What Kind of Laptop Do I Have? (How to Check Model & Specs)

In this guide, we cover how you can check what kind of laptop you have and what hardware is inside of it.

There are several reasons why you might need to check your laptop’s model and specs. You might be comparing your old laptop to a new one you want to upgrade to. Or, you might be comparing your laptop’s specs to a video game’s requirements to see if you can run it. Whatever the reason, it’s relatively easy to find the model number and specs on a laptop.

In this guide, we go over some quick steps you can take to find your model number and specs.

Finding Your Laptop’s Model Number

The model number of your laptop can help you figure out your computer’s specs and help you find troubleshooting information.

Luckily, in most cases, the model number is easy to locate.

1. Flip your laptop upside-down. Somewhere on the bottom of your computer, you’ll see a logo and small text. More often than not, that’s where your laptop’s model will be located. Sometimes, the model and brand are listed together (such as “Acer Aspire 5517”), while others might have the brand and model number separately.

Not all laptops have this information on the bottom, however. Sometimes, you have to remove the bottom panel to check the laptop’s model number. In these cases, though, it is often easier to locate your model in your Control Panel.

1. Type “control panel” into the search bar at the bottom of your screen. Click the Control Panel app that appears in the search results.
2. Click “System and Security.” It should be the first option.
3. Click on the “System” link.
4. This will bring up information about your computer. Many computers will have the brand and model listed here.

Checking Your Laptop’s Specs

If you just need to know what CPU, GPU, or how much RAM your computer has, there are other ways to obtain these specs.

Finding Your CPU

Finding out what CPU you have is very straightforward in windows 10.

1. Right-click on the Windows button in the lower-left corner. A list of options will appear.
2. Click on “System.” It should be in the middle section.
3. You should now be on an “about” page. Roughly half-way down, you’ll find a section called “Device Specifications.” The CPU your laptop has will be listed next to the “processor” in this section.
4. You can also find out how much RAM you have in the “Device Specifications” page.

Checking Your Motherboard

You’ll rarely need to check to see what motherboard you have in a laptop. However, if you ever need to, for whatever reason, there are a couple of simple steps you can take.

1. Type “system information” into the search bar at the bottom of your screen.
2. An app called “system information” should appear in the search results. Click on it.
3. This will open up a massive list of information. However, towards the bottom, you’ll see a piece of information called “BaseBoard Manufacturer.” This is the brand of your motherboard. Directly below that, you’ll see “BaseBoard Model,” or “BaseBoard Product” which is your motherboard’s model number.
4. You can also use the System Information panel to find what CPU and GPU you have, as well as how much memory you have installed.

Checking Your GPU

When it comes to playing games, your GPU is essential. Whether you’re seeing if your laptop meets the requirements of a game, or your comparing it to another model, you’ll need to know what kind of GPU you have. Here is how to find it:

• Right-click on the Window’s icon in the bottom left corner. This will bring up a menu with a few different options.
• Click on “Device Manager.”
• Now, you’ll be at a list of drop-down menus. This app contains the names of every device on your computer, as well as those connected through USBs and Bluetooth.
• Near the top, you’ll see a menu called “Display Adaptors.” Click on it.
• Your GPU will be listed under this menu. Just note that there might be two options—one for your standalone GPU and one for the integrated graphics that come on your CPU. If there are two options, the important one to note is the standalone GPU.

Checking How Much RAM You Have

Many of the methods listed above will also lead you to finding out how much RAM you have in your laptop. However, you can also follow the instructions below for an additional method for checking your system’s RAM:

1. Right-click on the Window’s start button at the bottom of your computer screen.
2. Select the “system” option in the menu that appears.
3. You will now be on an “about” page. Scroll down slightly, and you’ll see a section titled “Device specifications.” The amount of RAM you have is under that. Typically, it is labeled as “installed RAM.”

Can You Upgrade Your Laptop?

After checking your laptop’s specifications, you might be interested in upgrading its components. However, unlike desktop PCs, you can’t upgrade the core components inside of a laptop easily.

In most cases, upgrading the RAM and storage in a laptop is pretty straightforward. And, with the rise of external GPUs, there is the potential to upgrade its graphics processing power.

However, if you have an older laptop that can’t run your favorite games, it will require more than just additional memory and an upgrade to an SSD. If that’s the case for you, you’d probably be better off upgrading to a new laptop. (Check out our guide on the best gaming laptops under $1,000.)