Finding your computer specifications usually is an effortless task, but some components are harder to find than others. You can do simple checks, which will show you the sort of hardware you’re running on. For more details, though, you need to dive deeper into your computer. If you’re looking for what motherboard you have but can’t seem to find it, don’t worry, there are multiple ways to do so, and all of them are easy:
- Method 1: System Information
- Method 2: Command Prompt
- Method 3: Third-Party Software
- Method 4: Open your PC
This is our favorite and easiest way to find out what motherboard you have:
Open your Windows Search Bar and type in “system information.” This will open a summary of the specifications of your PC, including your motherboard’s manufacturer, size, and model number.
With each method, I will explain step by step how to acquire the motherboard manufacturer and the model number. Each one only takes a few moments.
Method 1: System Information
This is the most basic method, as it’s the integrated windows system information, and it provides a vast amount of details and specifications from your gaming PC. It also includes a system summary where you can easily find the manufacturer and model from your motherboard.
Go to your Windows search bar, and look for “System Information”.
Once this opens, you will see a lot of information. Since what you are looking for is what motherboard you have, look for the item with the “BaseBoard” name on it in the system summary.
Here you will find the manufacturer, the product model, and its current drivers version.
Method 2: Command Prompt
Another method is to use a Windows command prompt. If you are not familiar with this, it may look like something you don’t really want to touch. Rest assured that it’s perfectly normal and safe to use this command. First, you will need to open the Command Prompt. You can do this by searching on the Windows search bar for the word “cmd” or “Command Prompt” and proceed to open it.
Now that the console is open, you must type in the following command:
wmic baseboard get product,Manufacturer
Now the console will print back your Motherboard manufacturer and the product model:
This is a very straightforward way to acquire your basic specifications. You can also see the serial number and the drivers it has installed. All you have to do is add “,version,serialnumber” at the end of the previous command. See the following for an example:
wmic baseboard get product,manufacturer,version,serialnumber
Method 3: Third-Party Software
CPU-Z
You can download third party software for free to see your motherboard information. I highly recommend using CPU-Z, because it will give you the motherboard manufacturer and model as in the previous methods, but it can also show you information about the rest of your system. On this software, you can find CPU, GPU, Motherboard, and RAM specifications.
As you are looking for your motherboard, just choose the “Mainboard” section:
Belarc Advisor
Belarc Advisor is another third-party program that will allow you to check what hardware you have installed on your PC. It’s free and has the added benefit of privacy. The software doesn’t send your personal information anywhere, so you know that all of your data is safe.
Once you’ve downloaded the software, all you need to do is grant it permission and run a scan. You can skip through the steps you don’t want to bother with and get right to the details about your motherboard.
When the scan is complete, you’ll be presented with a local browser tab. This is viewed by you, and only you. It will also disappear once you’re done with it. To check what motherboard you have with Belarc Advisor, you’ll need to navigate to the Main Circuit Board section. This is where the information you’re looking for will be displayed.
All of the above methods relate to Windows PCs. However, we understand that not everyone has a Windows machine. Many of you out there run Linux machines, and even Macs. The following methods are ways to check your motherboard on devices running Linux and iOS.
Method 4: Open your PC
The last method I’m going to explain is the least practical one. This basically consists of opening your PC case side panel and looking for your motherboard’s printed model number. Every board has its model number on it, the position may vary by manufacturer, but it’s always easy to spot. Here’s an example of what you are looking for:
In this example “ASUS” is the manufacturer, and the model is “Prime A520M-K”
Other common manufacturers include:
- ASRock
- Biostar
- EVGA
- Gigabyte
- MSI
- Intel
How to Check Which Motherboard You Have on Linux
With Linux, the process of finding what motherboard you have is still extremely simple. The first thing you need to do is open your terminal. You can do this by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T. Now, you need to type in the following code:
sudo dmidecode -t 2
This produces a summary of the details of your motherboard. You can see the serial number, brand, and model. It might seem too easy, but that’s because it is. This is part of why so many people are attracted to using Linux in the first place.
