Iolo System Mechanic 12.5 review

Making sure that your PC is running at optimal performance can often be an arduous and complicated task. Iolo's System Mechanic 12.5 is here to help ease the pain. This utility aims to optimize the performance and the security of your PC by fixing errors and freezing problems, and improve your overall PC experience.

However, while many of the capabilities that System Mechanic has to offer are great, the fact remains that there are many other PC performance programs, such as Slimware Utilities SlimCleaner 4, that offer many of the same clean up features as System Mechanic. Many have the added advantage of being free.

System Mechanic 12.5 lists at $24.95 on the Iolo website. However, once you buy this version, you get all future updates and versions absolutely free. You can also upgrade to the pro version for just $10 more, which includes its own antivirus and malware protection, secure online backup storage and many more features. You can also find a 30-day trial on Iolo's website, if you'd like to try the product out before buying.

Features

System Mechanic 12.5 boasts several great tools for improving PC performance, whether you're a PC novice or an expert. The product features a one-click, automatic system cleanup. This will tidy up your PC by performing acts such as repairing registry errors, preventing low-priority programs from creating background lagging, and much more.

If you'd rather specifically choose what the program cleans up, there's always an option for manually choosing which actions take place; and this manual action is actually relatively quick. One of the main aspects of this product that stands out is the ability to improve computer and internet speeds, making it a great tool for gamers. It can also show your incident reports from the past 90 days, detailing any programs that have crashed in the past, as well as tips for preventing such crashes in the future.

The interface of System Mechanic is very user friendly, and makes it easy to navigate to any specific task. The app also downloads a useful widget that stays on your desktop in order to ensure PC performanceand offer quick access to the program.

System Mechanic also has some handy minor features, which allow you to dig deeper and customize the optimization of your computer. You can choose which programs continue operating in the background, and also choose to eliminate certain hidden features from starting when you first turn your computer on.

If you're asking why System Mechanic 12.5 is better than previous versions, the answer is that it comes with seven new components that weren't included in previous versions. New improvements include Live Boost Technology, which automatically allows your computer to be much more responsive, and Startup Optimizer which eliminates unnecessary programs and allows your computer to start up much quicker.

This updated version is also compatible with Windows 8.1, as well as all other Windows operating systems ranging from Windows XP onward. This version also allows you to install the program on multiple computers, making it a great household purchase.

Performance

After downloading the program, I performed a system analysis to see how my test computer's performance ranked. System Mechanic gave my computer an overall poor status (meaning a poor health rating and a fair security rating). I then looked at which recommendations the program suggested I take, and acted on most of them.

After about four minutes, the program was finished performing these actions, and I was instructed to restart the computer to finalize all appropriate fixes. After the computer shut down, I immediately noticed that it was starting up much faster than before.

After my test PC fully booted up, I performed another system analysis, and this time System Mechanic gave my computer a good health and good security rating.

I then opened additional programs and they seemed to open in relatively the same amount of time. I even tried playing a few video games on the PC, and noticed that the loading screens were much quicker.

I then explored further and saw which programs were running in the background. There were a lot of useless programs which we had downloaded over time, and were continuing to run. System Mechanic easily lets you delete these background programs, keep them, or merely stop them from operating in the background.

The product promises to improve PC performance, and it clearly delivered on those claims.

We liked

System Mechanic has many good aspects about it, as well as some minor flaws.

The easy user interface allows the user to completely trust the product. Even while you're digging around in the program, it explains every aspect in detail so that you understand what you're doing before you mindlessly click things on and off.

The product overall seems to deliver on its promises and delivers a good, quick clean up for your computer. System Mechanic also seems to be a useful tool for gamers.

We disliked

While it actually improves PC performance, the one major flaw about System Mechanic is that it isn't unique. There are many other utilities, Comodo PC Tuneup or Norton Utilities, which perform the exact same tasks. Slimware Utilities SlimCleaner 4 even offers these tools for free.

Another unconvincing aspect of System Mechanic is its delivery for internet enhancement. We performed a before-and-after internet speed test, and while our connection improved enough for everyday internet activities (2mbps), hardcore gamers may find this increase insignificant.

Verdict

Aside from these drawbacks, the product delivers when it comes to improving your PC. It fixes problems quickly, and helps the user walk through every problem in a detailed and clear manner. We highly recommend downloading the trial version of this product to see if it fits for you. If so, it's worth buying the product for it's full feature list, as well as the ability to use it on all of the computers in a household.