System Information Dashboard: Lightweight System Monitoring for Technicians and Power Users
As a computer technician, I spend a ridiculous amount of time answering the same basic questions:
"Why is my PC so slow?"
"How much RAM do I have?"
"Is my CPU going crazy?"
"Can you send me a report of my system specs?"
Windows can show you all this information, but it’s scattered everywhere: Task Manager, Settings, msinfo32, command line tools, and random third-party utilities. You end up clicking through multiple windows just to understand what’s going on.
At some point I got tired of that, so I built my own small tool:
System Information Dashboard.
It’s a lightweight Windows utility that pulls together the most important system info into a single, simple dashboard and, when you need deeper hardware details like temperatures and sensors, it can open LibreHardwareMonitor directly from the menu. In the latest version, I’ve added a Tools menu entry that launches LibreHardwareMonitor with a single click, so you don’t have to hunt for it manually.
In this post, I’ll walk you through why I built it, what it does, and how it fits together with LibreHardwareMonitor.
Download & Installation
System Information Dashboard is distributed as a portable executable.
Download the latest version from the official download page or repository.
Extract the files (if they’re in a .zip).
Run SysInfoDash.exe
That’s it, no installer, no setup wizard.
If you also want advanced temperatures and sensor data, download LibreHardwareMonitor separately and place LibreHardwareMonitor.exe in the same folder as System Information Dashboard. Then you can open it directly from the Tools menu inside the app.
Why I Built System Information Dashboard
There are already countless system information tools out there, so why build another one?
Because I wanted something that:
- Starts instantly
No installer, no services, no “first run” wizard. Just a single.exeyou can drop on a USB stick and run on any compatible Windows machine. - Focuses on the essentials
When I’m troubleshooting, I usually care about a few key things: CPU, RAM, disk usage, OS version, and uptime. I don’t always need motherboard serials, SPD timings, or 50 hardware sensors in my face. - Stays clean and predictable
No bundled nonsense, no ads, no upgrade prompts, no background processes that stay running after you close it. - Is easy to explain to non-technical users
I often ask clients: “Open System Information Dashboard and tell me what you see.” I wanted something they can run without fear or confusion.
System Information Dashboard is not trying to replace heavy-duty tools like HWInfo or full monitoring suites. It’s a fast, focused dashboard that gives me a clear snapshot in seconds and when I need full sensor data (temperatures, fans, voltages), I just jump into LibreHardwareMonitor from the app menu.
What System Information Dashboard Shows You
When you launch the app, you get a single window with the information that actually matters during a first check:
CPU usage – current load and basic CPU info
RAM usage – how much memory is used vs how much is available
Disk usage – usage percentage of the main drive
OS details – Windows version, build, and architecture
System uptime – how long the system has been running
This lets you answer questions like:
Is the CPU constantly at 90–100%?
Is the machine running out of RAM and swapping to disk?Is the system drive nearly full?
Is this an ancient OS build that should be updated?
Has the PC been up for weeks without a reboot?
No hunting around. No extra clicks. You get the overview immediately.
Advanced Temperatures & Sensors (via LibreHardwareMonitor)
System Information Dashboard is designed to stay small and fast, so I didn’t try to cram full sensor logic (temps, fan speeds, voltages, etc.) into it.
Instead, I use a tool that’s already very good at that job: LibreHardwareMonitor.
From inside System Information Dashboard, there’s a menu entry:
Tools >> Open LibreHardwareMonitor (temperatures & sensors)
When you click it, the app simply launches LibreHardwareMonitor (if you’ve placed LibreHardwareMonitor.exe in the same folder). That gives you:
CPU temperatures (per core, package, etc.)
GPU temps and usage
HDD / SSD / NVMe temperatures
Fan speeds, voltages, and more depending on your hardware
This way:
SID stays a focused, lightweight overview tool
LibreHardwareMonitor handles all the heavy sensor work
Exporting System Information
One feature I really wanted was easy reporting.
From the menu, you can export the current system information to a file, for example:
A plain text report you can paste directly into an email or ticket
A simple output you can keep as before/after documentation
When you export, the app brings up a standard "Save As" dialog, so you can:
Choose where to save
Name the file however you want
Keep different reports organized per client or per machine
This is especially handy for:
Before/after comparisons (e.g. after upgrades or cleaning)
Documentation for clients
Your own history of problematic machines
Under the Hood: Technical Details
For anyone curious about implementation, here’s a quick technical overview.
Language: The app is written in AutoIt, which is great for building small Windows utilities with GUIs.
Portable: It runs as a single executable — no installer, no services, no scheduled tasks.
Data sources: System data (CPU, RAM, disk, OS, uptime) is retrieved using standard Windows APIs and built-in functionality, not weird hacks.
Footprint: It’s lightweight and designed to start quickly, even on slower machine.
LibreHardwareMonitor integration is kept simple on purpose: SID just runs it when you ask for advanced sensors. SID itself doesn’t try to read or modify anything at a low level.
Who Will Actually Find This Useful?
System Information Dashboard is mainly built for:
Technicians who need a quick portable info tool during diagnostics
Power users who like understanding what their system is doing at a glance
Remote helpers who need something simple for non-technical users to run
Anyone who dislikes heavy “all-in-one” suites and just wants core metrics in one place
If you’re deep into overclocking and detailed hardware analysis, you’ll still use your usual advanced tools. In that case, SID becomes your first-look dashboard, and LibreHardwareMonitor (or similar) is your deep-dive companion.
What It Doesn’t Do (On Purpose)
To keep it lightweight and focused, there are things System Information Dashboard does not try to do:
No 24/7 background monitoring
No long-term logging built-in
No extreme hardware detail (BIOS versions, SMART attributes, VRAM breakdown, detailed sensor graphs) directly inside the SID window
All of that can be useful, but once you go down that road, the app stops being simple and portable. I’d rather keep it sharp and focused.
For the people who really want those details, there’s literally a menu item to open LibreHardwareMonitor.
Future Plans
I’ve got a few ideas lined up for future versions, depending on real-world feedback:
Slightly richer reports, while still staying readable
Maybe some extra system health checks
Small UI tweaks to make things even clearer without turning it into a monster
I prefer small, practical improvements over bloating it with features that look nice on a list but don’t get used.
Final Thoughts
System Information Dashboard started as a personal tool to make my work easier. Now it has become something I open almost by habit whenever a machine misbehaves.
If you often find yourself thinking:
“I just want one small tool that shows me what’s going on with this PC.”
then this is exactly what I built it for.
And when you need full sensor details and temperatures, you can jump straight into LibreHardwareMonitor from the Tools menu and get every little number your heart desires.
If you try it and have suggestions, bug reports, or ideas, I’m always interested in hearing real-world experiences. That’s how tools like this actually get better.