mCPU Meter

mCPU Meter is a neat little desktop gadget that shows you how much CPU and memory your system is using, plus how long it's been running. It's super easy to install and set up, but it keeps things simple with just a few features.

Easy-to-Use Interface

The interface is designed in a small rectangular frame that you can move around your screen with your mouse. It can handle up to eight logical and physical cores, and it shows the usage levels in two ways: as numbers (in percentage) and through colorful meters—orange for CPU and green for memory.

Customization Options

You can tweak some settings through the Options panel found in the context menu. For instance, you can adjust how often it reads CPU data, anywhere from 500ms to 5000ms, or choose to display just one bar for the CPU level. But keep in mind that mCPU Meter doesn’t offer a ton of extra options on its own.

Operating System Features

Even though it’s a bit basic, you can use some default settings from your operating system to make it more useful. You can increase the size of the frame, make it stay on top of other windows (which is handy when you're multitasking), and adjust its opacity level too.

Performance Impact

The great thing about mCPU Meter is that it has minimal impact on your system's performance. It uses low CPU and RAM while still providing accurate information with a good refresh rate. During our tests, we didn’t see any error messages or crashes.

Stability Issues

However, there are some stability issues if you're using newer operating systems. For example, during our tests on Windows 7, it didn’t show the system uptime correctly. Also, keep in mind that this gadget hasn’t been updated for quite some time.

If you want to give mCPU Meter a try, it’s really easy to get started!