How to find out if the video card is working on a laptop

1. Option 1: Visual check
2. Method 2: Check the performance in specialized software
3. Method 3: In-depth Testing
4. Method 4: Check with standard Windows tools
5. Internet check

A video card is one of the most important components of a computer, which determines its performance in games and professional programs that are somehow related to graphics processing. Even for the correct display of video on the sites need at least some more or less modern graphics card.

The need to check the performance of the video card arises in cases where the quality of the adapter gets under question or on the condition that you have previously replaced it. Validation is required not only to detect any defects, but to evaluate performance opportunities.

The verification process itself can be divided conditionally into several types:

• Visual inspection;
• Checking the characteristics of the video card in special programs and / or tools;
• Conducting a stress test in special programs;
• Verifying performance using standard Windows tools.

Software testing implies inspecting current performance and conducting stress tests, during which the performance of a video card under different load conditions will be measured. By analyzing the data obtained, you can determine how well the video card works.

Testing is recommended only when you have any grounds for this. For example, before installing some kind of hard game / program that requires resources of the computer's graphics core. Too often, running a stress test on a video card is not recommended, as this may adversely affect its performance in the future.

Option 1: Visual check

If you recently began to notice a significant drop in the performance of a video card and the fact that it has often become very hot, it is recommended that you first conduct a visual inspection for damage or contamination. It is recommended to resort to visual examination in the following cases:

• In computer games and specialized graphics programs, bugs began to appear and / or they stopped running at all. Also, they could just seriously drop performance. This rule is applicable in cases where previously this or that program / game was launched and worked without any complaints;
• When watching a video in a player on a computer or in a browser, it starts to slow down or other problems appear with its playback;
• There are frequent errors. Sometimes or often you can watch the “Blue Screen of Death” ;
• Various artifacts appear on the screen. For example, color bars, pixels, dark or very bright areas;
• The quality of graphics drops noticeably and the computer takes a long time to process even simple operations;
• Nothing is displayed on the screen or porridge of multi-colored pixels is displayed.

These problems are not always associated with the video adapter. Often they can go along with it, for example, if the connectors, the screen itself, outdated drivers, etc., malfunction. In any case, it is recommended to check the video card for external damage.

In the case of a laptop, this will require parsing the case, which can be produced according to the following instructions:

1. Unplug the laptop from power. Optionally remove the battery from its case.
2. Remove the back cover. In most cases, the design allows you to remove it by unscrewing the bolts and / or removing the latches. However, there are those models where it will not be possible to remove the cover without the intervention of specialists. Fortunately, such models are very rare.
3. Examine the “insides” of the laptop for any physical defects, such as scratches, blisters, etc. Video chips in laptops can have a different appearance, but most often it can be identified by the manufacturer's label, for example, AMD or NVIDIA.
4. If during the inspection a lot of dust and debris were found inside the case, it is recommended to clean it. Perhaps it was because of the dust that all the problems were.

Method 2: Check the performance in specialized software

With the help of specialized programs, you can view the characteristics of a video card, as well as perform primitive tests for its performance. Consider the interaction with the video card on the example of the program AIDA64. It has a relatively clear interface with support for the Russian language.

See also:
How to overclock an AMD Radeon graphics card (AMD Radeon)
How to check the video card on the computer for performance?
How to determine which graphics card is on the computer
How to overclock NVIDIA graphics card (Nvidia) GeForce

First you need to know the characteristics of the video card:

1. Run the program and open the branch "Display" , which is located in the left part of the window.
2. There, open the item "GPU" .
3. In the main part of the window will be presented basic information regarding your video card.

As an example, you can run a small test of the performance and performance of a video card, which is called “GPGU Test” :

1. In the upper part of the program window, expand the context menu of the “Service” item.
2. There select the option "Test GPGPU" .



3. A test window will start. If you have several video cards integrated into a laptop, then you need to tick the one that you are going to test at the moment. The list of video cards is located at the top of the window.
4. After you have selected the desired video card, you need to click on the "Start Benchmark" button. The test will run.



5. Testing will be carried out on 12 different parameters, which will take some time. The time it takes to perform the procedure will vary depending on the characteristics of your computer.
6. When the test is over, click on the “Results” button to upload them to a separate file. It is possible that the parameters by which the check is carried out do not tell you much about what, but they can be useful for service center employees and other specialists if you visit them.

Method 3: In-depth Testing

If at the previous stages there were no problems in working with a video card, then you can perform in-depth testing. It is done more so that you can correctly calculate the potential of your video card when using heavy programs and / or during its overclocking.
To conduct stress tests, you need to use specialized software, for example, the FurMark program:

1. Open the program. In its interface you can see the current temperature of your video card and a brief summary of the characteristics.
2. Below you can set the settings for which testing will be conducted. For example, there you can set the screen resolution manually or select a ready-made version from the presented presets.
3. After making the necessary settings or leaving them by default, click on the “GPU stress test” button.



4. A window will appear with a warning that the video adapter will be given a large load that will cause it to overheat. Click on "GO!" To start testing.



5. The testing process may not appear immediately, so wait for it to appear for a few seconds. After it appears, you should see on the screen the texture of the ring, consisting of a large number of detailed hairs.
6. The essence of this test is that this ring will start moving, during which the hairs will change their position, thereby creating a load on the video card and computer processor. During the test, you can monitor the temperature of the video card and some other parameters at the bottom of the window. If the temperature exceeds 80 degrees and continues to rise, the test will need to be completed by pressing the ESC key.

The quality of the animation of the ring needs to be judged on the quality of the video card itself. If it moves in jerks, certain parts of it are not worked through, then most likely there are some problems in the operation of the video card. The normal duration of the test without overheating and serious hangs varies from 10 to 20 minutes.

Method 4: Check with standard Windows tools

If you find any obvious problems during the stress test or a simple test described in method 2, it is recommended to view the status of the video card using the standard Windows utility:

1. Call the line "Run", using the key combination Win + R. There enter the command: dxdiag

   To apply it, press Enter or “OK” .



2. The diagnostic tool from DirectX will open, where you need to open the "Screen" tab.
3. Pay attention to the window with the caption "Notes" . If any problems were found, a corresponding message will be displayed there.

Internet check

On some sites, including the official resources of the manufacturers of video cards, you can find an offer to check your device online. Unfortunately, we shouldn’t expect adequate verification, because at best, you will be asked for the current model of the video card and compare it with the ability to run and the correct operation of some games. However, the video card is not only used in games, plus the fact that you know whether Fifa can go or not will not help in detecting problems with the device.

Based on this, it is best to use proven utilities for troubleshooting and testing video cards. Online services are not able to offer an adequate solution.