Q&A for How to Install a Motherboard

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Can a computer start without RAM or a hard disk?

Community Answer

No. You may be able to switch on the power, install a monitor, and load BIOS, but you will be unable to boot your operating system, such as Winsows, OSX, or Linux.

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Question

What parts are installed directly on the motherboard?

Community Answer

The DDR3 or DDR4 RAM, GPU (video card), LAN card, sound card, CPU, and CPU cooler.

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Question

What does BIOS mean?

Community Answer

A BIOS is the startup program of a computer that loads the operating system and device drivers, and tests the computer at startup to check if all the components are working properly. It is located in the computer's ROM (Read-Only Memory) and is only executed at startup. BIOSes vary from computer to computer, so options in the BIOS Setup will vary.

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Question

Between drives and motherboard, which one is installed first?

Community Answer

The motherboard is installed first.

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Question

Are there any motherboards that support both ddr3/ddr4?

Community Answer

No, probably not. You never know, but I haven't seen any advertising that. Generally the pin layout is distinctive so it will be impossible to make mistakes. AMD has offered am3/am3+ and boards which supported am2/am3 but that indicated cpu socket pin array. I have not checked the RAM layout for ddr3 vs ddr4. If they fit exactly then probably it would work, however, something like that would be advertised as a feature. Lots of people have ddr3 around and would love to be able to swap it in or out to save money. But my bet is that the answer is no.

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Question

If the motherboard shorted out, would anything display if the PC was turned on?

Community Answer

It depends on which component of the motherboard shorted. If the display is not showing up, maybe the RAM or a component (removable/fixed) of the motherboard is faulty.

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Question

Why didn't the monitor turn on after the motherboard was installed?

Community Answer

You could have installed parts improperly, some of the parts may be faulty, or the board shorted out. If in doubt, contact an expert.

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Question

Do I need to reinstall my OS if I have a new motherboard?

Community Answer

As long as you still have the same harddrive that has your OS on it you will be fine.

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Question

Can a board short out if a standoff isn't there, and which standoff screws do I use?

Community Answer

The screws must be provided with the Motherboard, and yes it can short out if not properly put together.

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Question

I installed everything correctly, but my two screens can't connect to my computer. What could have gone wrong?

Community Answer

What are your specs/parts? Do you have an OS installed on your drive? If you have an intel processor with its own fan, it may be that you did not push the fan screws all the way in. If it isn't all the way in the motherboard will not send a signal to the screen/won't even boot to bios, to protect the cpu.

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Question

How can I determine on which ports I should install my SSD or HDD?

Community Answer

They both connect to the same SATA Port. My recommendation is to connect your SSD to SATA1 and your Hard Drive to SATA2.

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Question

Where do the cables go on the motherboard?

Community Answer

Refer to the instruction manual included with your motherboard. You'll find the information you need there, because every mobo is slightly different.

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Question

Do I need to move other components to install a motherboard?

Community Answer

You will need to move any components that attach to the motherboard and any that obstruct your ability to install the motherboard.

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Question

After I installed the motherboard and the components, the computer asks for a reboot device to be inserted and reboot. What do I have to do?

Community Answer

Use a bootable USB stick with setup of the OS in it because modern motherboards require a reinstallation of the OS.

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Question

What do I do if the screws don't fit on my motherboard?

Community Answer

Then you aren't using the right screws. Get the ones specifically labeled for motherboard you have.

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Question

What do I do if I can't open or install any programs on my hard disk when before it would let me?

Community Answer

Make sure your hard drive isn't full or near capacity. If that's not the case, then make sure your Windows installation is working fine. Worst case scenario is you will have to do a fresh Windows installation and start over.

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Question

What do I do if I fitted a refurbished motherboard and the only thing that works is the fan?

Community Answer

Check and remove all your installed components one by one until you rule out a bad component. If nothing works after checking all these parts, then you have a dud motherboard.

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