How to Check Which Motherboard You Have on a Mac
Checking what motherboard you have on a Mac, regardless of whether it’s a Macbook Pro or an iMac, isn’t as easy as it is with Linux. But it’s still quite easy.
Finding your Mac Serial Number:
The first thing you’ll need to do is find out the serial number of your specific Mac. Each motherboard is tied to a serial number, and there are multiple serial numbers per year with the Macs that Apple manufacture.
- You can check your serial number by clicking on the Apple symbol in the screen’s top left-hand corner. This will open a menu in which you need to select the first option called “About This Mac.“
- Now a new window will open. This is where you can check certain hardware specifications for your device. Unfortunately, the motherboard details aren’t included here. Your serial number is the last item on the first page. In this example, we’ll use mine, which is: DGKXWHKDJ1GC.
The next step is to locate a website with all Mac serial numbers and their associated motherboards. There are several out there. I’d recommend using Mac Upgrades because they’re the most reliable at the time of writing. Type in your serial number and confirm.
Now you will see a detailed screen with all sorts of information about your Mac. This should have all the information that you need on it.
Why do I Need to Know What Motherboard I Have?
If you’re reading this and you’re not 100% sure why you need to know what type of motherboard your computer has, don’t skip this section.
If processors are the hearts of computers, then motherboards are the skeleton. They help hold everything together in a way that not only works but works well for the processor. Without the right motherboard, it doesn’t matter how powerful your processor is. It just won’t be at its best.
If you’re even remotely considering building a PC or customizing your own, then the motherboard is the most basic part that you’ll need to know the details of. Once you know what motherboard you have, you can pick and choose other hardware that works with that motherboard. Some hardware will be compatible with the motherboard you have or have chosen, and some won’t be. Paying attention to these details is the difference between building a great PC and wasting a lot of money.
A great place to start with building a PC, if you’re considering it, is checking what hardware your currency PC runs. By checking the motherboard with these methods, you can see what to aim for or avoid in your PC build. If you like the way your PC runs, and want to use similar components, then you’ll need a similar motherboard. If you want something totally different, then you can freely choose any motherboard that works with the other hardware you’ve chosen.
When buying a motherboard, or other computer components, you should check the compatibility of each before paying for them. This is extremely important and something that you shouldn’t skip over if you want to get everything right the first time around.
FAQ
Once you’ve discovered what type of motherboard you have in your computer, you can find out what the size of it is. In almost all cases, the easiest way to do this is to search the motherboard type and serial number online. This should bring up all the specifications for it, including its physical size.
While you can search online to try to find out which CPU is compatible with your motherboard, there’s a more accurate way to get the correct answer. Once you know what motherboard you have in your computer, you can find the manufacturer’s website. There you should be able to find a list of compatible CPUs for your motherboard. I wouldn’t trust any other source other than the motherboard’s manufacturer.
The manufacturer is the company who made the motherboard. For example, Acer and HP are common manufacturer names.
There are three main sizes of motherboards on the market. From largest to smallest these are:
– ATX
– Micro-ATX
– Mini-ATX
While other sizes do exist, these are the most common ones that you’ll come across when researching parts or motherboards. Any motherboard in one of these sizes will comfortably fit most components.
Conclusion
Finding what motherboard you have is a very easy task. Go ahead and choose the one you find most convenient for you or the one you find the easiest. You could also try all five if you want to be thorough.
Knowing your exact model can be helpful if you are planning on upgrading your PC. The motherboard is essential to every setup, as it’s where all your components are attached, and you must make sure they are all compatible. The main two compatibilities issues you can find with your motherboard when you want to upgrade your PC are the CPU socket and the RAM module, which the last version, at the time of writing, is DDR4.
Let us know in the comments if there are any methods that you use which are different to the ones we’ve suggested.
