How to check the speed and health of your HDD with HD Tune

When your computer starts to lag, takes ages to open programs, or freezes for no apparent reason, the hard drive is often the culprit. Measure the actual speed of your HDD and monitor its health with tools like HD Tune It's one of the best ways to know if the hard drive is still performing as it should or if it's asking for early retirement.

In this comprehensive guide you will see how to use HD Tune and other complementary programs to Check the performance, temperature, errors, and SMART status of your hard drivewhether it's a mechanical HDD or a SSD or an external drive. We'll look at all the tabs in HD Tune, how to interpret its graphs, and what to do if you detect bad sectors or symptoms of impending failure.

What is HD Tune and what exactly is it used for?

HD Tune is a diagnostic utility designed for analyze internal hard drives, external hard drives, SSDs and removable drivesThere is a free version (HD Tune) and a more advanced paid version (HD Tune Pro), but both share the essential functions for checking disk speed and status.

With this program you can do Performance tests (benchmark), view detailed disk information, review SMART attributes, scan for surface errors and monitor the temperature in real time, among other very useful options for maintenance and prevention.

In addition, HD Tune is compatible with a wide variety of devices: IDE, SATA, SCSI drives, usb drivesmemory cards, iPods, and other media storage, as long as Windows recognize them as a record.

At the top of the main window you will see a drop-down menu to choose a disk, the current temperature of the unit and several buttons to copy results, save screenshots, open options, minimize to the system tray, or exit the program.

The lower area is divided into tabs (Benchmark, Info, Health, Error Scan, File Benchmark, Random Access, Extra Tests, Disk Monitor, Folder View, Erase, etc.) that allow perform specific tests of disk performance, health and usage with a couple of clicks.

HD Tune system requirements and versions

The tool was originally designed to Windows 2000, XP, XP 64-bit, 2003 Server, Vista and Windows 7, although in practice it also usually runs without problems on later versions such as Windows 8, 10 or 11 (especially the most recent Pro edition).

The requirements are very modest: about 10 MB of free disk space and an IDE, SATA or SCSI drive It's connected to the computer. It doesn't require significant CPU or RAM resources, but during some intensive tests, it's advisable not to be using other resource-intensive applications.

From the official website (hdtune.com) you can download the basic free version or paid Pro versionThe Pro version has a 15-day evaluation period, enough to test advanced features such as File Benchmark, more complete Random Access, Disk Monitor, detailed Folder View, or secure erase.

For a home user who just wants to check Smart speed, temperature and healthThe free version is usually sufficient. If you maintain multiple computers or work in technical support, the Pro version is worthwhile due to the extra tests available.

Once installed and opened, it is worth saving an initial performance report when the disk is new. This way you can compare it months or years later. and see if it has lost speed or if errors that did not exist before are starting to appear.

How to display disk temperature in HD Tune

Controlling the temperature is crucial, because excessive heat accelerates disk wear. HD Tune allows you to do this. View the temperature on the main screen, in the Health tab, and in the taskbar., very discreetly.

In the program options you can choose the Temperature units (Celsius or Fahrenheit) and enable simultaneous display of both units in the interface if desired. In Spain, it's standard practice to always work in °C.

Another very practical function is displaying the temperature directly on the taskbarHD Tune can remain minimized next to the Windows clock, displaying the current value; if the critical value you specify is exceeded, it will issue a warning so you can take action.

From that same options section you can customize the font color for normal temperature and critical temperatureChanging the default color is useful for quickly distinguishing when the value becomes dangerous.

Finally, one can define a specific critical temperature (for example, 55°C for mechanical HDDs). When the drive exceeds that limit, HD Tune will display a clear warning, giving you time to shut down the computer, improve ventilation, or check where the drive is mounted.

Main benchmark: How to measure HDD speed with HD Tune

The Benchmark tab is the star when we want to check speed. This test measures the low-level read (and optionally write) performance across the entire surface of the disk, generating a very visual graphic.

In the graph, the X-axis represents the position in gigabytes (GB) along the diskfrom the outer tracks to the inner ones. The Y-axis shows the transfer speed in megabytes per second (MB/s), which usually decreases as you move towards the inside.

