Finding out what motherboard you have is pretty straightforward yet a bit more complex than listing your basic specs, such as your CPU, graphics card, or memory size. Instead of simply opening Task Manager or clicking on a few buttons, you need to restart your PC or type a few words in the Windows search bar or some apps.
Despite the extra work, the five methods for answering the “what motherboard do I have” question listed below are pretty simple to perform, and they won’t take much of your time. Just follow our step-by-step guide carefully, and you’ll know what motherboard hides in your case in no time.
If you want to find out the full specs of your PC, check our guide on how to check your computer specs. If you want to learn more about motherboards, read our ATX vs micro ATX vs Mini-ITX motherboard form factor guide. We also have an article that tries to answer the question of whether your motherboard matter for gaming or not.
1. Check your motherboard model in BIOS
The first method for finding out what motherboard you have in your PC is simply entering your motherboard’s BIOS. The best thing about this method is that it doesn’t require an OS or internet access. To see what motherboard you have to do the following:
- Restart or turn on your PC
- Once it restarts or turns on, either hit DEL (most frequently used) or F1, F2, F10, and F12 to enter BIOS
- Once you enter BIOS, the home page should list your motherboard along with your CPU and other specs
- On our motherboard BIOS, made by MSI, the board info is listed on the upper left side of the BIOS home screen
- Every motherboard manufacturer lists system specs, including the motherboard model, on the BIOS home screen
2. Check your motherboard in Windows by using System Information
The second method includes typing a couple of terms into the Windows search box and, potentially, performing a Google search of two. To find out what motherboard you have in the System Information app, perform these steps:
- Type “System Information” in the Windows search
- Open the System Information app
- Find out what motherboard you have by reading the motherboard model listed under “BaseBoard Product”
Now, in some cases, your motherboard’s full model name will be listed under the “BaseBoard Product” like it is on our screenshot. Other users might only get the code found in brackets – in our case, it reads MS-7C91. If that happens on your PC, just type the code in Google and hit enter, and the first result should list your motherboard.
3. Find out what motherboard you have in Windows PowerShell
This method includes typing a custom command in the Windows PowerShell app. To do this, follow these steps:
- Type PowerShell in Windows Search
- Click on the “Run as Administrator” button
- Once you open PowerShell, type wmic baseboard get product,Manufacturer and hit Enter
4. Read your motherboard model off your motherboard
Most modern motherboards have their model name printed either under the primary PCI-E slot or between the DIMM slots and the CPU socket. So, in theory, you can find out what motherboard you have simply by opening the side of your PC’s chassis and reading your motherboard model off your motherboard. The issue is that most users won’t be able to do that unless they remove their graphics card or their CPU cooler.
As you’ve probably guessed by now, in case your motherboard model is printed under the primary PCI-e slot, you won’t be able to read it if you have a dedicated graphics card. In other words, people owning gaming PCs won’t be able to read their motherboard model without removing their GPU.
But even if your motherboard model is printed between the CPU socket and RAM slots, you won’t be able to read it if you have an air CPU cooler since the heatsink covers that part of the motherboard PCB.
The only situation where you can read your motherboard model without the hassle is if it’s printed next to the CPU socket and you have an AIO CPU cooler or a custom liquid-cooling loop installed on your CPU.
Due to the slim chance of being able to access this information without removing pieces of hardware we advise everyone to use one of the other methods if they want to find out what motherboard they have.
5. Find out what motherboard you have in CPU-Z
Our last method is the most straightforward and also the fastest. On the flip side, you’ll need an Internet connection. First of all, click on this link and download CPU-Z. Next, install the app and open it. Finally, once the app loads, click on the “mainboard” tab and there you’ll find everything you need to know about your motherboard.