active processes, including the names of their owning accounts, whereas the information displayed in the bottom window depends on the mode that Process Explorer is in: if it is in handle mode you'lโ€ฆ

PassMark MemTest86 logo PassMark MemTest86

MemTest86 is a memory test for x86 computers.
  • Process Explorer Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-21
  • PassMark MemTest86 Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-22

Process Explorer features and specs

  • Detailed System Information
    Process Explorer provides in-depth information about system processes, including detailed CPU and memory usage stats.
  • Hierarchical View
    It shows processes in a tree structure, making it easy to understand parent-child relationships between processes.
  • Advanced Diagnostic Capabilities
    The tool offers advanced features like DLL and handle viewing, allowing detailed investigation of system issues.
  • Real-Time Monitoring
    It allows real-time monitoring of system performance, including CPU, GPU, and I/O activity, which is critical for diagnosing performance bottlenecks.
  • Integration with VirusTotal
    Process Explorer can integrate with VirusTotal to check the safety of running processes, adding an extra layer of security.
  • Free to Use
    Process Explorer is part of the Sysinternals suite, which is freely available for use, making it accessible for both individual users and organizations.

Possible disadvantages of Process Explorer

  • Complexity
    The extensive features and detailed information can be overwhelming for novice users who may find the interface complex to navigate.
  • Resource Intensive
    While generally lightweight, the comprehensive monitoring features can consume a noticeable amount of system resources, which might affect performance on older or less powerful systems.
  • Windows Only
    Process Explorer is designed specifically for Windows operating systems, limiting its use for those who work in cross-platform environments.
  • No Built-In Reporting
    The tool does not offer built-in reporting capabilities, requiring users to manually capture and document information.
  • Steep Learning Curve
    Due to its advanced features and detailed information, new users might face a steep learning curve before being able to fully utilize all its capabilities.
  • Limited Documentation
    While there are some resources available, the documentation can be sparse, making it difficult for users to find solutions to specific problems.

PassMark MemTest86 features and specs

  • Comprehensive Testing
    PassMark MemTest86 performs a wide range of tests on the system's RAM, ensuring a thorough assessment of potential memory issues.
  • Standalone Bootable Software
    It operates independently of the OS by booting directly from a USB or CD, allowing for memory testing even if the OS is not functioning.
  • Supports Newer Hardware
    MemTest86 supports the latest RAM technologies and features, including DDR4/DDR5 and ECC (Error-Correcting Code) memory.
  • 64-bit Architecture
    With a 64-bit architecture, MemTest86 can access more memory space, allowing for testing of larger memory capacities.
  • User-friendly Interface
    It provides an intuitive interface with detailed results, making it accessible for both novice and advanced users.

Possible disadvantages of PassMark MemTest86

  • Hardware Dependency
    Reliability of the tests might depend on the compatibility and functionality of the BIOS/UEFI settings and the hardware configuration.
  • Limited to Memory Testing
    MemTest86 exclusively tests the system's RAM, not addressing any other potential hardware issues that might affect system performance.
  • Execution Time
    Comprehensive testing can take a significant amount of time, particularly for systems with larger memory capacities.
  • Basic Free Version
    The free version has limited features compared to the paid version, which may restrict advanced testing options or functionalities.
  • No Direct Remediation
    While it identifies memory errors, it does not offer solutions or repairs, requiring users to replace faulty hardware themselves.

Analysis of Process Explorer

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Process Explorer is generally regarded as a good and reliable tool by both system administrators and other IT professionals. It is frequently recommended for its depth of features, ease of use, and the detailed process information it provides.

Why this product is good

  • Process Explorer is considered a valuable tool because it offers comprehensive insights into system processes, threads, and resource usage. It provides detailed information about which files and directories individual processes have open, the DLLs they have loaded, and more. Its ability to offer real-time data and powerful searching capabilities makes it invaluable for troubleshooting and performance monitoring.

