All computers are equipped with graphics hardware that can handle everything from high-quality displays on desktops to decoding videos and rendering PC games.

Modern PCs are equipped with graphics processing units (also known as GPUs), made by NVIDIA or AMD. However, it can be difficult to remember which model you have.

How to Check Your Computer’s GPU

According to HowtoGeek, RAM and CPU are important, but the GPU is crucial for playing PC games.

Some computers are equipped with low-power integrated or onboard graphics while others have more powerful dedicated or discrete graphic cards. This is how to find out what graphics hardware your computer has.

GroovyPost reports that Windows 10 PC allows you to check the GPU information and usage by clicking on Task Manager.

To open the task manager, right-click the taskbar at the bottom of your screen.

Windows 11 PC users can use Ctrl+Shift+Esc to right-click on the Start button and choose Task Manager. Select the Performance tab from the top of your window. Click More Details if you don’t see the tabs.

Next, choose GPU 0 from the sidebar. You can see the make and model of your GPU in the upper-right corner.

You will also find information such as the amount of dedicated RAM on your GPU in this window. Windows 10’s Task manager displays the GPU usage and allows you to see which applications are using it.

You will see GPU 1 if your system has multiple GPUs. Each one represents a different physical GPU.

This information is available in the DirectX Diagnostic Tool for older Windows versions, such as Windows 7. Click on Windows+R to open it. Type dxdiag in the Run dialog and hit Enter.

Click on the Display tab, and then search for the Name field under the Device section. There are also statistics such as the amount of video memory in your GPU.

If you have multiple GPUs, such as a laptop with an Intel GPU and a NVIDIA GPU, you can choose which GPU can be used while you play a game using Windows 10. These controls can be accessed via the Control Panel.

Monitor Your GPU Use

To monitor your GPU usage, you can open the Task Manager by right-clicking a blank space on the taskbar. According to PCGame Haven, click Task Manager or press CTRL+Shift+Esc.

If you prefer the more detailed view, click the More Details button at the bottom Task Manager window. Right-click on any column header in Task Manager’s view and enable the GPU option. This will create a GPU column which allows you to see the GPU resource usage for each of your applications.

To see which GPU engine your application is using, you can enable the GPU Engine option.