In HP notebooks, the graphics processor sits under the heat sink near the cooling fan; some workstations use a separate removable board.
Cracking the mystery starts with one fact: in most HP laptops, the graphics chip isn’t a big plug-in card like on a desktop. It’s a chip on the motherboard, tucked under the heat sink beside the fan. Gaming and workstation models can add a dedicated chip in the same zone, and older or pro-grade units may mount that chip on its own small board. This guide shows where to look across HP lines, how to recognize what you have, and safe steps to peek inside when you need to clean, repaste, or plan an upgrade.
Finding The GPU In HP Laptops: Quick Orientation
Flip the laptop over in your mind and picture two anchors inside: the CPU and the GPU. Both sit under the shared cooling assembly. Fans pull air across a heat sink and copper pipes. The GPU usually sits closest to one of the fans, with thermal pads touching nearby memory chips. That cluster—fan, copper pipes, heat sink—gives away the spot.
Integrated Versus Dedicated In Plain Terms
Integrated graphics live inside the main processor. There’s no separate chip to locate; the heat sink over the CPU cools both. Dedicated graphics add a second silicon package on the motherboard (or on a small daughterboard in certain workstations). You’ll still find it under the same cooling assembly, sharing heat pipes with the CPU or using its own pipe set.
What HP Models Tend To Do
Across Pavilion, Envy, Spectre, and many Victus and OMEN generations, the dedicated chip sits on the motherboard under the heat sink. Service guides show this layout again and again. In HP ZBook mobile workstations, some generations move the GPU to a separate board that bolts to the chassis and connects through a slot or edge connector. Either way, your target location is constant: beside a fan, under copper, hidden by the heat sink.
How To Confirm Your Layout Without Guesswork
You can verify what you own in a few minutes before opening the shell.
Check From Windows
- Press Win + X → choose Device Manager → expand Display adapters. If you see only Intel or AMD Radeon Graphics (no GeForce/RTX/Radeon RX), you likely have integrated graphics. If you see Intel and NVIDIA/AMD, you have switchable graphics with a dedicated chip on the board.
- Open Task Manager → Performance. Two entries (GPU 0 and GPU 1) usually means integrated + dedicated.
Match To A Service Guide
Once you know the exact model from the label on the bottom cover (series and full SKU), pull the service manual. HP’s maintenance guides include “Removal and replacement” diagrams that reveal the GPU’s physical spot under the heat sink, and whether it’s on the motherboard or on a separate board. For example, the OMEN by HP 15 service guide maps the cooling assembly and board layout, and the ZBook 15 G5 guide shows workstation internals with dedicated graphics hardware callouts.
Opening An HP Laptop To Spot The GPU
Seeing the chip means removing the bottom cover. The goals here are safety and a clean reassembly.
Prep And Tools
- Small Phillips screwdrivers (#0/#00), plastic pry picks, ESD strap if you have one.
- A parts tray for screws and a soft, non-conductive mat.
- Fresh thermal paste and isopropyl alcohol if you plan to repaste.
Safe Steps To Access The Cooling Assembly
- Shut down, unplug the adapter, and hold the power button for 10 seconds to discharge.
- Remove all visible bottom screws. Some models hide screws under rubber feet or stickers.
- Use a plastic pick to release clips around the edge. Don’t twist metal tools against the shell.
- Lift the cover. You’ll see the battery pack, fans, heat pipes, and a finned heat sink. The GPU sits under one of the heat-spreader plates that those pipes feed.
- Trace the copper from the fan to a square heat plate: one plate covers the CPU, another plate covers the GPU. The GPU plate often has small thermal pads around it touching memory modules (VRAM)—a telltale sign.
HP publishes walk-through videos for many models. The Victus 15 series has an official “removing & replacing parts” video that shows the cooling block position in clear view; you can watch one here: Victus 15 service video. You’ll see the GPU area under the left-side heat plate near the fan.
Model-By-Model Clues You Can Use
Victus And OMEN Gaming Laptops
Gaming lines pair a high-power CPU with a dedicated NVIDIA or AMD chip. That chip sits beside the CPU under a shared or dual-pipe cooler. On OMEN 15 units, the service manual illustrates the stack clearly, and community answers point to the GPU as the package nearest the left fan under the heat sink. The visual layout is the same pattern you’ll find across many midrange and gaming HP notebooks.
Pavilion And Envy Everyday Laptops
Many Pavilion and Envy builds rely on integrated graphics only, which means there is no separate GPU package to identify. If your configuration adds a dedicated chip, it still lives under the same heat-pipe assembly next to the fan. The motherboard footprint looks simpler than a gaming board—smaller heat plate, fewer pipes—but the location doesn’t change.
