Identify a Laptop Motherboard
A motherboard is the primary circuit board in a computer that contains ports for other devices such as the hard drive, random access memory and expansion cards. The motherboard largely determines what types of hardware are compatible with a system. For instance, motherboards are built to be compatible with specific types of RAM, and, if the wrong RAM is used, it can cause the system to fail. Laptop computers are often more difficult to open than desktops, making it impractical to physically inspect the motherboard, but there are free software programs that can identify a laptop's motherboard.
Instructions
Check Laptop Motherboard With CPU-Z
1. Go to the "CPU-Z Freeware Download" site (see Resources) and click the first link under "Download Latest Release."
2. Choose to save the file to your hard drive and run the installer when the download is complete. Follow the instructions of the installer to complete installation (click "Next" and agree to the license agreement as necessary).
3. Click "Start," "All Programs," "CUPID," then "CPU-Z." The CPU-Z diagnostic window will appear.
4. Click the "Mainboard" tab. Motherboard information will appear.
Check Laptop Motherboard With Speccy
5. Go to the "Speccy Download" site (see Resources) and click "Download
Latest Version."
6. Choose to save the setup .exe file to your hard drive and then run the setup file.
7. Follow the setup wizard's instructions to complete installation and chose to run Speccy when installation is complete. The Speccy diagnostic window will open when you finish the installation process. Note the information listed under the "Motherboard" field.
8. Click the "Motherboard" heading on the left-hand side of the Speccy Window to view more detailed motherboard information.
Check Motherboard Using Belarc Advisor
9. Go to the "Belarc Advisor Download" site (see Resources).
10. Click "Download Belarc Advisor," save the file to your desktop and run the file when the download is complete.
11. Click "I Agree," "Install," then "Continue" or "OK" to complete installation. The Belarc Advisor will run. It may take a minute or two to gather system information. A window will appear in your Web browser displaying detailed system information.
12. Note the information listed under "Main Circuit Board." Your motherboard model, manufacturer, speed and BIOS version will be listed.
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