How to Tell What Kind of Motherboard Is in a Laptop

There are numerous occasions on which you might need to know what make and model of motherboard you have. However, on a laptop you don't have the option of easily opening the computer up and looking at the information printed on the motherboard itself. You can look at the manual that came with the laptop, but if you don't have the manual, you can use a number of free software programs to collect and display this information. We will use a program called CPU-Z, but there are other options.

Things You'll Need

• Laptop computer with Internet connection

Instructions

1. Navigate to the website of CPU ID, where you will find technical resources pertaining to x86 CPU architecture and related core hardware.

2. Click on the "CPU-Z" link in the Software section.

3. Download and install the most recent version of CPU-Z. During installation, you will be asked if you want to install additional software such as the Ask toolbar. This is not necessary and you can decline.

4. Open CPU-Z and switch to the "Mainboard" tab. There you will see the identifying information for your motherboard.

5. Export the information, if desired, under the "About" tab. You can save the report in text or HTML format.

Tips & Warnings

• If your laptop is not operational and you don't have the manual, you will have to take it to a computer technician to determine the motherboard's identifying information.

References

• CPU-Z: Motherboard ID Utility
• How to determine the type of motherboard in the computer

Resources

• List of Motherboard ID Utilities
• Motherboards.org Identification Tools