Best way to test a Motherboard before installation?

I put the odd custom built PC's together for people and on one I've just finished, the MB is a dead-un ! I've read that DOD boards are not that uncommon, but it's the first time I've struck one. What a right royal pain. I now have to pull everything apart, freight the MB back to the store and then rebuild the PC all over again when the replacement arrives Is there a 'simple' way to test a MB before installation or even adding the CPU etc. without some expensive testing nick-nack ? What I was thinking about after I'd tested the PSU and used a spare hand-held boot-up button (in case of a faulty button), was that the only thing that really points to some other possible problem (ram or cpu) is the fan(s). If the first boot-up doesn't even turn a fan it's the MB (I'm assuming here the wiring is all correct and it is usually is wit me). Sooo… when I get this new replacement MB, wouldn't I be able to connect the main power cables from my spare PSU, plug in a hand-held boot switch and a hand held fan, boot-up and see if the fan works? Meaning, power is at least going to the MB. Unlike the one I have to return. Would that work without hurting the MB in any way? Just in case I ever get another DOD board, it would sure save me a lot of time to find that out before building any new PC or replacing a mainboard! Cheers, Lee

First, understand that all cases are designed to support 1000s of motherboards. So there are typically more mounting holes in the case than there are on the motherboard. And a common mistake is to have more standoffs in the board than you need, resulting in the motherboard shorting out when power is applied. So you must be 200% sure you only have a standoff where there is a corresponding motherboard mounting hole. Only the motherboard makers have the expensive mockups to test motherboards thoroughly. To test outside the case, I use a clean cutting board. I mount the CPU and heatsink (with a proper layer of thermal interface material), one stick of RAM, and connect the PSU and monitor (install the graphics card if not using on-board graphics). Then I short the two switch pins (your remote button is fine, if sure you have the right pins) and you should see the boot process and POST on the monitor proceed up to the point where it can't find a boot drive. If it works, verify again you have the right standoff placements, then carefully mount the board. Note another common mistake is failure to take necessary ESD precautions. I hope you did that to prevent destroying the board, RAM or CPU with static.

Place the motherboard on a piece of card board larger than the motherboard,

• Install the cpu
• 1 stick ram in dimm 1,
• Power supply
• Case switch
• Case speaker
• Connect ps2 mouse
• keyboard
• Monitor

Power on and if the motherboard posts you are good.

Thanks for the advice guys. I'm aware of the MB baseplate issue and take great care to do it right. I.take great care in every building step, not just the board mounting step. Well what the heck, I did go ahead anyway with the portable PSU, spare button and fan method on this board before sending it off (I did re-mount the CPU and heat-sink though). I put the MB on an empty wooden table and a large (very dry) beach towel. Neither fan turned an inch. "If power is not reaching the hand-held or CPU fan in a new board, it certainly isn't ever going to reach anything else, so there is no point in connecting anything else", So says our local electrician who just happened to be working next door yesterday (he popped over for a cuppa tea and a little supervision). He reckoned that if the fans work, there is a 99% chance everything else will when put together correctly, as long as the components themselves are OK. Cheers, Lee

Glad to be of help and I hope it saves you some trouble later now.

Next time, don't use the towel. Some have synthetic materials which can conduct electricity and also, using a hard flat surface allows some cool air to get underneath. Note, however, that most tables are finished (not bare wood) and some finishes can conduct electricity too. This is not normally a problem with such low voltages as seen inside a computer, but is still something to consider when working on electronics. That's why I mentioned a cutting board - they tend to be bare wood.

What, towels containing synthetic material in our house ? I won't tell my wife you said that Dig Cheers and thanks again Lee

What, towels containing synthetic material in our house ?

I won't tell my wife you said that Dig

lol I hear you! I know you said beach towel so I assume 100% cotton. But some folks may use some other blend, or maybe microfiber.