Find Out What Graphics Card You Have

Your graphics card is what powers your games and high definition video. If you're having problems running the latest games or watching HD movies, your graphics card may be part of the problem. You can quickly check what you have installed no matter what operating system you're using.

Steps

Windows

Using the Device Manager

  1. Open the Device Manager. The Device Manager displays all of your installed hardware. There are several different ways to open the Device Manager, depending on what version of Windows you are using:
    • Locate the Device Manager in the Control Panel. You may have to switch to Icon view.
    • Open the System Properties by pressing ⊞ Win+Pause. Either click the "Device Manager" link in the left frame, or click the Hardware tab and then click the "Device Manager" button.
    • If you are using Windows 8, press ⊞ Win+X and select Device Manager from the menu.
  2. Expand the Display Adapters entry. This will list all of your installed graphics cards. Be aware that if your motherboard has integrated graphics, it will be listed here even if you aren't using it.
  3. Check the details. Although the listing in the Device Manager will tell you the chip that you are running, there can be variances depending on the specific card you have installed.
    • Double-click the adapter in the Device Manager and then select the Details tab.
    • Use the dropdown menu to check various aspects of your card. For an easier to read description of some of the more common specifics, see the next section.

Using DirectX Diagnotics

  1. Open the Run box. You can access the Run box from the Start menu, or by pressing ⊞ Win+R.
  2. Start the DirectX Diagnostic. Type dxdiag into the Run box and press ↵ Enter. The program may take a few minutes to load, especially if you have never run it before.
  3. Click the Display tab. You will see the name and manufacturer of your active graphics card. This is more specific than using the Device Manager, as unused integrated graphics will not be displayed.
  4. Check the details. Underneath the Name and Manufacturer, you can see the amount of available graphics menu. You can also see your driver version as well as the date in the "Drivers" of the Display tab.

OS X

  1. Open "About this Mac". You can access this by clicking the Apple menu, and then selecting "About This Mac".
  2. Click "More Info". A new window will open with a list of your Mac's specs. Your Graphics card will be listed nest to the "Graphics" entry above the Serial Number.
  3. Use the System Profiler. The System Profiler can give you more detailed information about your installed graphics card.[1]
    • You can find the System Profiler in the utilities subfolder in the Applications folder.
  4. Click the "Graphics/Displays" option. This is located in the Hardware section in the left frame.
    • This will let you see more details about the chipset and available memory.

Linux

  1. Open the graphical system monitor. Most Linux distributions come with a system monitor program that allows you to see what hardware you have installed. In Ubuntu, this is called System Monitor. To open System Monitor, click System → Preferences → Hardware Information.
    • When you open your hardware monitor, look for the Display, or Graphics section to find your card's information.
  2. Install another hardware monitor. if you don't have a graphical monitor installed, or want to try a different one, you can install another hardware monitor from your distribution's repository.
    • One example is "hardinfo". Open the Terminal and enter the command $ sudo apt-get install hardinfo.
    • Once hard info has been installed, run it by typing $ hardinfo.
    • Expand the Devices category, and select PCI Devices. Your card will be listed next to the "VGA compatible controller" entry.
  3. Use a command line hardware monitor. You can use the terminal to display the hardware installed on your system. This doesn't require an external graphics program to see, but may be a little difficult if you aren't comfortable with the terminal.
    • Type $ sudo update-pciids. This will update your pci.ids file and allow you to get the most accurate picture of your hardware.
    • Type $ lspci -v | less. A readout of your installed hardware will appear. Your graphics card will be listed next to the "VGA compatible controller" entry.[2]



Warnings

  • Do not press disable or uninstall on anything, unless you are quite confident about what changes you intend to make. The options in the control panel manager control the configuration of the hardware and peripherals associated with your computer. Changing something incorrectly here can render your computer unresponsive.
  • Read the box. The box should tell you on the front the brand along with the model name and type.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ https://discussions.apple.com/message/24372181#24372181
  2. ↑ http://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/linux-tell-which-graphics-vga-card-installed/
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