When looking for a new piece of tech for your computer and reading its compatibilities, you often question, “what motherboard do I have?” and does this upgrade is compatible with my motherboard or not. It is hard to remember what motherboard you have upgraded in the past, especially when you have done the upgrade for quite a long time.
Figuring out the current motherboard model and make is challenging. However, certain ways can help you find out the motherboard model of your computer. This article will help you identify the motherboard on your computer or laptop with multiple easy methods. Let’s get started without any delay.
What is Motherboard and What Does it Do?
The motherboard is the part of a computer that attaches the computer’s CPU, GPU, and RAM. It also has the slots to attach video cards and other vital components like a power supply. The motherboard allows the connection between the powerful components and helps maintain communication.
Understanding the motherboard is necessary before going into the methods on “how to check motherboard,” understanding the motherboard is necessary. It is a board with electric circuits for accommodating hardware, ports, connectors, and chips.
How to Find What Motherboard I Have?
Two ways can help you to find motherboard model using the purchase information.
1) Looking at the Purchase History
Tracking the motherboard information is easier when you record your motherboard purchase. Most vendors give a receipt of the purchase where the purchase and warranty of the product are given.
If you have the receipt from the vendor, you can easily identify the model of the motherboard as manufacturers like Dell and HP have unique IDs and product codes. If you have assembled the hardware yourself, you can identify the motherboard model using the order history provided in the receipt.
2) Documentation
Motherboard manufacturers provide documentation or technical notes and the purchase that has all the information related to the motherboard and its installation. You can use the information to identify the motherboard information. A Digital version of these documentations is also available on the manufacturer’s website.
How to Find Out What Motherboard You Have On Windows?
Windows have built-in tools that can help you to find the motherboard model of your computer. The methods can vary from Windows 7 and Windows 10 so, a slight change can happen. Here are the two most convenient methods to know the motherboard.
1) Check Your Motherboard with Command Prompt
Command prompt comes in handy to check the motherboard model on Windows. It can help you identify the serial number and model easily.
- Open the Command Prompt windows by using the Run shortcut. Press Windows + R key, and a popup window will open. Type CMD and press Enter.
- Alternatively, you can click on the Search bar in Windows 10. Type CMD and choose the best match that comes up in the results.
There is no need to run Command Prompt with administrative rights. After opening the windows, you can utilize the command below to identify your computer’s serial number and model. It utilizes Windows Management Interface Commands for this purpose.
- Copy following commands into the CMD window and press Enter.
- wmic baseboard get product, manufacturer, version, serial number
You don’t use any space between the product, manufacturer, version, and serial number as they only need a comma to separate.
2) Check Your Motherboard with Windows System Information
If you are not comfortable using the CMD method or, for some reason, it does not work for you; Windows System Information can help you. It is a great utility to check the motherboard model and provide additional information.
However, there is a downside to this method. It is a hit-and-miss method as it is compatible with certain models and does not work with all motherboard models.
The instructions for Windows 8/10 and Windows 7 vary for this method.
Instructions for What Motherboard do I have Windows 10
- In Windows 8 and 10, press the Windows + R key to open the Run box.
- Inside the box, type “msinfo32” and press Enter.
- It will display the System Information windows, which have many computer specifications written.
- You will need to look for a Baseboard or Motherboard. Once you find it, look for the model next to the name.
Instructions for Windows 7
- Windows 7 has a different approach for opening System Information.
- Click on the Start Menu and go to All Programs.
- Then go to Accessories>System Tools>System Information.
- Look for the Baseboard or Motherboard in the list and search for the model next to these strings.
What Motherboard Do I Have in Linux?
Linux is not much different when it comes to finding the motherboard. We have given the CMD method in the Windows section, and Linux works almost the same in a nutshell.
- Open the Terminal on your Linux using the usual combination of Ctrl + Alt + T.
- Once the Terminal opens, type the commands provided below.
- sudo dmidecode -t 2
After entering the command, you can see the model of your motherboard. Linux also lists the serial number and brand of the motherboard.
However, for virtual machine users, the information can be different. So, it needs you to use Linux to identify the motherboard using this method.
What Motherboard Do I Have in Mac?
Everything is complex when finding out the information related to hardware on the Mac. It is possibly due to the security concerns by Apple. Similarly, they are quite secretive when determining the motherboard serial number or model. It needs a Mac logic board and requires an iMac serial number.
