Even if it doesn't directly affect a computer's performance, the motherboard is its most important part, the one that connects and holds all the other hardware pieces together. The motherboard has the electrical connections to supply energy, the housing or "socket" in which to place the CPU and the fan, the spaces to insert RAM memory, video card, network card and then the cables to connect the disks, the CD-ROM and USB sockets.
The motherboard, in practice, is the backbone of the computer, fundamental for its operation.
For this reason, especially on desktop PCs rather than laptops, it is important to know what the computer motherboard is, model and manufacturer.
Knowing which motherboard we have inside the PC is important if you want to change houses, if you need to update the audio or network drivers, if a Bios update is required and if you want to add or replace an internal hardware piece, such as the CPU fan or a network card or video card or RAM etc.
READ ALSO: How to choose Computer Motherboard and CPU
Finding out which motherboard we have in the PC on Windows is easy enough, although not as immediate as you might think.
The name of the motherboard, in fact, does not appear in any screen of the Control Panel, therefore it is necessary to launch a DOS command or use external programs.
In theory there would be an internal Windows tool that makes us find the name and manufacturer of the computer motherboard, that is, the System Information tool that identifies the hardware specifications of the PC.
Then open the Start menu and, in the search box, write Information to find and then launch System Information .
From the list of information that appears you can read, in a row in the center, the Manufacturer of the base card, that is the brand of our motherboard.
At the bottom there is also the row of the Base board model (essential to identify the motherboard), although in some cases it may not be available here.
If the model is not readable from System Information, then you can run a DOS command.
From the Start menu, search for cmd and then launch the command prompt.
At this point copy and paste the following command and execute it by pressing the Enter key on the keyboard:
wmic baseboard get product, Manufacturer
Below will appear two data that tell us which motherboard we have: Manufacturer, or the manufacturer, and Product that tells us the name to identify the motherboard and that we can use on Google to search for information or drivers or compatible parts or even to make comparisons .
Using external programs you can get more information about the motherboard and the whole hardware of the computer .
In particular, it is possible to find out how many memory banks it is possible to use on the motherboard, how many fans there are, the temperatures detected inside, the voltages and other information.
Among the best programs to know the computer hardware and the individual pieces of the PC we can mention two in particular that are very simple to use, clear and free:
- CPU-Z, specialized in providing information on the processor, with a card also dedicated to the motherboard which also tells us which version of the BIOS is installed on the firmware of the mainboard.
- Speccy, which in addition to model name and motherboard manufacturer is also able to tell us how many PCI-E slots are occupied and which are free.
In addition, Speccy also gives us information on the voltage, temperature, BIOS and CMOS battery.
Furthermore, in the RAM card, it is possible to know which memory slots are occupied, which ones are free and the type of RAM compatible with the motherboard.
Having to remember the motherboard model is such a rare occurrence that it is natural to forget about it over time.
It would not be strange to have bought a new PC without even knowing that Motherboard is in it since usually we talk more about the CPU or the video card.
Fortunately, when it comes to computers, there is always a way to find any information.
READ ALSO: How the motherboard works
