How do I find what computer motherboard I have?

Question

How do I find what computer motherboard I have?

Answer

If you need to identify your motherboard (the model number), you can do one of the below three things.

Identifying through Windows or other utility
Documentation
Visually identifying

If you're trying to identify the motherboard for any of the below reasons, view these links for additional related information.

Motherboard form factor
Chipset or driver update
Product Listing or specifications
Replacement or repair

Identifying through Windows or other utility

First option is to view the manufacturer and model number in your Windows system, using the System Information utility. To access this utility, follow the below steps.

  1. Click Start
  2. Open All Programs, Accessories, System Tools and click System Information.

This utility provides a good bit of information about your computer. On the System Summary screen, you will find the motherboard manufacturer (System Manufacturer) and motherboard model (System Model). For example, for a computer with a MSI motherboard, the manufacturer would be MICRO-STAR INTERNATIONAL and a System Model of MS-7599. The Model is the model number of the motherboard.

Note: If your computer is an OEM computer, such as a Dell or Hewlett Packard, the model number may be the model number of your computer and not motherboard. For these computers, we suggest referring to the technical documentation for the model of the computer. These documents can be downloaded directly from the computer manufacturer.

Documentation

The documentation or technical notes for your computer or motherboard will also include the motherboard information. PDF versions of these documents can be downloaded from the computer manufacturer or motherboard manufacturer web site.

Visually identifying

Finally, every computer motherboard will also have a silk screened name of the model and the manufacturer printed on the motherboard. For example, in the below picture, this motherboard has the model name printed above the memory slots. Click the below image to get a larger view of this picture.

Computer motherboard

Tip: If you are unable to locate a manufacturer or model number of the motherboard, but are able to locate a FCC identification number, it is recommended that you perform a FCC search using that number. Additional information about FCC numbers and how to search for information about a FCC number can be found on our FCC dictionary definition page.

Motherboard form factor

If you are looking for additional information about the type or form factor of the motherboard, see the form factor definition for additional information about each of the motherboard form factors and information on how to distinguish the form factor.

Chipset or driver update

When trying to determine chipset or motherboard information to update the computer motherboard drivers or BIOS. See the motherboard driver section for additional information on BIOS updates, chipset updates, and other software updates.

Product listing or specifications

If you are trying to list all the specific information about your computer motherboard, specifying the manufacturer, form factor, and specifications of the motherboard is sufficient. Below is an example of how a motherboard could be listed in your system specifications. If you're listing this information to sell the computer, keep in mind that most people are not going to be too concerned about the motherboard.

Intel D815EGEW ATX using a 1.1GHz processor and 512MB of memory

Replacement or repair

If you are trying to determine the motherboard because it needs to be replaced or repaired, it is recommended that the motherboard be replaced. Because of the complexity of today's motherboards, it can be very difficult and costly to repair a motherboard and it will likely be easier and cheaper to replace the motherboard.

Additional information