Hello dear readers! The topic of today’s post is checking the motherboard for performance and how to test motherboard. Consider how to check a new part when buying, how to diagnose a used one, in which cases it can still be used, and in which it is better to change.
Visual check for damage
Even if you take a component “out of the box”, it is better to play it safe. When buying a used motherboards hand-held, this must be done. Subsequent testing should be done only if there is no visible damage.
I want to note that if a suspicion arises, an external examination should be carried out even if you have been using the computer part for some time. Even opening the side cover of the system unit, obvious damage can be detected.
The first thing to look for when diagnosing is electrical capacitors. There are not too many of them on this part for a PC, but the failure of any of them can lead to glitches in work or a complete loss of performance.
A sign of a failed capacitor is swelling, as well as cracks in the case. Similarly, you need to inspect other components – resistors and microcircuits. Typically, a burned-out element is darker in color than usual. There may be traces of soot on the substrate itself. Here is How To Connect Extra Fans To Motherboard for cooling and reducing motherboard and pc temprature.
how to test motherboard without cpu
Without building the computer, you can check the power supply of the motherboard and the integrated CMOS. To do this, simply connect the power to the component. If the LED is on, it means that the current is being supplied normally. Alas, not all motherboards have an LED.
You can check the backup power provided by the CR 2032 battery using a multimeter. The supply voltage should be about 3 V. If it is not correct, the battery should be replaced – this can cause glitches in the work.
For further diagnostics, you need to connect all other components one by one and check the speaker’s response. Naturally, it connects first.
Step-by-step test and diagnostics of all components of motherboard
If in this way you are going to check a working computer, then you must first turn off all external elements, leaving only the speaker, power to the motherboard and processor, and the CPU itself.
In the absence of RAM, the speaker should emit one short and one long beep. If he is silent, the motherboard needs to be changed – the slots for the RAM are out of order and do not signal this.
If memory models are already connected, the speaker emits one short and two long beeps. They signal that there is a problem with the graphics accelerator. Then connect the video card, and the monitor to it, and check for the presence of the image.By the way, if the graphics core is integrated into the processor, then there is no need to connect a discrete video card. In fact, to check the health of the motherboard, a processor, RAM and a graphics accelerator are enough.
If the “mother” is working, in this case, the monitor will already show that there is no hard disk.
motherboard test software for checking performance
So, how to determine the performance of the “motherboard” in a working computer? In my opinion, the best utility for this is AMIDiag, developed by American Megatrends.
The program also supports multiprocessor boards (up to 16 processors). It also allows you to check all components of your computer.
