Comprehensive PC Matic Impresses
Long time tech columnist Fred Langa recently completed a comparison of several popular Windows maintenance utilities.
Langa cites PC Matic comprehensive scanning and reporting as superior to Reimage and System Mechanic.
PC Pitstop’s comprehensive PC Matic PC Matic is also a two-part system, with a free diagnostic component and a paid-for ($50 per year) repair component. Unusually comprehensive, the program even includes full-time antivirus protection. See PC Pitstop’s site for more info, a full features list, and download links.
Once again, I created a fresh copy of the baseline setup and immediately ran PC Matic’s free diagnostics. It completed the process quickly — just a few minutes — and produced a list of 25 items it said needed repair or improvement. It also listed one suggested “security adjustment.”
To its credit, PC Matic provides real information on its findings; it also tells you in advance what steps it will to take if you buy the full version. This is a refreshing change from the “black box” tools that reveal almost nothing about what they’re doing.
–Fred Langa Windows Secrets 8/28/14
By doing your own tests, you’ll know whether any of the paid products significantly improves your system’s performance, security, and stability. It might be tempting to use a commercial product to scan your system for free and then use Windows’ built-in tools to fix any found problems. That might work with an informative product such as PC Matic, but it’s not feasible with tools such as Reimage and System Mechanic.
–Fred Langa Windows Secrets 8/28/14
Mr Langa elected to forgo the purchase of PC Matic to complete his testing – citing concerns about updating drivers that PC Matic had flagged as out of date.
Important to note: Mr Langa missed the fact that – upon purchasing PC Matic – and prior to Fixing & Cleaning – PC Matic users are provided the opportunity to opt out of any changes – including Driver Updates.
