How to Check What Graphics Card You Have (Windows, Mac, Linux)

Knowing what graphics card (GPU) is installed in your computer is essential for gaming, video editing, 3D modeling, and troubleshooting display issues. Whether you're checking if your system meets a game's requirements, updating drivers, or diagnosing performance problems, this guide covers every method to find your GPU on any operating system.

Why You Might Need to Check Your Graphics Card

Before diving into the methods, here are common reasons you might need to identify your GPU:

• Gaming: Verify your GPU meets minimum or recommended requirements for a game
• Driver updates: Download the correct drivers from NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel
• Troubleshooting: Diagnose graphics-related crashes, artifacts, or performance issues
• Upgrading: Know what you currently have before purchasing a new GPU
• Software compatibility: Check if your GPU supports specific features like ray tracing, CUDA, or OpenCL
• Selling your computer: Accurately list specifications for potential buyers

Method 1: Use Our Free Online GPU Detector (Any OS)

The fastest way to check your graphics card is using a browser-based detection tool. Our GPU Detector uses WebGL to identify your graphics card instantly — no software installation required.

How it works:

1. Visit deviceinfo.io/gpu
2. Your GPU model and vendor are detected automatically
3. View additional details like WebGL version and supported extensions

Limitation: Browser-based detection shows the GPU your browser is currently using. On laptops with both integrated and dedicated graphics, the browser may default to the integrated GPU to save power. The methods below can show all installed GPUs.

Method 2: Check Graphics Card on Windows

Windows offers several built-in ways to view your GPU information.

Option A: Device Manager

1. Right-click the Start button (or press Win + X)
2. Select Device Manager
3. Expand the Display adapters section
4. Your graphics card(s) will be listed here

If you have both integrated graphics (like Intel UHD) and a dedicated GPU (like NVIDIA GeForce), both will appear in the list.

Option B: DirectX Diagnostic Tool (dxdiag)

1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog
2. Type dxdiag and press Enter
3. Click the Display tab (or Display 1, Display 2 if you have multiple GPUs)
4. View your GPU name, manufacturer, and approximate memory

The DirectX Diagnostic Tool also shows your driver version and date, which is useful for troubleshooting.

Option C: Task Manager (Windows 10/11)

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager
2. Click the Performance tab
3. Select GPU in the left sidebar
4. View your GPU name, utilization, memory usage, and temperature

Task Manager is great for real-time monitoring and shows which GPU is being used by different applications.

Option D: System Information

1. Press Win + R, type msinfo32, and press Enter
2. Expand Components → Display
3. View detailed information including adapter type, RAM, and driver details

Method 3: Check Graphics Card on Mac

Option A: About This Mac

1. Click the Apple menu () in the top-left corner
2. Select About This Mac
3. Your GPU is listed next to "Graphics" on Intel Macs, or under the chip name (M1, M2, etc.) for Apple Silicon Macs

Option B: System Report (Detailed View)

1. Click the Apple menu → About This Mac
2. Click System Report (or More Info → System Report on newer macOS)
3. Select Graphics/Displays in the left sidebar
4. View detailed GPU information including VRAM, vendor, and Metal support

Apple Silicon Macs (M1, M2, M3, M4)

On Apple Silicon Macs, the GPU is integrated into the Apple chip. You won't see a separate graphics card listed — instead, the chip name (e.g., "Apple M2 Pro") indicates your graphics capabilities. Apple Silicon GPUs are highly efficient and share unified memory with the CPU.

Method 4: Check Graphics Card on Linux

Option A: lspci Command

Open Terminal and run:

lspci | grep -i vga

This displays your VGA-compatible graphics controller. For more detail:

lspci -v -s $(lspci | grep -i vga | cut -d' ' -f1)

Option B: glxinfo (OpenGL Details)

If you have mesa-utils installed:

glxinfo | grep "OpenGL renderer"

Install mesa-utils if needed: sudo apt install mesa-utils (Debian/Ubuntu)

Option C: inxi (Comprehensive System Info)

For a user-friendly output:

inxi -G

Install inxi if needed: sudo apt install inxi

Option D: NVIDIA-specific (nvidia-smi)

If you have an NVIDIA GPU with proprietary drivers:

nvidia-smi

This shows detailed NVIDIA GPU information including temperature, memory usage, and driver version.

Method 5: Third-Party Tools for Detailed GPU Information

For more comprehensive GPU details than built-in tools provide, consider these free utilities:

GPU-Z (Windows)

GPU-Z is a lightweight utility that shows detailed graphics card information including:

• Exact GPU model and revision
• BIOS version
• VRAM type and size
• Clock speeds (GPU, memory, boost)
• Temperature and fan speed monitoring
• Driver version

HWiNFO (Windows)

HWiNFO provides comprehensive hardware information and real-time monitoring for your entire system, including detailed GPU sensors.

Integrated vs. Dedicated Graphics: What's the Difference?

You might find two GPUs listed on your system. Here's what that means:

Many laptops automatically switch between integrated and dedicated graphics to balance performance and battery life. You can usually configure which GPU specific applications use through NVIDIA Control Panel or AMD Radeon Settings.

What to Do After Identifying Your GPU

Now that you know what graphics card you have, here are common next steps:

• Update drivers: Visit NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel to download the latest drivers
• Check game requirements: Compare your GPU to minimum/recommended specs on Steam, Epic Games, or the game's website
• Monitor performance: Use Task Manager (Windows) or Activity Monitor (Mac) to track GPU usage
• Benchmark your GPU: Run tests with tools like 3DMark, Unigine Heaven, or FurMark to assess performance

Frequently Asked Questions