How Do I Know if my Computer or Laptop has a Graphics Card (GPU)


A graphics card is useful for a number of intensive programs like photo editing, video editing, gaming, crypto mining, and much more. Whether you are trying to upgrade your graphics card or tell whether it’s compatible with a program you are running it is important to whether you have one. I’ve had to do this multiple times on both Windows and Mac and can walk you through it.

How do you tell whether your computer or laptop has a graphics card? For Windows users, you need to check the Performance tab within the Task Manager. For Mac Users, you need to check the graphics section within the About me page. Check below for a detailed guide for both Windows 7 or 10 and Mac users

Find Graphics Card for Windows 7 or 10 Users

In this section I have provided 2 options for finding whether your Windows based computer or laptop has a graphics card. Use the option that is more comfortable for you.

Steps to find Windows graphics card:

Option 1

  1. Right-click the Taskbar on the bottom of your screen and click “Task Manager”
  2. Click “More details” on the bottom. (Note: Skip this step if it says “Fewer details” on the bottom)
  3. Click the “Performance” tab
  4. On the left pane you should see a section labeled “GPU 0”. Click it for further details on your GPU
  5. If you have more than 1 GPU you will see “GPU 1”, “GPU 2”, etc..

Option 2

  1. Go to step 2 if you have windows 10 otherwise, hit the window button on the bottom left of your screen or click the window icon on your keyboard
  2. Search for “dxdiag” at the bottom followed by hitting “Enter” on your keyboard
  3. You should see the DirectX Diagnostic Tool application. Click the “Display” tab
    • Note: Depending on the number of displays you have you may see a number next to the “Display tab.” For example, 2 displays will result in your “Display” tabs saying “Display 1”, “Display 2”
  4. Look in the “Device” section on this page to see detailed information about your graphics card.

Find Graphics Card for Mac Users

The steps check whether your Mac computer or laptop has a graphics card that is the same across the different machines. There are a couple of things to keep a note of for 15-inch MacBook models though.

Most 15-inch Macbook models have two GPUs called a discrete GPU and an integrated GPU. Discrete GPUs use a lot more energy but provide better graphics performance. Integrated GPUs are the opposite and have better battery life but less energy.

Steps to find Mac graphics card:

  1. Click the Apple logo on the top left of your screen and select About this Mac
  2. If you see a section labeled “Graphics” then your laptop or computer has a graphics card
  3. The first card listed is the dedicated graphics card. The second is the integrated graphics card.

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