Two modern graphics cards are always installed on modern laptops - one is built-in, and the other is called discrete. Its parameters far exceed the characteristics of the integrated GPU, although you can completely do without it in case of a breakdown, but how to find out its characteristics? Next, options will be considered how to check the video card on a laptop.
If you find any malfunction in the graphic plan, you should immediately turn over the laptop to a computer service, where a specialist can determine the nature of the breakdown and fix it.
Trouble detection
Before you check the video card on a laptop, you need to identify external problems. Since the graphics adapter transfers the image to the monitor, external damage can be detected on the screen. It will have stripes or squares called artifacts. Their presence indicates damage to the graphics chip of the video card.
Sometimes you may notice a flickering screen during the launch of time-consuming applications or computer games. This may mean that the video card can not cope with the load and requires immediate diagnosis in the workshop.
If the question arises of how to check the video card on a laptop, it means that eight short signals were heard when the laptop was started: this is how the BIOS responds to the inoperability of the graphics adapter.
Device identification
Before proceeding with the repair, you need to check which video card works on the laptop. To do this, on the desktop or in the Start menu, you should find the shortcut "My Computer". You need to right-click on it and select the "Device Manager" option.
After that, you need to find the tab "Video Adapters" and click on it. The graphic adapter that is installed on the laptop appears. It will only be visible if drivers are installed.
Detailed information about the video card will give the utility DxDiag. There are two ways to find it:
- Go to the "Start" menu and enter the name of the program in the search bar.
- Activate the key combination Win + R, and repeat the first paragraph.
This will open a window with all the information regarding DirectX software. You need to select the "Screen" tab, and there all information about the graphic chip will be displayed. This is the easiest way to test the graphics card on a laptop.
Another option is to use the GPU-Z program, which shows all the characteristics of a video card.
AIDA64 can also help identify the graphics adapter. She, like the device manager, is able to display temperature indicators, parameters and the general condition of all equipment that is connected to the motherboard.
FurMark Program
To use this utility, you must download and install it. During installation, you must confirm the user agreement and complete the process. After the program window opens, you need to select "Settings" and disable the integrated video card in them, that is, the program will not test it.
To start the test, click the Burn-in Test button. Before starting, the program will warn that during testing the video card will undergo strong heating. This is the most popular way to test a video card on a laptop.
When the test begins, a round “donut” appears on the screen, which resembles the iris of the eye. In this case, the video card will become very hot, therefore it is not recommended to check it for more than twenty minutes. The average temperature of the graphics chip in the program is from 75 to 95 degrees Celsius.
With the video card working properly, the program will even out the temperature parameters in two to three minutes. If the graphics adapter is faulty, the temperature will continue to rise. This test does not compare even with the most powerful game. This is one of the most reliable ways to test the performance of a video card on a laptop.
ATI Tool Utility
Check if the video card works on the laptop, the ATI Tool utility will help. This program can test video cards from any manufacturers. When the utility starts, a window opens in which there are a lot of sliders that display the parameters of the video card.
You need to select a button called Show 3D. After that, a window with a fleecy cube will appear. The temperature, which is considered optimal during the test in this program, is 85 degrees Celsius.
In the event of a malfunction, the temperature will continue to rise, and many yellow dots will appear on the cube. The test time should not exceed ten minutes.
OSST program
Another free assistant in testing a video card is OSST. Unlike most programs, it does not require installation on a computer: you only need to unpack it from the archive and use it.
After its launch, you can select the test parameters, which include the test time. To start the test, you need to press the green button. A red iridescent circle appears on the screen.
The presence of artifacts during testing, an increase in the standard temperature or its instability will help detect problems with the video adapter.