Looking for an upgrade on your Computer? or just want to brag about the specs of your high-end gaming PC?
Or maybe just want to check your Computer’s specs, just for your knowledge?
Well for that, you need to look into your computer’s specifications. This might sound complex, but in reality, it is fairly simple and easy.
To know the details of your current functioning Computer hardware, we have compiled a simple step-by-step guide following which, you can easily extract all the necessary information you need.
Contents
- How to Check Your Computer’s Specs?
- How to Check What CPU You Have?
- How to Check What Graphics Card You Have?
- How to Find Out What Motherboard You Have?
- How to Check How Much RAM Your Computer Has?
- How can I check my computer’s specs using Third-Party Tools?
How to Check Your Computer’s Specs?
Although the article talks about Computers, the same information is true for Laptops running on Windows Operating systems.
You can easily extract all the necessary information about your computer by following the step-by-step guide mentioned down below.
How to Check What Processor (CPU) You Have?
It is fairly simple to check what kind of processor your system houses. The processor is the brain of the computer and can be said to be the most important component there.
You can easily check out the version and all the necessary information about your Processor (CPU) by following the guide given below:
- Right-click on the Windows Start menu icon
- After that, a menu will pop up
- Click on ‘System’ in that menu
- In there, you’ll find what kind of CPU your computer has written next to ‘Processor’
How to Find Out What Graphics Card (GPU) You Have?
Now that you know how to check what CPU your Computer has, now the question is what Graphics Card or GPU your computer has?
The process to find out your Graphics Card version is fairly simple as well, but it includes some more steps compared to finding out what CPU you have.
To find out what Graphics Card your system has, follow the guide given below:
- Right Click on the Windows Start menu
- After that, a window will pop up, select ‘Device Manager’ in that
- Now click on the arrow next to ‘Display Adapters’
- Your GPU specifications will be mentioned there
Keep in mind that there might be two GPUs listed under the ‘Display Adapters’ tab. If this is the case, then your system is showing the integrated GPU (The one that comes integrated with the CPU) and the Dedicated GPU on your system.
A dedicated GPU is more powerful and functional than the system uses, so it will be the one whose information you are looking for.
Usually, the Integrated Graphics (the one which comes with the processor) will be listed before the Dedicated Graphics card, so the dedicated graphics card will be in the second spot.
For example, if you have an Intel Processor which has an integrated graphics card, it will be named like ‘Intel HD Graphics 620’ or something.
This will be visible in the 1st option, and the second option will show the dedicated GPU on your device.
How to Find Out What Motherboard You Have?
The motherboard is the most important component of a Computer, it houses all the other important components in it.
To check what motherboard you have and what type it is (the manufacturer of the motherboard, the chipset it supports, what socket it has) you have to follow the simple guide we have made down below.
Alternatively, you can open up your Desktop and visibly see the model number and manufacturer of the board, but this method is not recommended as it requires a lot of effort and is rather difficult to do as well as very time-consuming.
- Type ‘System Information’ in the Windows Search Bar
- This will open the System Summary tab
- Scroll down until you see ‘Motherboard Manufacturer’ or ‘BaseBoard Manufacturer’
- The data beside ‘Motherboard/BaseBoard Manufacturer’, ‘Motherboard/BaseBoard Model’, and ‘Motherboard/BaseBoard Name’, will provide the necessary information you are looking for
In general, Motherboards are named technically, like MSI 450, ASUS B450M, or Gigabyte B450M. This nomenclature is based on the name of the Motherboard’s manufacturer, followed by the model number code of the Motherboard itself.
The numbers and codes that follow the name of the manufacturer describe the socket type and the chipset the motherboard utilizes.
How to Find Out How Much RAM Your Computer Has?
Now we will talk about how you can check the Memory (RAM) of your computer.
To find out how much RAM your computer has, follow the steps given below:
- Right-click on the Windows Start menu icon
- After that, a menu will pop up
- Click on ‘System’ in that menu
- In there, you’ll find how much RAM your computer has, under the ‘Device specifications’ written next to ‘Installed RAM’
Alternatively, you can:
- Type ‘System Information’ in the Windows Search Bar
- Scroll down until you find ‘Installed RAM’, the installed RAM will be mentioned in Gigabytes
How To Check Your Computer’s Specs Using Third-party Tools?
In the above portion of the article, we described how you can easily find out the specifications of the various hardware components of your system.
However, there are also third-party tools that monitor your hardware and list out the important information to you about your computer.
We have compiled a list of five popular Third-party tools along with their download links, they are capable of monitoring your system as well as can provide necessary information about your computer (like CPU and GPU specifications and RAM capacity):
Conclusion
Now that you know about your Computer’s or laptop’s specs, you might be looking for possible upgrades on your system.
Keep in mind that compatibility plays a huge role in determining the upgradability of the system.
The motherboard is the primary component, or should we say, the backbone of the computer setup. The upgradability of the system depends on what hardware component the Motherboard supports.
The processor can be upgraded if the chipset and the socket allow upgrades for the newer version of CPUs.
Similarly, RAM can be upgraded as per the RAM socket type available on the motherboard, as well as the maximum supported speed of the RAM.
The graphics card upgrade is somewhat flexible in this regard, any Motherboard having a PCIe port can house a Graphics card, and a newer and better graphics card can be swapped without any issues.
Further Reading
