How to tell if a Mac has an Intel or PowerPC processor

The fastest way to find out which brand of CPU (central processing unit) your Mac uses is to check the "About This Mac" window. To proceed, follow the instructions below.

Viewing the About This Mac window

1. Locate the Finder icon in the Dock.
2. Click the Finder icon so the program is active.
3. From the Apple menu, choose About This Mac. You should see a window similar to the image on the right.
4. The processor your machine uses is listed next to the Processor. In the example, this Mac uses an Intel Core i5 processor running at 3.5 GHz.