The blue curve corresponds to the read transfer rateOn the right you will see the minimum, maximum and average values; it is most useful to look at the average, because it better reflects the overall performance than the occasional peaks.

Keep in mind that, due to the way the discs are designed, External tracks have higher data density and offer greater speedSince the rotation speed is constant, reading or writing in the outer zone will always be faster than in the inner zone, and this is perfectly visible in the descending graph.

HD Tune also allows you to measure the write speedBut for safety, only on unpartitioned disks. To avoid data loss, write tests should only be run on empty, unpartitioned drives. forma tearFor example, a newly purchased record.

Configure the HD Tune Benchmark options

Within the Benchmark itself, several parameters can be adjusted that influence both the accuracy and duration of the test. The option Test speed/accuracy It allows you to choose between a faster but less accurate analysis, or a complete sweep of all sectors that will take considerably longer.

This adjustment is made by moving a slider: to one side you will have shorter and more indicative tests, useful for a quick check; on the other, a deep test to obtain very reliable data from the entire disk.

Another important field is the Block size or block sizeThis defines how much data is read in each operation during the speed test. HD Tune recommends 64 KB as the default value, since smaller blocks can produce slightly lower results and unnecessarily lengthen the test.

If you need to analyze the data in more detail, you can tick the box Include raw graph values ​​in log fileIn this way, the graph values ​​are saved in a log file that can then be imported into a spreadsheet for comparisons or reports.

In addition to the speed graph, the Benchmark also shows the average access time in milliseconds, represented by yellow dots, the Burst Rate (maximum interface speed) and the CPU usage during the reading. This data helps detect bottlenecks in the controller, the connection, or the system itself.

File Benchmark: Performance with real files

While the classic Benchmark measures the raw speed of the drive, the File Benchmark tab focuses on the file read and write performance on a specific partition, using blocks of different sizes, from 0,5 KB to 8192 KB.

In this test you can define the total length of test filesTo obtain reliable results, it is advisable to use relatively large files; if they are too small, the system may cache them completely, and instead of measuring the disk, you will be measuring the speed of the cache memory.

File Benchmark allows you to enter a delay between the writing phase and the reading phaseThis ensures that all data has been physically written to the disk before reading begins. This is especially useful in systems with large caches or aggressive write-back operations.

The advantage is that this test is non destructiveIt runs on a partition with a drive letter and doesn't delete or modify your existing data. This makes it very useful for checking how the disk behaves with varying file sizes without having to wipe it.

Thanks to the results by block size, it is possible to see With what type of files does the disk controller perform best? (for example, large blocks typical of video versus small blocks typical of documents or databases).

Random Access: measuring random access

The Random Access tab is used to analyze the performance of random read and write operationswhich are the ones that most closely resemble what the operating system does on a daily basis.

During this test, HD Tune works with transfer sizes ranging from 512 bytes up to 1 MBYou can select which sizes you want to include by checking or unchecking the corresponding boxes, so that you focus only on the ranges that interest you most.

The results show access times and speeds for each random block sizeThis allows you to detect if there are specific areas of the disk that are much slower than normal, a possible symptom of problematic sectors or physical wear.

If you see very large differences when comparing Random Access between two disks, it can be a clear clue as to which drive it is. best candidate to install the operating system or the apps you use most.

Extra Tests and additional tests in HD Tune Pro

The Pro version includes an Extra Tests tab, where several quick tests are grouped, geared towards obtain key disk performance parameters without needing to launch a lengthy analysis.

These tests include functions such as Random Seek, which moves the reading head across the entire surface of the disk, and Butterfly Seek, which performs searches by alternating between external and internal tracks.

There is also a test of random read/write search with a maximum block size of 64 KBwhich is used to see how the unit behaves with scattered requests, and a test of Burst Rate to measure the maximum possible speed between the drive and the interface (IDE, SATA, USB, etc.).

Another interesting option is the cache testThis tool measures the transfer speed of the drive's internal buffer and displays it graphically. This helps diagnose whether the drive is limited by its own cache or by the computer's controller.

