How to test if my motherboard is dead or not?

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Dayle McNeela

Dayle McNeela

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I have installed my motherboard and psu, and plugged a case fan into the motherboard chassis header and turned everything on but nothing happened...

My psu is working because i tested it using the paper clip method... is there anyway to find out in my motherboard is dead or not?
 
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Pinhedd

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Aug 7, 2007
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Hit it really hard with a hammer. Guaranteed to be dead!

When the motherboard is properly powered, you should see an LED light up somewhere on the board. If this is on, then it has power.

Many motherboards also have onboard power switches now. Try to power it up using this if it's present. I've seen some people forget to hook up the front panel buttons, or hook them up incorrectly.

The paperclip method isn't reliable. It will only determine whether or not a PSU is capable of turning on. It does not check the individual rails for power. I had a friend's PSU die a couple of years back that lost its 5 volt rail completely. Everything else was fine and it would spin up, but the 5 volt supply was gone.
 
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Dayle McNeela

Dayle McNeela

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My ASRock motherboard doesnt seem to have a power light anywhere on the board...
This board doesnt have a power switch, but lets saying the PSU is fine, is there are way to test if its dead or not other that what ive always done...?
 
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Pinhedd

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I honestly can't think of any ways to test it short of poking around with a multi-meter
 
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Dayle McNeela

Dayle McNeela

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Ive just seen a website that says the cpu must get signal from the psu to boot... i havent got my cpu installed? so would my case fan run without any cpu installed?
 
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Pinhedd

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Oh. You should probably install that.

Most motherboards will power up without a CPU installed, but not all of them.
 
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Dayle McNeela

Dayle McNeela

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I have an ASRock Z77 Pro4-m, do you know if this needs a CPU for anything to work?
Really worried tbh
 
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Dayle McNeela

Dayle McNeela

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Im not trying to boot... im trying to test the motherboard?
Ive got a case fan plugged into the motherboard along with all the power and case power and switch headers...
Would my fan turn on without a CPU?
 
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Pinhedd

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Install the CPU without a heatsink attached and power it up. Just don't leave it on for more than a few seconds.
 
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Dayle McNeela

Dayle McNeela

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I dont have my CPU or any other components yet... thats the problem...
But ive just plugged it all back in, plugged an ethernet cable in to the ethernet port on my MB and the number one lit up on the router... unplugged in and plugged it back in about 5 times and it kept on and off (the no.1 light on router) but then i thought maybe its because the router is detecting the cable it plugged into a port... so i turned my pc power off by the wall and the router no.1 light went off... so Id say its working but doesnt have a CPU?
because surely the CPU needs to tell the fans or lights or whatever to turn off and at what speed etc...

just think i need to hurry up and get my CPU!!
 
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