How to find out what motherboard i have in Windows

Press Windows key+R, type msinfo32, and press Enter. In System Information, look for BaseBoard Manufacturer, BaseBoard Product, and BaseBoard Version. Those three fields usually identify the motherboard without opening the case.

A typical result gives you a manufacturer such as ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI, or ASRock, followed by a product code. Search the manufacturer's support site for that exact code before buying memory, a processor, or a BIOS update. Revision numbers matter on some boards. Two boards with similar retail names can use different firmware or support different processors.

Prebuilt computers are less tidy. Dell, HP, Lenovo, Acer, and other system vendors sometimes use internal board names that don't correspond to a retail product. In that case, note System Manufacturer and System Model near the top of the System Information window. Use the complete PC model or service identifier on the computer manufacturer's support site.

Open Windows Terminal or PowerShell. Run `Get-CimInstance Win32_BaseBoard | Format-List Manufacturer,Product,Version,SerialNumber`. Administrator rights normally aren't required.

The Manufacturer and Product fields are the useful parts. Version can identify a board revision. SerialNumber may be blank, generic, or assigned by the PC builder. Don't treat it as the model number.

Older instructions often use `wmic baseboard get product,manufacturer,version,serialnumber`. WMIC has been deprecated and may be missing from current Windows installations. The PowerShell CIM command reads the same class and is the better choice.

Firmware data isn't always accurate. A custom-built desktop usually reports the retail board correctly. Cheap prebuilt systems and replacement boards may return entries such as Default string, To be filled by O.E.M., or a vendor's internal code. If that happens, inspect the board itself.

Shut down the PC. Switch off the power supply, unplug the power cable, and hold the case power button for several seconds. Remove the side panel. Don't work inside a powered system.

The model is commonly printed between the PCIe slots, beside the memory slots, or near the CPU socket. It may be partly hidden by a graphics card. Look for a large identifier such as B650M DS3H or PRIME Z790-P rather than small component labels. The revision may appear separately as REV: 1.0 or similar.

A laptop motherboard is harder to identify this way. The retail laptop model and its machine type are usually more useful than the board's manufacturing code. Check the label on the underside, the BIOS information page, or the vendor's support application.

Once you have the name, find the board manual and support page. The manual lists memory slot limits, expansion slots, internal USB headers, storage connectors, and front-panel wiring. This [reference on finding motherboard documentation](https://www.wikihow.com/Find-Documentation-for-Your-Motherboard-Online) covers additional ways to match a board name with its documentation.

Restart the computer and enter its BIOS or UEFI setup. The required key is often Delete or F2, but the boot screen or PC manual provides the correct one. Look on the Main, Information, System Information, or Board Explorer page.

The firmware screen may show the board model, BIOS version, and BIOS build date. Record all three. The BIOS version is useful when checking processor support because a board can physically accept a CPU but still require newer firmware before it will boot.

Don't install firmware based on a near match. Similar board names can refer to different chipsets, Wi-Fi variants, form factors, or hardware revisions. Confirm the complete model and revision first. Use the support process supplied by the motherboard or PC manufacturer. Avoid firmware files from driver aggregation sites.

A motherboard name is only the starting point. Check its CPU socket, chipset, supported processor list, memory generation, maximum memory capacity, storage interfaces, PCIe slot layout, and case form factor.

For memory, confirm DDR generation, module type, supported capacity, and the number of slots. Desktop DIMMs and laptop SO-DIMMs aren't interchangeable. DDR4 and DDR5 use different electrical designs and keyed slots.

For storage, distinguish SATA ports from M.2 sockets. An M.2 socket may support NVMe PCIe drives, SATA drives, or both. The manual also explains whether installing an M.2 drive disables a SATA port or changes PCIe lane allocation.

For USB expansion, count rear-panel ports and internal headers separately. A case's front USB ports connect to motherboard headers. One header can serve more than one external port, depending on the USB generation and cable assembly.