This wikiHow teaches you how to find information about the graphics card used on Windows, Mac, and Linux computers.
Step
Method 1 of 3: On Windows Computer
Step 1. Open the “Start” menu
Click the Windows logo in the lower-left corner of the screen.
You can also right-click the “Start” menu icon to open a menu of advanced options
Step 2. Open the Device Manager program
Type device manager into the “Start” menu, then click the “ Device Manager ” at the top of the menu search results.
If you right-click the “Start” menu, click the “ Device Manager ” on the pop-up menu.
Step 3. Look for the "Display adapters" heading
Scroll down until you find this segment in the “Device Manager” window.
- The options in the Device Manager window are arranged in alphabetical order so you can find the heading " Display adapters " in the "D" segment.
- If you see options indented under the " Display adapters " heading, skip the next step.
Step 4. Double-click the "Display adapters" heading
The options will expand to display the graphics cards installed in the computer.
Step 5. Review the graphics card displayed
The name of the graphics card installed in the computer will be displayed under the " Display adapters " heading. If you see more than one name, you have a built-in graphics card and an additional graphics card that you installed yourself.
You can search the name of the graphics card online for more specific information about the card
Method 2 of 3: On Mac Computer
Step 1. Open Apple menu
Click the Apple logo in the upper-left corner of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear after that.
Step 2. Click About This Mac
It's at the top of the drop-down menu.
Step 3. Click System Report…
It's at the bottom of the “About This Mac” window.
Step 4. Click the button the one to the left of the options Hardware.
This option is in the left pane of the “System Report” window.
Step 5. Click Graphics/Displays
This option is in the lower half of the group of options that appears under the “ Hardware, in the left pane of the window.
Step 6. Find the name of the graphics card
The name of the card will appear at the top of the right pane of the window.
You can also see the graphics card specifications under the card name
Method 3 of 3: On Linux Computer
Step 1. Open Terminal
Click the Terminal app icon that looks like a white box, or press Alt+Ctrl+T simultaneously to open a new Terminal window.
Step 2. Update the list of PCI devices on the computer
Type the following command into a Terminal window, then press Enter.
sudo update-pciids
Step 3. Enter the password
Type in the password you use to log into your computer, then press Enter. The command will be confirmed and the computer PCI list will be updated.
Password characters will not be displayed when you type them in a Terminal window
Step 4. Review the computer's PCI device list
Type the following command and press Enter key to display a list of PCI devices that you install yourself and your computer comes with (including graphics cards):
lspci -v | less
Step 5. Locate the computer graphics card
Scroll through the Terminal window until you find the heading "Video controller", "VGA compatible", "3D", or "Integrated graphics". The name of the graphics card will appear next to the title.
Step 6. Write down the ID number of the graphics card
This number is to the left of the graphics card title and is usually displayed in the following format: 00:00.0
Step 7. Open a new Terminal window
Press Alt+Ctrl+T again, or right-click the Terminal application icon and select “ New Terminal Window ” (or a similar option).
Step 8. Locate the graphics card information
Type the following command into a Terminal window and make sure you replace the text "0:02.0" with the graphics card ID number. After that, press Enter key to view the specific information of the installed graphics card:
sudo lspci -v -s 00:02.0
Tips
- Graphics cards are also known as "video" cards (video cards).
- Most computers feature a graphics card that is faster or of the highest quality than the default graphics card if possible.
