HOW DO I KNOW WHAT GRAPHICS CARD I HAVE? (WINDOWS 10) - DOUBTS - 2025

Knowing what graphics card you have in your Windows 10 computer is of vital importance, since through this information you can download, install and update the drivers you need.

The graphics card, video card or video card is a basic and essential component of your computer, since it is in charge of managing all the graphic data (that is, visual) that your computer requires and all the applications that run on it..

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It is even more important if you use your computer for applications that require a large amount of resources, such as AutoCAD, video games, emulators such as Android Studio SDK, among others.

Ways to know which graphics card your computer has

To find out what graphics card your computer has, there are 4 main ways. These ways are explained using Windows 10, but you can also try them using Windows 8 and Windows 8.1.

Via device manager

The device manager is a tool that Windows brings where you can view and manage the configuration of the devices installed on the computer.

1.- To enter press the Windows key + X

2.- When you do this, a menu will open in the lower right corner. Here, click on "Device Manager."

3.- The device manager will open, click on "Display adapters". There the name of the graphics card that your computer has will appear.

Through the command "msinfo32"

The "msinfo32" command is a tool that allows you to view system information, and with it of course, the information of your computer's graphics card.

This tool is much more complete to view computer information, since it not only shows you the name of the card, but also shows you each and every one of its detailed characteristics.

1.- To use the command, the first thing you should do is press Windows + r on the keyboard.

2.- A window will open in the lower left, where you must write "msinfo32" without quotes and press the "OK" button.

3.- In the window that will open, you must double-click on “Components” and then click on “Screen”.

On the right side of the screen you will see:

- Name: indicates the exact model of the graphics card you have installed. In the example “Intel (R) Graphics Family” appears, but in your case something different may appear.

If you want to know more about the graphics card you have installed, look for that name on the Internet.

- Description of the adapter: this is the name of the model of your graphics card, since sometimes manufacturers have the same name for several models. In addition, it could tell you if the card you have is integrated into the motherboard of your computer or not.

In the case of this example, the card is integrated into the motherboard, so if it is damaged, the entire motherboard would have to be replaced.

- Adapter RAM: is the video RAM memory of the graphics card you have installed. It may be specified in GB, MB, or Bytes.

- Drivers installed: here you will see the drivers under which your graphics card operates.

- Driver version: it is to know what version of the driver you have installed. This is important, as manufacturers often update their drivers to improve performance.

- Resolution: it is the size with which your graphics card is working.

Through "dxdiag"

DxDiag is another tool that Windows has, which collects information about devices.

1.- To start it, the first thing you should do is press the Windows + R keys.

2.- In the window that opens, you must write "dxdiag" and press "OK"

3.- In the new window that will open, you must go to the "Screen" tab and click.

Here you will see information about the graphics card and drivers.

- The type of chi p: indicates the model of the installed graphics card.

- DAC type: indicates if the graphics card is integrated or not. In the example you can see that it says "Internal", because it is a graphics card integrated into the motherboard.

4.- If you press "Save the information…", a window will open to save the report information as a plain text file.

There you must choose the location where you want to store the file and the name you want to put it, then press "Save".

5.- Doing so will close this window and then press "Exit" in the "DirectX Diagnostic Tool" window.

6.- Locate the text file in the location where you saved it and double click to open it.

When it opens, you will observe in detail the configuration of your entire computer. You must locate "Display Devices" and there you will see all the information of your graphics card.

Disarming your computer

Disassembling your computer is something that we do not recommend, since you could lose the warranty of the equipment, or worse, damage a part. However, if you have not been able to find out what graphics card your computer has with any of the above methods, this could be an option.

First of all, we clarify that we are not responsible for the misuse that you give to the information provided.

To disassemble your computer, you will need a screwdriver.

- You must remove the screws and remove the cover.

- Locate the PCI slot.

Source: By Clemens PFEIFFER, CC BY 2.5, - Write down the numbers and letters that appear on the card that is in the PCI slot. Search the same data on the Internet, and thus you will obtain the information of your graphics card.

References

1. Microsoft Technical Support (November, 2017). Open and run DxDiag.exe. Recovered from: support.microsoft.com.
2. Microsoft Technical Support (September, 2011). How to use the System Information switches (MSINFO32). Retrieved from: support.microsoft.com.
3. Microsoft technical support (April, 2018). Description of Microsoft System Information (Msinfo32.exe) Tool. Retrieved from: support.microsoft.com.
4. Microsoft Technical Support (November, 2017). Open Device Manager. Retrieved from: support.microsoft.com.
5. Cisco (January, 2013). Finding out which graphics card and driver a Windows PC has. Consulted of cisco.com.
6. Microsoft Technical Support (November, 2017). Update drivers in Windows 10. Retrieved from: support.microsoft.com.