We think that almost every beginner gamer in life had a need to define a video card in his computer. After all, the requirements of modern games are such that they are more reminiscent of the ultimatum of kidnappers, and you need to find out the type of this board before buying a game! It’s unpleasant to learn about the need to update the iron after the acquisition of the last gaming masterpiece ...
So how to determine the characteristics of your equipment? Actually, it’s not difficult at all. We click on the "Start" button, we find there the tab "Control Panel", in which we need to find the "Device Manager". Found? The long list of devices should contain the line “Video adapters”. We need it! We click on it with the left mouse button and in the drop-down list we see the name of our video adapter (or two, if the motherboard has an integrated video core).
Almost all modern video cards immediately after installation are determined by the operating system and are reflected in this list. If your model is not in the list, and instead an exclamation point or a question mark is displayed , or something like “unknown device” is written, then you have to go another way.
How to determine the video card in this case? First of all, you should put the drivers necessary for your hardware. As a rule, the necessary software is delivered on disk along with the board itself. If there is no such disk, it is better to immediately contact the store where you bought the equipment. Most likely, they will be able to help you there, providing you with everything you need.
In the case when you do not even know the manufacturer, you need to use utilities for diagnostics. Consider an example of using the Everest application. We install it (it is very simple), start it and immediately look for the line “Windows devices” in the lower left window. If you find it, click on it with the left mouse button and pay attention to the right window: there should be a line “video adapters”. We click on it, and the program determines the type of your device. This is especially useful if you have an old agp video card that the system is unable to detect.
Finally, if it is not possible to find a utility for diagnostics, you will have to disassemble the computer. Do not worry: you will not have to disassemble it to the last screw. It is enough to just remove the side cover and disconnect the video card. As a rule, the manufacturer’s logo is depicted in large letters on it, by which it will be very easy to determine the video card.
If it is so old that there is no marking on it, the specialists of the service center will have to carry it. Perhaps a miracle happened, and you still have documents on your once purchased computer? In this case, the required data should be there.
Note! When using the operating system without the latest updates and diagnostic utilities of the old versions, you are unlikely to be able to determine the correct graphics card. The fact is that new models in the list of supported versions simply cannot physically exist, and therefore it is stupid to hope for their recognition by the system.