How can I tell which graphics card is on my Mac?

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Level 1

5 points

How can I tell which graphics card is on my Mac?

I recently purchased a 15" MacBook Pro Retina with a 2.6 GHz Intel i7 Processor (late 2013), and as far as I know, this model is supposed to come with a discrete NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M graphics chip with Intel Iris Graphics Pro. However, when I viewed the Displays section under About This Mac, it only listed the Intel Iris graphics chip, and the Activity Monitor indicates that my graphics are "Integrated." To my understanding, it seems as though my Mac only has the Intel Iris graphics, when it was supposed to have the NVIDIA chip set. Am I missing something?

MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013), OS X Mavericks (10.9.1), 2.6 GHz Intel i7, 512 GB SSD

Posted on Dec 26, 2013 12:28 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

mende1

Level 10

93,624 points

Dec 26, 2013 12:31 PM in response to icdude

If you see your Intel Iris Pro GPU listed in About this Mac, it is caused because this is the GPU that is being used in your Mac. It does not mean that your Mac has not got the NVIDIA GPU, when it has got one.

A different way of checking which GPUs your Mac has got is by opening System Information (in /Applications/Utilities) and choosing Graphics in the sidebar. You should see both GPUs listed.

Your Mac switches between both GPUs automatically depending on your needs. For example, if you use video or photo editing apps, your Mac will switch to the NVIDIA GPU automatically

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Answer 2

nbar

Level 5

7,037 points

Dec 26, 2013 12:31 PM in response to icdude

It is displaying Intel Iris because that is the currently active graphics processor. To validate you have a discrete GPU

Apple Logo > hold down option > System Information...> Hardware >Graphics/Displays

Chipset Model: NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M

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