GSmartControl vs Prime95

GSmartControl is a graphical interface for smartctl, used to inspect drive SMART data and run tests. It displays drive identity, capabilities, attributes and device statistics, and automatically highlights anomalies. Users can enable or disable SMART and adjust global or per-drive smartctl options. Saved smartctl output can be opened as a read-only virtual device. The software supports ATA drives, including SATA and PATA, and NVMe drives, plus some devices behind USB bridges and selected RAID controllers. SCSI and SAS drives are not supported, though some information about them may appear. GSmartControl is free software under the GNU General Public License version 3. Downloads include Linux packages, Windows installers and portable archives, FreeBSD ports, macOS packages and source code. smartmontools is a runtime requirement, but official Windows packages include the required software. Useful operations require root or Administrator privileges because operating systems restrict direct hardware access. Supported systems listed include Linux, Windows, FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, DragonFlyBSD, macOS and Solaris; QNX support is described as untested.

Prime95 is free Mersenne-prime search software for people who want to contribute computing work to GIMPS. It can also put a sustained workload across CPU cores to check processor and L1, L2, and L3 cache stability. For project tasks, Prime95 contacts PrimeNet for work; users can monitor computer progress and manage assignments remotely through the account’s CPUs page. Listed work includes PRP and Lucas-Lehmer tests, P-1 and ECM factoring, and trial factoring. Downloads include Windows, Linux, Mac OS X command-line, and FreeBSD builds. Administrators can choose a GUI-less Windows service build, which is intended for Windows Server experts. The source archive covers Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, and Mac OS X, though the code is described as non-portable. Version 30.3 introduced a dialog for limiting resource use. GIMPS participation is free and open internationally. The license permits indefinite free use on computers users own or are authorized to use, and provides the software as-is without warranty.