Recommended for

  • System administrators
  • IT professionals
  • Software developers
  • Anyone interested in detailed system diagnostics
  • Users troubleshooting application issues

Process Explorer videos

Sysinternals Process Explorer Review + download link and method

More videos:

  • Review - Scan for Malware Using Process Explorer and Virus Total
  • Review - What Is?: Process Explorer?

PassMark MemTest86 videos

No PassMark MemTest86 videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Process Explorer and PassMark MemTest86)
Monitoring Tools
94 94%
6% 6
Command Line Tools
100 100%
0% 0
CRM
0 0%
100% 100
Performance Monitoring
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Process Explorer seems to be a lot more popular than PassMark MemTest86. While we know about 289 links to Process Explorer, we've tracked only 9 mentions of PassMark MemTest86. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Process Explorer mentions (289)

  • Stats โ€“ macOS system monitor in your menu bar
    Unclear what you mean by programmable, but https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/process-explorer is the bee's knees and you can set an option to have it take over taskmon.exe, launch on login, and put as many of the widgets in the taskbar as you fancy. I love it I've heard about running them directly from SMB but have never been the kind of person to try out such a stunt... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Ask HN: What tools do you recommend for working on Windows?
    Always put all your portable programs in the "A:\MyPC\Programs\" folder. Always put all your documents in the "A:\MyPC\Documents\" folder. Put driver files and runtime libraries in the "A:\MyPC\Install\" folder. For all three, feel free to create subfolders as needed, either per topic, per group, or however your brain envisions data trees. You can find plenty of portable windows software in the links provided... - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • Hidden dependencies in Linux binaries.
    On windows, this is Dependency Walker versus ProcExp. Similar eye-goggling results. https://www.dependencywalker.com/ https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/process-explorer. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Windows Explorer and Desktop Window Manager high RAM usage
    If you run Process Explorer (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/process-explorer) and enable process tree view, you can see what processes are running under explorer.exe. That should give you a better idea of what's consuming that memory if you're genuinely concerned about this. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Roblox doesn't launch for months on PC
    If you have any suspicious processes running onto your computer, close them IMMEDIATELY. I suggest using Process Explorer, as it has a Virustotal which submits all Executables to virustotal under 70+ antiviruses. If any of the processes have 3+ detections, Close them down as anticheats will detect it and stop you from running Roblox. Source: over 2 years ago
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PassMark MemTest86 mentions (9)

  • Canโ€™t install Oculus App because of OVRLibraryService/Daybreak/SHA256/etc.
    Hashing functions need a stable PC to work properly. Start by running memtest86 for several cycles / overnight to make sure that your memory is working properly. If you get any errors, you'll need to fix that first (swap/remove sticks) before you go any further. Source: about 3 years ago
  • launching valorant gives blue screen windows 10
    Your RAM might have an issue, try taking it out and inserting it back in if you have a desktop PC. Also try running MemTest if you can. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Constant BSOD. What should I do? Error codes below.
    If Windows boots up, you can use "mdsched" to schedule a memory diagnostic, or reboot now to run it. Otherwise, there's always MemTest86. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Is your NUC 13 Extreme stable?
    I run memtest (the commercial free trial version with UEFI from memtest86.com) and it did 3 complete error free runs already. Source: over 3 years ago
  • error help
    Final question memtest86.com correct? Source: about 4 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Process Explorer and PassMark MemTest86, you can also consider the following products

Process Monitor - Monitor file system, Registry, process, thread and DLL activity in real-time.

Memtest86+ - Memtest86+ is a free-to-download memory test software designed to test and stress test an x86 or...

htop - htop - an interactive process viewer for Unix. This is htop, an interactive process viewer for Unix systems. It is a text-mode application (for console or X terminals) and requires ncurses. Latest release: htop 2.

MemTest64 - TechPowerUp Memtest64 is a lightweight, standalone utility that lets you check your system memory for problems at the hardware-level. It has a graphi

Autoruns - See what programs are configured to startup automatically when your system boots and you login.

MemTest - MemTest is a RAM tester that runs under Windows.