Your graphics card can play a key role in determining what programs or games your computer can successfully run, and it can help make streaming and web browsing smoother too. If you are running into issues with any of these activities, you may want to find out what GPU you have, and if an upgrade is possible.
If you’re not sure how to find out what graphics card you have, never fear. It’s easier than you might think. When you’re done, here’s what to compare it to.
Note: These steps and images are for Windows 10, but will work the same in both Windows 7 and 8.1, too.
Step 1: Head to Task Manager
Start and log into your Windows 10 computer to get to the home screen.
Once there, right-click the taskbar with your mouse or trackpad, then select Task Manager to open up the window with all the details that you need.
Step 2: Head to Performance
Expand the Task Manager window to a larger size if you prefer, and then take a look at the top of the menu where the various category tabs are located. On this menu, you’ll want to select the second option, Performance. This is a real-time tracker of your computer’s vital functions, including CPU, RAM, and GPU.
Step 3: Select GPU to examine the details
Now look at the left side menu, and at the bottom, you will see the section for GPU. Select this, and your GPU details will appear. As you can see, if your PC isn’t actively taking care of graphic details or image quality, your GPU probably won’t look very active.
Now, look all the way to the right at the top of the screen, and you will see the exact GPU your PC is currently using, the make and model data you need to record or look up further information.
You can also check out the date of your GPU driver, physical location, utilization, and other information that may come in handy if you are planning on a DIY upgrade or making other important decisions. You can also leave this window open and check on real-time GPU performance when running a game or app, to see how well it’s doing or what is making the GPU work particularly hard.
How to find out what graphics card you have on a Mac
A Mac’s design typically precludes upgrading your graphics card like you can on a PC, but users may still find the need to see what their current GPU looks like.
On MacOS, this is very easy: Simply click the Apple icon in the upper-left side of the screen and select About this Mac. This will open a window with basic info about your Mac specs. Look for the section that says Graphics, and look at the info to the right to see what GPU you are using.
Now what?
Now you know what GPU you have, you can easily compare this with requirements for a specific game or program. If you are switching between more than one active GPU, this is also an easy way to check which one your computer is currently using! Once you have your GPU information, you may want to cruise over to our guide on the best graphics cards to explore your replacement options, or check if you’d prefer to replace your PC entirely instead.
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