Taken together, all these additional tests allow you to create a very complete profile of the album and compare several models to decide which is best suited for certain tasks (e.g., operating system, gaming, mass storage, backups, etc.).

Detailed disc information (Info tab)

The Info tab contains technical and configuration data that is very useful when you have several disks installed or want to know exactly What features does your drive support?.

The top displays information about the partitions, drive letters, capacity, and file system of each volume of the selected disc, in a clear and orderly manner.

Below is a list of the functions supported by the disk (for example, SMART support, AAM, NCQ, power management, etc.) and, finally, details such as serial number, firmware, native capacity, interface, and other identifying data.

If you also have the box checked in the options for display serial numberIt is much easier to distinguish two physically identical disks (very useful if you have several HDDs of the same model in the same PC).

This information is also key to checking if you're taking full advantage of the drive's potential, for example, if a SATA 3 SSD is actually running at 6 Gb / s or if for some reason it has been limited to SATA 2 on the motherboard.

Disk health with SMART (Health tab)

One of HD Tune's most valuable features is the Health tab, which relies on technology SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) to show the health status of the unit through a multitude of attributes.

In the Health table you will see columns like ID, Current, Worst, Threshold, Data and StatusEach row corresponds to a specific disk parameter (read errors, reassigned sectors, operating hours, etc.).

The Current value indicates the current value of the attribute, Worst reflects the worst recorded value Since the disk is in use, Threshold is the minimum acceptable threshold and Data shows the associated raw data (e.g., number of reallocated sectors). Status indicates whether the attribute is OK or in an alert state.

When one of these parameters has a problem, HD Tune highlights it with colors like yellow (warning) or red (serious)In that situation, it's best to act quickly: make a backup and consider replacing the hard drive as soon as possible.

If you click on an entry in the list, the program displays More detailed information about that attribute, its meaning, and the possible causes of the error.which helps you interpret whether it's a one-off thing or a serious symptom of imminent failure.

Most common SMART attributes and their interpretation

Not all hard drives display the same SMART attributes, but generally you'll find a long list of hexadecimal codes (01, 05, C5, etc.) with associated descriptions that are worth noting. Some of the most important are those related to... read errors, reassigned sectors, and pending sectors.

Among the attributes that usually appear are: 01 Raw Read Error Rate (RAW read error frequency), 02 Throughput Performance (average disk efficiency), 03 Spin Up Time (time required to reach spin speed) and 04 Start/Stop Count (number of spindle starts and stops).

One of the most critical is the 05 Reallocated Sector CountThis indicates the number of sectors reallocated by default. An increase in this value is usually a sign that the disk surface is deteriorating and the firmware is starting to divert data to reserve areas.

It's also advisable to keep an eye on C5 Current Pending Sector Count (number of unstable sectors pending reassignment) and C6 Offline Uncorrectable (errors that cannot be corrected). If they appear in a color other than blue or green, it's time to save your data as soon as possible.

Other common codes include C7 UltraDMA CRC Error Rate (errors in wired communication), C2 Temperature (disk temperature), C4 Reallocation Events Count (remapping events), 09 Power-On Hours Count (operating hours) and 0C Power Cycle Count (power cycles).

Surface error scanning (Error Scan tab)

If the Health tab shows problems or you simply want to make sure your HDD surface is in good condition, the Error Scan tab allows you to explore the entire disc in search of defective sectors visually.

When the test starts, HD Tune reads blocks from the surface and represents them in a grid: The green blocks are correct and the red ones indicate damaged areas.The on-screen legend clearly shows the meaning of each color.

It is a read-only test, so it is safe and non-destructive to dataHowever, it does take a heavy toll on hard drives that are already in poor condition, so it's always best to make a backup before subjecting them to this type of intensive scan.

If you want a quick analysis, you can tick the box. Quick ScanThis option only checks certain parts of the surface. For a complete check, you must uncheck it and let the test scan the entire disk, even if this takes several hours on large drives.

Below the graph is shown the exact location of the blocks with errorsas well as the average scan speed and the percentage of damaged surface area. If the percentage of blocks in red is high, it's best not to store important data on that drive.

