Hardware Monitor - 4.5

Hardware Monitor is an application to read out all accessible hardware sensors in Macintosh computers. Currently more than 100 different Macintosh hardware sensors and more than 200 hard drive temperature sensors are supported. The program can display and visualize measured values in a large variety of fashions. It can also store and export readings. This includes the following sensor types:

• Temperarature readings at different locations
• Battery data of portable computers
• Voltage sensors
• Current (amperage) sensors
• Fan speed sensors
• Sensors for pulse-width controlled fans
• Power and load sensors
• Ambient light sensors
• User-defined artificial sensors to monitor the operating system

Moreover, the applications can display additional technical information about your computer. Among other information this includes:

• Processor type
• Processor and bus frequencies
• Manufacturing information

Of course the applications can read out the data only if your computer is equipped with the necessary sensors, and if Mac OS X can access them without needing third-party device drivers. Beginning in summer 2002, Apple has begun to massively drive forward the use of monitoring probes in the PowerMac series, the Xserve series, and in portable computers. Some models are equipped with 38 and more sensors. But Hardware Monitor can detect sensors on many older systems as well if they are available.

We try to detect all sensors on as many Macintosh computer types as possible. However, a prediction which sensors are available in which models is not possible, because Apple very often releases "silent product updates", where the hardware equipments of some models are changed but the names are not (specifications are"subject to change without notice"). The particular graphics card and hard disk configuration used is also important because these parts can include independent sensors, too.