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Do you want to play the latest video game in your mind, but you aren’t sure whether your PC can handle it? Do you want to fix a specific problem with your display, or simply that your screen appears strange? Do you want to download the correct driver for your graphics card and avoid the frustration that comes with downloading the wrong one?
If so, you need to know what graphics card (GPU) you have. Your graphics card is considered a huge part of “the PC experience,” and without it, you can’t play your favorite video games, which require certain “minimal requirements.”
Every game in the huge market of video games requires “minimal requirements” and “recommended requirements.” You’ll need to know your graphics card and its specs, and compare those to the minimum requirements of the game you want to play.
In this guide, we’ll walk through simple, step-by-step methods to check what graphics card you have, which works in both Windows 10 or 11. We will go through without any confusing tech jargon, so anyone, including beginners, can follow. You don’t need to be a tech expert, and you won’t need a lot of computer knowledge. We’ll use clear explanations using pictures so you can follow our steps and find your graphics card information.
What is a Graphics Card?
A graphics card, also called a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), is a crucial part of your computer that processes, renders, and displays what you see on your monitor. Most GPUs in any computer come in two types: integrated graphics and dedicated (also called discrete) graphics.
Integrated vs. Dedicated Graphics Cards
Integrated graphics come as part of the motherboard (the CPU specifically) in most modern PCs and laptops. They can’t do much work same like dedicated graphics cards; they are pretty good for everyday tasks like watching a series, browsing the internet, or studying. Integrated graphics use very little power, take up minimal space, and produce little heat.
On the other hand, dedicated GPUs are powerful, depending on the chip itself. A GTX 1070 is not an RTX 3060 in terms of performance, but the GTX 1070 is considered powerful than an integrated graphics card. Intel UHD Graphics 620, for example.
Dedicated GPUs can perform complicated tasks compared to integrated graphics, but they come at a price. Those GPUs take up most of your PC case space, draw a lot of power from the wall socket, and also generate a lot of heat. These GPUs are built for gaming, video editing, and most of the creative apps out there.
Decode GPU Names Like a Pro
Knowing what graphics card you have can be a little complicated, and you can get confused, especially if you are a complete beginner. A GPU naming consists of: the manufacturer (brand), the series of the GPU itself, the Nvidia GPU model, and the brand’s GPU model.
Let’s delve into this matter to gain a better understanding of it. Let’s take, for example, this third-party GPU, the “MSI RTX 3070 Ti GAMING TRIO”:
–> MSI is the manufacturer/brand.
–> RTX refers to NVIDIA’s RTX series of graphics cards.
–> 3070 Ti is the GPU model of Nvidia.
–> GAMING TRIO is the GPU model of the brand.
We can do the same thing for a GPU from Nvidia itself. Let’s take, for example, the “Nvidia RTX 4070 Ti”:
–> Nvidia is the manufacturer/brand.
–> RTX refers to NVIDIA’s RTX series of graphics cards.
–> 4070 Ti is the GPU model of Nvidia.
–> There is no model of the brand; GPUs that are from Nvidia itself usually come as Founders Editions with stock performance without tweaks.
What are The Major GPU Manufacturers?
There are two well-known companies in the market that design, market, and sell their graphics cards: Nvidia and AMD. Intel entered the graphics card market, but its GPUs are not yet competitive.
Such companies rely on fabless manufacturing, meaning they outsource their fabrication to specialized semiconductor manufacturing companies. TSMC and Samsung are two of the major manufacturers that do all the hard work for them and supply them with the required microchips.
What are Third-Party GPU Brands?
Have you noticed GPUs from brands like Gigabyte or MSI? Many graphics cards are manufactured and released by third parties such as MSI, ASUS, Gigabyte, and EVGA, to name a few. These companies produce their graphics cards using chips from Nvidia and AMD.
The twist is that they include some upgrades and tweaks in their versions and models to compete with each other. Some integrate a better cooling system into the graphics card, while others come slightly overclocked from the factory, boosting their raw performance.
How Do I See What Graphics Card I Have?
In this article, I won’t focus on which brand your graphics card belongs to because, for most beginners, it’s more important to know the GPU series or model (like NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 or AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT) than the brand (MSI, ASUS, Gigabyte, etc.).
Now that you know what a graphics card is and why it matters, let’s find out exactly which one is in your PC. Don’t panic—you don’t need to be a tech expert or have a degree in computer science to follow along. We will go through the methods step by step so that anyone, including absolute beginners, can follow. Let’s get started, shall we?
Method 1: Using Task Manager
I selected “Task Manager” as a first method because it’s the quickest method to see which graphics card you have. It works on both Windows 10 and 11, and also displays information if you have more than one GPU. Simply follow these steps.
First, you have to open the “Task Manager,” and to do that, you must press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard or right-click the Windows taskbar and select Task Manager.
Second, you must go to the “Performance tab” in “Task Manager”. If this is your first time opening it, you will see a small view of it; you must click on “More details” at the bottom. Next, click the “Performance tab” at the top if you are on Windows 10 or at the left side if you are on Windows 11.
Furthermore, you must click GPU 0 if you have an integrated or a dedicated graphics card. You might see GPU 1 as well if you have more than one GPU (integrated and dedicated GPUs at the same time or two dedicated GPUs).
The top-right corner in the GPU option shows your GPU’s name, including its model (e.g., NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060). You can see other GPU specs as well, like its usage, temperature, and dedicated GPU memory (VRAM). Based on the image I provided below, you can see that I have an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050.
Method 2: Using Windows Settings App
You can get information about your graphics card by opening the Windows Settings app, specifically the Display settings. It will show you which graphics card is connected to your monitor and provide additional details as well. Simply follow the steps below to find out.