Folder View, Disk Monitor and other handy utilities

In addition to performance and health tests, HD Tune Pro includes several everyday tools that greatly simplify disk management and monitoring. One of the most useful is Folder View, which analyzes a drive and shows the space occupied by each folder.

With Folder View you can copy the information to clipboard and paste it into a spreadsheet, obtaining a detailed tree of all folders with their sizeIt's perfect for locating which directories are filling up the disk without the need for additional programs.

We also found features such as File Benchmark, Random Access and Extra Tests as already mentioned, along with complementary tests that allow you to see the read/write speed with blocks of different sizes and detect what type of files the disk works best with.

On some models, HD Tune offers access to AAM (Automatic Acoustic Management)This allows you to choose between faster but slightly noisier searches or slower, quieter ones. It's usually optimized by default and doesn't need adjusting unless you're looking for a different balance between noise and performance.

Erase and securely format the disk

Another advanced feature of the Pro edition is Erase, designed for securely erase all data from a disk before throwing it away, selling it, or reusing it for other purposes. Unlike Windows quick formatting, this process writes patterns across the entire surface.

HD Tune lets you choose the erase method: writing zeros, random patterns, or robust standards such as DoD 5220.22-M or Gutmann, designed to make data recovery with forensic tools extremely difficult.

You can also set the number of passes which will be applied, at the cost of significantly increasing There total process. For normal home use, one or two passes with zeros or random data are usually sufficient.

It is important to note that this type of deletion is definitiveIf you select the wrong drive for Erase, you will lose the data forever and no recovery program will save you, so take your time when choosing.

Once finished, the disk is ready to be repartitioned and formatted from Windows. without any recoverable trace of the previous datawhich provides a lot of peace of mind if sensitive information was stored.

Other tools to complement HD Tune

Although HD Tune is very comprehensive, there are other free applications that complement it very well. One of them is HDD Health, focused on displaying SMART temperature and health in a very simple way, with a percentage and a textual rating such as "excellent".

HDD Health remains as an icon in the notification area and monitors the unit in the backgroundIf your health drops or your temperature spikes, it can alert you before it's too late. Internally, it uses the same SMART data, but presents it in a more user-friendly way.

Another very useful tool is HDD ScanIt allows you to run various read and write tests, including modes such as Verify, Read, Butterfly, and Erase. It is primarily designed for detect if there are physical errors that require professional repair or disk replacement.

HDD Scan also displays SMART attributes and temperature, but its strength lies in the comprehensive surface testsHowever, it doesn't fix errors; it only gives you the information needed to make decisions (copy data, change disk, etc.).

Finally, it's worth mentioning tools such as CrystalDiskInfo and CrystalDiskMarkThe first focuses on displaying the SMART status and lifespan of both HDDs and SSDs and NVMe drives; the second serves as a very complete synthetic benchmark to compare the speeds of different drives.

Keep the hard drive healthy and detect failures early

All these programs share one key idea: if your data is important, You can't wait until the hard drive starts making a rattling noise or until Windows stops booting. to react. We have to anticipate problems.

The first step should always be to have a updated backup of important filespreferably on another drive or in the cloud. Second, periodically check the disk's health using HD Tune, CrystalDiskInfo, or similar tools.

If the SMART attributes start changing color, reassigned sectors appear, the error scan shows red blocks, or the speed measured by HD Tune falls below a reasonable level, it's a sign that The disk is aging poorly or has surface damage.

In some cases, you can try to extend its life with low-level formatting or bulk sector reallocation, but if the failures are repeated or the degradation is rapid, the most sensible thing to do is to consider it fully paid off and replace itAn old, slow HDD can still serve as external storage for unimportant data, but it shouldn't house the main operating system.

Using tools like HD Tune, HDD Scan, HDD Health, or CrystalDiskInfo wisely allows you to know in considerable detail the state of your hard drive, how much it has been used, and what performance it offers today, so that so you can make informed decisions about when to clean up, when to back up everything, and when to switch drives before losing anything valuable..