Spectre And EliteBook Ultraportables
Thin-and-light designs lean on integrated graphics. You’ll open the bottom cover and see a single heat plate over the CPU area with short heat pipes. No second package means no separate GPU to spot.
ZBook Mobile Workstations
Some ZBooks mount the dedicated chip on a separate internal board. That board bolts to the chassis near the fan array and connects directly to the motherboard. The service guide for the ZBook 15 G5 shows this style. It still sits under a heat sink, but it’s physically distinct and removable with its own screws.
How To Tell CPU Plate Versus GPU Plate
When both plates look alike, use these cues:
- Position: The CPU plate usually lines up with the memory slots and power stages for the processor. The GPU plate tends to sit a step closer to the second fan on dual-fan layouts.
- Neighbors: Small grey thermal pads leading to rectangular chips (VRAM) near a plate point to the GPU side.
- Heat-pipe routing: A Y-shaped pipe that splits from the CPU plate to a second plate often feeds the GPU.
Can You Upgrade The GPU In An HP Laptop?
In consumer lines, the dedicated chip is almost always soldered to the motherboard, so it isn’t a swap-able card. Workstations that use a separate board can be upgradeable, but only within the options designed for that generation and cooling system. If you want more graphics power on a non-upgradeable machine, the practical path is an external GPU enclosure on models with a suitable high-bandwidth port, or a new system.
Common Questions Answered
Why Does Windows Show Two GPUs?
HP pairs integrated graphics with a dedicated chip on many gaming models. Windows lists both. The system routes light tasks to the integrated engine to save power and switches to the dedicated chip for 3D work.
Is The GPU Always Under The Left Fan?
Many layouts put the dedicated chip nearest the left fan, but model designs vary. Use your service guide diagrams to match the exact board view for your unit.
Where Do I Find My Exact Model Number?
Look for the sticker or laser-etched text on the bottom case. HP labels include a full model string and often a product number (SKU). That string is the key to pulling the right maintenance guide.
Hands-On Spotting Guide
When you’re already inside the laptop, use this quick set of checkpoints:
- Count the fans. One fan usually means integrated-only or low-power dedicated. Two fans often signal a dedicated chip.
- Find the copper pipes. Follow them to square plates. Two plates usually means CPU + GPU.
- Look for thermal pads around one plate touching small rectangular packages—those are VRAM chips near the GPU.
- If you see a secondary board bolted down with a short edge connector to the motherboard, you’re likely looking at a workstation with a removable graphics board.
Care Notes Before You Remove A Heat Sink
Only pull the heat sink if you plan to repaste or replace a fan. Once you lift it, you must clean both chips and apply fresh compound. Don’t mix screw lengths. Tighten in a cross pattern to seat the plate evenly. If the model uses thermal pads, match thickness and placement on reassembly.
Where You’ll Find It (By HP Line)
The table below summarizes the common layouts you’ll encounter. Use it as a quick map before you grab a screwdriver.
| HP Line | Typical GPU Type | Where You’ll See It Inside |
|---|---|---|
| Victus / OMEN | Dedicated + integrated | Beside a fan under a shared or dual-pipe heat sink; GPU plate near VRAM pads |
| Pavilion / Envy | Integrated (some configs add dedicated) | Under the main heat plate; if dedicated, a second plate sits next to the CPU plate |
| Spectre / EliteBook | Integrated | Single heat plate over CPU area; no second package or VRAM pads nearby |
| ZBook Mobile Workstation | Dedicated on separate board (many gens) | Removable board mounted near the fan array, under its own heat sink |
If You Need Visual Proof
Two official resources help you verify the location before you open anything. The OMEN 15 maintenance guide lays out the board and cooling assembly in labeled drawings, while HP’s Victus service video shows the cooler and the chip placement during a real tear-down. Both links are above; open them and compare to your model. If you’re working on a ZBook, grab the maintenance guide for your exact generation to see whether the graphics hardware sits on a separate board.
Quick Troubleshooting Notes Related To Location
- High temps near the left palm rest or left vent: Often points to GPU load. Clean the fins and renew paste if temps stay high.
- No display on internal panel, but HDMI works: Can be a cable or panel issue; the GPU sits fine under the heat sink. Check the display cable routing around the fan and heat pipes during service.
- Fans ramp during games, idle is quiet: Normal behavior for a switchable setup. The dedicated chip is doing the heavy lifting under that heat plate.
Bottom Line
In HP laptops, you’ll find the graphics silicon under the heat sink beside the fan. Consumer models keep it on the motherboard; many workstations use a dedicated board. If you match your model to the correct maintenance guide and follow a careful opening routine, you’ll spot it in minutes and service it with confidence.