How to Determine a Motherboard Type

You have decided to upgrade your memory or CPU on your computer, but you need to know what kind of motherboard you have. This is vital information to have, because you need to know what the specifications are before you can buy the new hardware. Fear not, there are a couple of ways to determine what kind of motherboard is in your computer system.

Instructions

1. Open the computer and check the motherboard itself. A lot of motherboards have the manufacturer and the model silk-screened onto the board. Other manufacturers may put it on the CPU slot.

2. Write down the FCC ID number. All computer equipment is supposed to have this number, but again, that may not be true.

3. Check online at the FCC ID Search page (see Resources) once you have the number. It will ask for the Grantee code (the first three numbers of the FCC ID) and the Product code (the remaining characters of the FCCID).

4. Check the BIOS for the information you are looking for. You do not need to enter the BIOS to do this. When your computer boots up, it will display the motherboard information on the initial screen. The problem is that it only appears for about a second and then it is gone.

5. Shut off your computer to check the BIOS. Unplug the keyboard. Restart the computer. This will cause an error on your computer, and the computer will stop at the BIOS's initial screen on bootup. Write down the numbers and go online to Wim's BIOS (see Resources) to find the motherboard type.

Resources

• FCC ID Search website
• Wim's BIOS: Look up motherboard type