What Mac do I have?

11 May 2020, 13:29

Feature head image

Ever wanted to know what model Mac you have? The answer is simple – click the Apple menu at the top left of the screen, and then click About This Mac.

How to find out what Mac you have
You’ll be told which version of macOS you’re using, but in a list below you’ll find out all the pertinent details about your Mac – its model name, its processor, what RAM it has, and even its unique serial number.

You can click the Displays and Storage tabs to learn more about these aspects of your Mac too. Note that the Displays tab only shows the screen(s) and the graphics chipset in use at that moment. This is important for Macs that have discrete graphics chips (typically MacBook Pros with AMD-manufactured GPUs). If the GPU is not in use, and most of the time it isn’t, then under the Display tab you’ll only see the Intel Iris GPU listed. To see details about the discrete graphics, it needs to be activated. And to do this, ensure the Mac is connected to the power and then open the Photos app. This usually switches the Mac to using the discrete GPU. Then reopen the About This Mac window, as described earlier.

How to find out Mac you have: Getting the model number
To find out the model number/code, which can be useful when repairing your Mac and when you’re buying spare parts, click the System Report button in the About This Mac window. In the window that appears, ensure the top-left “Hardware” heading is selected, and in the right of the window look at the Model Identifier line. Remember that the model identifier can be used across several actually quite different models and updates, however, and probably isn’t unique to just your specification of Mac.

Leave a comment...

 
---