How to Tell What Kind of Graphic Card a Computer Has

Your graphics card (also known as your video adapter or video card) is an important hardware component allowing you to view content on your computer. Some prominent developers include NVIDIA and ATI---with graphic cards that vary greatly in design, quality, speed and performance. Knowing the type of graphics card you are using ensures that you install programs and applications that are compatible and that will work efficiently.

Instructions

1. Click the Windows "Start" menu and click the "Control Panel" if you are using Windows 7 or Vista. Click "Appearance and Personalization" and click "Adjust screen resolution" to launch the "Display Settings" dialog box. If you are using Windows XP, launch the "Display Properties" dialog box by right-clicking your desktop and clicking "Properties."

2. Scroll down the "Display Settings/Properties" dialog box. You should see the video card you are using under "Monitor." For example, you may see NVIDIA GeForce or ATI Radeon.

3. Click the "Advanced" button if you want to view more information about your graphics card. Click the "Adapter" tab. You should see detailed information including the chip type and total graphics memory.

References

• N2e: How Do I Find Out What Kind of Video Card (GPU) My Computer Has