A system profiler is a program that can provide detailed information about the software installed and hardware attached to a computer. Typically workstations and personal computers have had system profilers as a common feature since the mid-1990s.
However, system profilers exist on most computing architectures in some form or other. System Monitor programs in mainframes essentially provide the same function as system profiler programs on personal computers.
Modern system profilers typically provide real time information on not only the CPU state (such as clock speed), GPU state, and attached hardware state (such as USB or FireWire devices).