Graphics cards: how to check your model and update your drivers?


You should always make sure your PC is updated, especially when new zero-day security vulnerabilities are discovered and patches are released. Windows Update is, of course, your first line of defense.

But the graphics part of your computer often requires special attention. Whether it’s a tower PC with several components that you installed yourself or a laptop computer, your screen is equipped with a system and a graphics card.

This system, called a GPU, graphics card or graphics processing unit, is responsible for displaying images on the screen as quickly as possible.

Video game enthusiasts often spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on GPUs. Some PCs can even run two or three GPUs at the same time. For our purposes, we will focus on the GPU installed in your machine and how to update it, assuming there is only one GPU.

Another thing to note: Laptops sometimes come with gamer-grade graphics cards, but rather than being separate cards, they’re chipsets installed on the computer’s motherboard. Either way, they all cause the pixels on your screen to move.

With that, let’s dive into the heart of the matter.

What graphics card do I have? How to check your GPU and drivers?

Let’s start by looking at what graphics system you are using. It can be a separate card or your machine’s chipset. Either way, these steps work.

1. Open the Windows Start menu

Press the Windows Start button, this will bring up a search and select box.

Windows Start menu icon with a red arrow pointing at it

Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET.

2. Tap the Settings icon

You can also type Settings in the search bar at the top if you don’t see the Settings icon.

Red arrow pointing to settings icon

Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET.

3. Click on the view menu

You will then be presented with a large number of options to manage your different screens. From there, you can find out what graphics card you are using and update your drivers.

Red arrow pointing to Display button

Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET.

4. Choose Advanced View

Scroll the screen to the end and then press Advanced display. This will bring up even more options.

Red arrow pointing to Advanced Display

Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET.

5. Find the name of your graphics card

The name of your graphics card should be entered in the display options. Here you can see mine next to the words Connected to. On my laptop, I use the integrated Intel Iris graphics system.

Internal display information marked with red box and arrow

Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET.

Update graphics drivers

Now that you know what graphics system you are using, you can download and update your drivers. We will first see how to perform an automatic update. Not all graphics systems update this way, so we’ll show you how to download drivers for some of the biggest brands.

Let’s stay in the shutter Advanced display and let’s start.

1. Open display adapter properties

Click on the blue text link where is registered Display adapter properties for display 1) to open the first information panel.

Arrow pointing to display adapter properties for display 1

Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET.

2. Open driver properties

Then click the button Properties. Another window will then open, and you must click on the tab Drivers.

Red arrow pointing to Driver and Properties

Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET.

3. Try an automatic update

Click on the button Driver updatethen on Automatic driver search. This will allow Windows to see if it can find a new set of drivers.

Red arrow pointing to Search automatically for drivers

Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET.

4. Get Driver Status

In my case Windows thinks I have the latest drivers. If not, Windows would prompt me to install an updated set of drivers. But this is not the only way to install drivers. We will see below how to manually download the drivers from dedicated sites.

Driver status popup

Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET.

Manual driver download

One of the most effective ways to update your drivers is to go to manufacturers’ sites and download the appropriate drivers. I generally recommend going to your PC manufacturer’s site first before going to the graphics card manufacturer’s site. This is because the PC vendor’s drivers often take into account other hardware elements in your computer that the graphics card manufacturer may not be aware of. In my case, I have an Asus laptop.

1. Visit your provider’s site

Most PC vendors have a website, and most of those sites have a “Support” button which usually includes drivers and other downloadable items. Here is the Asus page:

ASUS site with an arrow pointing to drivers and manuals

Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET

2. Enter model information

Many sites require you to select a product category and then find your model. Just follow the instructions and give the site the requested information.

ASUS download page

Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET.

3. Visit graphics card vendor sites

You can also visit graphics card vendor sites. The top three are Nvidia, AMD, and Intel. Intel offers a wizard that checks your PC’s configuration and recommends the correct drivers.

Intel Driver and Support Assistant page

Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET.

Here is the page for Nvidia cards:

Nvidia driver downloads page

Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET.

And here is the page for AMD cards:

AMD drivers and support page

Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET.

4. Manually install the driver

Back in the pane Advanced displaychoose this time Finding drivers on my computer. Select the driver file you downloaded and let Windows do its thing.

Red arrow pointing to Browse my computer for drivers

Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET.

Source: ZDNet.com





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