Finding the iMac serial number is relatively easier, as you can find it in the “About this Mac” option. It is under the Apple icon menu on the top right corner of the MacBook screen. You can double-click the version to get the required serial number.
You can head to the Mac information website or utilize a search engine for the website and enter the serial number there. It will provide you the information about your motherboard’s serial number and model.
What Kind of Motherboard Do I Have By Using 3rd Party Programs?
Some free programs can help you identify the motherboard info and give more info about how to know your motherboard even better using the information.
1) How to Identify Motherboard With CPU-Z?
If the methods mentioned above do not work for figuring out the motherboard on your computer, you can get an overview using the CPU-Z program. It is free software that provides you with an extensive summary of all the hardware and component of your computer.
Downloading and installing the program is straightforward as you can utilize the CPU-Z website. After installing the software, open it to look at what resides underhood immediately.
There are different tabs inside the program. Select the motherboard tab to see the information like manufacturer, chipset, and motherboard model.
2) What Motherboard Do I Have on my PC with Speccy?
When playing around with different software for figuring out what motherboard am I using, I stumbled upon Speccy. It is a simple but features loaded application to display the extensive information of the computer hardware.
The information you can see using Speccy is complete, and it covers all hardware, including the motherboard.
- Download and install Speccy from its official website.
- After installation completion, open the software.
- Go to the motherboard column to see all the information related to this specific hardware.
- Similar to CPU-Z, Speccy also display all information related to the computer hardware and component present inside the computer.
3) What Motherboard Do I Have Installed With Belarc Advisor?
To answer all the questions related to “What motherboard do I have?” nothing beats Belarc Advisor. It is a freeware program that is ready to download from the official Belarc Advisor website. There are many benefits that this utility provides, including secured information.
Belarc does not share the hardware summary with the server, and you can export a local copy to your browser. To get started with the program, open it. Once you permit the program to run, it will scan the hardware.
After completing the scan, you can open the results in the browser. It has all the information about computer hardware, operating system, and connected devices. You can watch the motherboard summary from the Main Circuit Board option.
How to Figure Out Motherboard Type by Visual Observation?
If you don’t have access to software, or if this method is not possible on your computer because it won’t turn on, try physically checking to see what motherboard you have. With desktop setup, this is easier since most modern motherboards are on the surface for anyone to view and access.
Inspecting laptops may prove more difficult since components like batteries or hard drives may cover the motherboard itself. The exact position of the model name on your motherboard could differ from manufacturer to manufacturer and according to your specific brand.
Even within the same company and model, we found that depending on its layout and design, certain details like the placement of the model number alter slightly between motherboards. Usually, the motherboard model is printed on the surface with enough space to place the large text. It is between CPU and GPU, below the RAM slots, or under the GPU.
Searching around and looking for the text placement can easily help you identify the motherboard model. Usually, the model number is larger than other texts and easily visible on the board surface.
Whether you’re looking to upgrade PC parts like how much memory your motherboard can hold or trying to figure out how big a PCI-e it can support, you need to be aware that each motherboard can handle a specific type of hardware.
FINAL Thoughts
If you put the wrong kind in, then bad things will happen. Check out this guide to help determine what motherboard do you have and make the right choice. It concludes this article on what motherboard is in your PC.
We hope that we’ve helped you find the right information, even if it isn’t specifically referring to your motherboard. If you have any questions for us about computers, computer hardware, or scenarios where you can’t figure out what motherboard might be in your case, please feel free to reach out!
Visit the ‘System Information’ tab on your Windows 11 PC to find the motherboard information. You can open it by searching it in the Windows search bar or pressing Windows + R key and typing “msinfo32.” On this particular screen, you will find information about your motherboard. It will be under ‘Motherboard Manufacturer’ or ‘BaseBoard Manufacturer.’
On Windows 7, press Windows Key + R Key to open the Run dialogue. Type CMD inside the box and press Enter to open the command prompt. Now type “wmic baseboard get product, manufacturer, version, serial number” it will display the motherboard serial number and model number.
There is three popular software for getting information about the motherboard specifications. CPU-Z and Belarc Advisor are free, and they show all the information without charging any fees. However, Speccy is premium software that needs purchase to display the motherboard and other hardware information.