First, right-click on your mouse anywhere on your desktop to open the Windows context menu, and from there, you must choose “Display settings.”
Next, you must select “Advanced display” to find the information you are looking for.
On the top right, you can choose the monitor you have connected to your PC and see details about it. In the display information section just below it, you can see which graphics card is connected to the display you selected earlier. As you can see, my Xiaomi Mi Monitor is connected to my Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050.
To see additional details about your graphics card, you can click on “Display adapter properties.” You can see the total amount of VRAM your GPU has in the “Dedicated video memory” option alongside the “Total available graphics memory” (Dedicated video memory + Shared system memory).
Furthermore, you can get additional information about your GPU drivers. And to do that, you must click on properties on the “Adapter type” section and navigate from the “General tab” to the “Driver tab”. From there, you can see the driver’s provider, date, and version.
Method 3: Using the Device Manager
The Device Manager is a built-in Windows tool that lists all the hardware in your PC. It’s extremely useful if you want to see your PC specs, including which GPU you have, without installing third-party software. It’s part of the “Computer Management” program.
First, you can open the Computer Management app by right-clicking on “This PC” and selecting “Manage”.
Once you click on it, a window like this will pop up:
Next, you must select “Device Manager” from the left side panel to see a list of the devices that are on your PC.
In the list of devices that will pop up, select “Display adapters” and expand it by clicking the small arrow next to it.
Now, you can see which GPU you have. As you can see, I have the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 as shown in all the previous methods. You can double right-click on it to see your graphics card properties, including the driver’s details.
You can open the “Device Manager” tab only by pressing “Windows + X” on your keyboard and selecting “Device Manager” from the menu.
Or you can press “Windows + R” on your keyboard to open the Run app, type “devmgmt.msc”, and hit Enter.
Once you do one of those, a new window will pop up showing only the “Device Manager“.
You can now follow the same steps we covered before!
Method 4: Using DxDiag (DirectX Diagnostic Tool)
Another useful method to see what graphics card you have is the DirectX Diagnostic Tool, commonly known as DxDiag. This built-in Windows utility displays detailed information about your computer’s hardware, including your graphics card. Since you’re here to find that information, let’s get started.
First, click on the Windows search bar and search for “dxdiag”. The tool will pop up, featuring an icon with the character X.
Right-click on it to open the built-in tool. A new window will emerge, and you can see a lot of system information, including your motherboard’s name, model, and manufacturer. The DirectX version your system supports. The amount of RAM mounted on your system, among others.
To find the exact information we are looking for, which is to see what graphics card you have, you must navigate to the “Display” tab.
From there, you can see your graphics card’s manufacturer, which is Nvidia in this case, the graphics card name, and chip type, which is quite the same; you can also see your GPU’s VRAM, not to forget your display resolution, of course.
Method 5: Using System Information (msinfo32)
The same built-in Windows tool we used in our latest article to check which motherboard you have (msinfo32) can also be used to see what graphics card you have. This method provides more technical details than the “Task Manager” or “the Settings App” does.
First, click on the Windows search bar and search for “system information,” and open it.
You can also press “Windows + R” to open the Run dialog. Type “msinfo32” and press Enter.
The built-in tool will appear, and you will see a window similar to this.
On the left panel, select “Components” and expand it by clicking the + icon. From the list that appears underneath, click on “Display”.
Here you can see all the technical details regarding your graphics card. Look for “Name” to see your GPU’s model (e.g., NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070). You can also see the Adapter RAM, Resolution, Driver Version, and other technical details.
Method 6: Using GPU-Z (TechPowerUp)
Unlike the five previous methods I’ve covered so far, which rely on Windows’ built-in tools, this will require a small utility you have to download and install on your PC. Don’t worry, I know it’s risky, but I will provide the official website from where you can download it.
The third-party tool we are talking about is GPU-Z, made by TechPowerUp. It shows every information related to your GPU, including the exact GPU model you have, its clock speeds, VRAM size, and even real-time usage.
To use this tool, first, you must download it from its official website and click on “Download” as shown in the picture below.
Select the server with the least server load to make sure the download won’t be slow or interrupted.
Once you have downloaded it, you can choose between installing the software or using the standalone mode. In my case, I won’t install it, and I will use it as a standalone app.
From the GPU-Z window, you can see a lot of technical details that weren’t available in the previous methods I’ve covered so far. The first tab, which is “Graphics card”, will show you all the important information about your GPU.
From there, you’ll find the exact model of your card, for me it’s an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050, along with the brand that manufactured it in the “Subvendor”, such as Gigabyte in my case, you can also see MSI, ASUS, or EVGA if you have a GPU from them. You’ll also see the amount of VRAM size you have and its type. I have 2 GB of GDDR5, alongside the GPU clock speeds, the bus interface (e.g., PCIe 4.0), etc.
If you feel curious about your graphics card and want to see a lot of real-time values, you can switch to the “Sensors” tab, where GPU-Z displays live monitoring stats, including temperature, GPU load, VRAM usage, and power draw, among others.
Conclusion
Knowing what graphics card you have isn’t difficult now; you can use your GPU’s model to search for the correct drivers, compare your GPU to see if it can run a certain game in your mind, or just to satisfy your curiosity.
For beginners, the easiest methods are Task Manager and the Settings app, which give you the answers you are looking for without installing or using any additional software.
Built-in tools like Device Manager, DirectX Diagnostic Tool (dxdiag), and System Information, or a third-party utility such as GPU-Z, provide additional technical details such as your GPU specs, real-time GPU monitoring, and driver details.
By following the methods in this guide, you can confidently find your GPU, check its capabilities, and troubleshoot issues, all without needing any technical expertise!
