How To Test Motherboard Without CPU? – The Free Guide

Are you planning to build a new PC yourself? But you are unsure whether all the components are working correctly or not and also wondering how to test motherboard without CPU. Well, this tutorial will help you. Today, we are going to tell you how to test a motherboard without a CPU. So, stay tuned to know in detail!

If you test your motherboard and all the other components outside the case, then you can make sure that all the parts are working fine without any struggle. But in case any of the components or parts are not working, or they are a defective product or faulty component, then you can simply exchange that from the manufacturer’s company before building your PC.

Why and Should You Test Your Motherboard without CPU?

Suppose you are going to build your desired new gaming PC, and you have already purchased the motherboard and other components from the nearest retail shop or bought it online. If any of them is a faulty product, then after assembling the PC, it will become harder for you to detect the reason behind the effectiveness. That is why many users, even experts, also suggest testing the motherboard before installing the CPU or the pre-build bench test.

How to Test Motherboard without CPU?

Now, we are going to explain the most awaited part of today’s blog, how to test motherboard without CPU. Before starting the entire process, you should read the motherboard user manual, don’t forget to touch a piece of metal to discharge the static charge from your body.

1. Unboxing

We have already talked about the pre-built bench test. A bench test means testing the board and other components outside the case. To do so, first of all, unbox all the products from the package and place them on an anti-static foam or what you found inside the packaging. Even if you want, you can place it on a large board of cardboard or on the motherboard box itself.

Don’t keep the motherboard on a metallic plate or conductive surface because there are so many solder points available at the bottom of the motherboard. It should not touch or contact any type of conductive or metal thing due to static electric charge when turning on the power supply.

2. Installing other components(optional)

• Then you need to insert the RAM sticks into the RAM slots of your motherboard.
• After that, if you are going to use any dedicated GPU or video card, then install that also in the PCIe slot properly.
• You don’t need to connect any kind of storage drive like the SATA 2.5-inch drives or the M.2 storage device because we will just enter it into the BIOS menu.

What we have done here is mainly to check if we can enter into the BIOS menu or not; for that, we need a monitor. So, connect your monitor to the HDMI or DVI-D port or the board display port, or if you have a dedicated GPU, then connect to it. After that, connect the monitor to the power supply. To navigate into the BIOS menu, you need a keyboard because you have to press the function key (most of the time). So, connect the keyboard and mouse via PS-2 port or in the USB port of the rear I/O panel.

If you install these things, it will not help you anymore because these components become useless without the CPU and the CPU cooler itself.

3. Connect the PSU To the Motherboard

The very next thing you need to do is to place the PSU near the motherboard and connect the 24 pin ATX power pin connector to the respective place in the motherboard. Then you will also find an eight-pin CPU power pin connector just beside the socket; connect that also. If you have a dedicated graphics card, then connect it with the PSU also to check the power connection. 

4. Connect the PSU With the Main Power Supply

What happens if you Boot a PC without a CPU?

If you want to test the motherboard without a CPU, there is nothing wrong with it. But you need to keep in mind one thing, that is your PC cannot pass the Power-On-Self-Test. After powering the motherboard, you cannot see anything on the screen itself because there is no graphics processing unit to display something on the BIOS screen.

If you still install any dedicated RTX or GTX or Radeon graphic card on the PCIe expansion slot, then also you can’t see anything on the screen because that dedicated graphic card will also not work without a CPU. The only thing from which you can be sure is that you can notice a beep sound (if your motherboard has a beep code internal speaker), and the LED will flash.

Can a Dead CPU Kill a Motherboard?

Yes, a dead CPU can destroy the motherboard. If you overclock your CPU out of regulation, then it will definitely produce more heat and also consume much voltage as a power intake and damage the CPU slowly. If you don’t use a proper cooling system to keep it under stable operating temperature, then it will kill your CPU very shortly and can damage the motherboard. 

So if you still have any doubts, then feel free to ask in the comment section below.

Also, let us know in the comment section if this blog is helpful or not. Don’t forget to check out G-Prime every week for updates.