First, some technical definitions: Graphics processing units (GPUs) have been a part of computers for a long time—they are responsible for the graphics you see on your monitor. They are also known as graphics cards. The easiest way to check if you have a GPU is to look at the back of your computer and check for what looks like an extra circuit board with plugs attached to it.

If you have one of these, you almost certainly have a GPU. To be more specific, what we’re looking for is the graphics processing unit (GPU) itself, which comes in two sizes: PCI-E and AGP. The first number in each acronym refers to the slot size, which we’ll discuss shortly. The second number refers to how many pins the card has. In this case, PCI-E 3.0 (x16) means that it’s a 16-pin slot, while AGP 8× means that it’s an 8-pin slot.
if you don’t know what kind of card is in your computer, how are you supposed to figure out which drivers to download? Fortunately, it’s actually pretty easy. In this article, We’ll walk you through identifying the type of graphics card you have and where to go from there.
On Windows
Here’s how to check your GPU on Windows 7, 8, 10, 11:
To check what GPU you have in Task Manager, follow these steps:
- Right-click on the taskbar and select “Task Manager.”
- Click on the “Performance” tab.
- Click on the “GPU” option.
- In the GPU section, you will see the manufacturer, model name, and the type of GPU you have.
Alternatively, you can also check the GPU information through the Device Manager:
- Right-click on the Start menu and select “Device Manager.”
- Expand the “Display adapters” category.
- Right-click on your GPU and select “Properties.”
- In the Properties window, you can find the manufacturer and model name of your GPU.
How to check what GPU you have through DirectX Diagnostic Tool
- Open DirectX Diagnostic Tool: To open the DirectX Diagnostic Tool, press Windows + X, and select “System”. In the System panel, click on the “Advanced system settings” link on the left side of the screen. In the System Properties window, click on the “Advanced” tab, and then click on the “Settings” button under the “Performance” section. Finally, click on the “Diagnostics” tab, and select the “DirectX Diagnostic Tool” button.
- Check the Graphics card information: Once the DirectX Diagnostic Tool is open, you will see a variety of tabs, including System, Display, Sound, Input, and Music. Click on the Display tab to access the information about your graphics card.
- Look for the Graphics Card Name: In the Display tab, you will find a section labeled “Graphics” that will show the name and manufacturer of your graphics card. This information should give you a good idea of what GPU you have.
- Check the Graphics Card details: If you want more information about your GPU, you can click on the “Details” button in the Graphics section. This will bring up a window with detailed information about your graphics card, including its make and model, memory size, clock speed, and DirectX version.
- Save the information: If you need to save this information for later reference, you can copy the information from the DirectX Diagnostic Tool and paste it into a text file. This will allow you to easily access the information about your GPU in the future.
On Mac
Here’s how to check your GPU
1. Click on the Apple icon in the top-left corner and select “About this Mac”
2. Click on “System Report”
3. Look for “Graphics/Displays” in the left-hand column
Your graphics card information will be listed here.
On Linux:
Here’s how to check your GPU on Linux:
1. Open the terminal and type the command: “lspci | grep -i VGA”
2. Your graphics card information will be displayed.