If you are planning to upgrade your desktop computer’s RAM, install a new graphics card, or update your system BIOS, the very first piece of information you need is the exact make and model of your motherboard. Without this information, you might buy hardware that is physically incompatible with your system. While you could open the side panel of your computer case and search for the tiny, printed text using a flashlight, it is much faster and safer to extract this information directly from Windows 11 using the Command Prompt.
Extracting Hardware Data with WMIC
Windows includes a powerful command-line tool called Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line (WMIC) that can instantly query your physical hardware for its factory identification tags.
- Click the Start Button (or press the Windows Key on your keyboard).
- Type cmd into the search bar.
- You will see Command Prompt appear as the top result. Click on it to open the black terminal window.
Now, you need to type a very specific string of text. Copy and paste, or carefully type the following command exactly as it appears, ensuring you include the comma and the spaces:
wmic baseboard get product,ManufacturerPress Enter.
Reading the Output
Within a fraction of a second, the Command Prompt will return two columns of information.
- Manufacturer: This tells you the brand that built the board (e.g., ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC., Micro-Star International Co., Ltd (MSI), or Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd).
- Product: This is the exact model number of your board (e.g., ROG STRIX B550-F GAMING or MPG X570 GAMING PLUS).
You can now highlight this product name with your mouse, press Ctrl + C to copy it, and paste it directly into a search engine to find the official manufacturer’s manual, BIOS update files, and memory compatibility lists.