Windows Task Manager is the native Windows app which comes with the OS and which gives very limited information about usage and processes running. It doesn’t list dependencies, which isn’t good.
There are better alternatives and all (as far as I know) are free. I took a look at Process Explorer and System Explorer.
Mark Russinovich wrote Process Explorer. The older among us also know he did SysInternals, which is the definitive tool collection for analyzing MS OSs.
System Explorer has very good features: the history log at the bottom of the panel. However it is limited to the current session, and if you don’t keep it running in the systray, that history isn’t kept. In Process Explorer as well as System Explorer, you’re scanned with Virus Total, an external utility. The negatives? It uses 30.1 Mb of memory, but it’s a portable and the info display windows aren’t all they could be. Tabs might have been better, instead of drop down menus, but it’s not terrible. It can be customized as to color, font and opacity. It’s just not great. System Explorer has none.
System Explorer is installed on the computer, and worse, on the utility’s home download page http://systemexplorer.net/download.php the portable version isn’t recommended, so if you do repairs on other folks’ stuff you’ll end up using Process Explorer, anyway.
Both utilities’ negative, imo is they won’t show you internet connections and ports used and only show general I/O info.
If you’re looking for a truly great utility to use for this, my recommendation is portable CurrPorts (again, replaces the native Windows next to useless app) from NirSoft (tons of great free apps): http://nirsoft.net/utils/cports.html
So, the answer is whichever you like more. Technically Process Explorer gives you more about dependencies and if you're working with .dll files it is the better utility. You can read more from the source list, but for me? Process Explorer which you can download here: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653 but I’m not ruling out System Explorer as a valid and excellent tool.
Sources:
http://www.ghacks.net/2014/01/30/process-explorer-16-0-brings-virustotal-support/
http://alternativeto.net/software/process-explorer/ – for the extensive list of alternative software.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653
http://systemexplorer.net/download.php
http://www.ghacks.net/2014/08/26/best-windows-process-checkers-that-tell-you-if-a-process-is-safe/
http://www.ghacks.net/2014/10/31/system-explorer-6-0-update-brings-action-log-and-other-enhancements/
http://nirsoft.net/utils/cports.html