Testing a motherboard before installing it into the case is very important. Wondering how to test the motherboard outside of the case?
Once you have installed it, it will be difficult for you to resolve any issue that occurs. It will save your time and energy.

And is it safe?

We are going to discuss different methods and strategies to handle and test the motherboard outside the case in a safe and easy way. 

How To Test Motherboard Outside Of Case [ Jump Start Method]:

The power button is just for making a contact between two ends of a wire. So if you can find these connections on your motherboard, you can jumpstart your motherboard without using a power button. 

Jump starting a motherboard is a safe and reliable technique. It is the exact technique that a power button uses to turn on your motherboard. Place the motherboard on a wooden surface to avoid the shortcircuit. Follow this step-by-step guide to ensure safety.

Step 1. Connecting To A Power Supply: 

• Before jumping into the main procedure, it is necessary to connect your motherboard with a power supply. 
• To connect a power supply, locate the power supply attachment site on the motherboard. Like in most motherboards, it will have a 24 or 20 pin circuit on your motherboard called an ATX power connector.

• Now connect the Power supply cable having this  ATC power connector on your motherboard at the exact place. 

• In some motherboards, you also have to connect 6 or 8 pin power connectors too. So read the motherboards power supply manual for any confusion. 

Step 2. Place The Essential Components:

• Before turning the motherboard on, you have to place some important components. Without them, your motherboard won’t start properly. These are rams and processors.  
• Place the RAMs into the RAM circuit and processor on the processor circuit beneath the fan. 

• Place the thermal paste on the heatsink and place the fan on it. Connect the fan to the motherboard to get power.
• If you have a graphics card, it needs to be placed now. Place the graphics card into the motherboard slot. 

• Connect the 6 pin power cable to the graphics card if needed. 
• Ensure that both are placed well. 

Step 3. System Panel Header Pin Shortcircuit:

• Safety first, use the wooden table for the testing of the motherboard and do not allow any conductor to touch the motherboard or your body. 
• Locate the “System Panel Header” on your motherboard. 
• The system panel header will be labeled with different switches e.g GND (Ground), Reset (Restart), PwrBtn# (power button), etc.

• The two terminals PwrBtn (power button) and GND (Ground) will be used to jumpstart the motherboard. 
• You just simply have to place a conductor like wire, metal piece, or even a screwdriver to touch the power button and ground pins at the same time. 
• If the processor fans get started, then your motherboard is running properly. 

Step 4. Connect Display:

To test all your connected hardware devices, you have to connect display devices. It will allow you to access the BIOS menu. 

• Connect the LED/LCD or any external display monitor to your motherboard. If you are using VGA supported display place the wire into the VGA pin. 

• If you are using HDMI you can place it in HDMI Port or can use HDMI to VGA converters. 
• If you want the display of a thorough graphic card, place the graphic card into the motherboard slot. Now attach the display with a graphic card. 

Step 5. Open BIOS: 

Now access the BIOS of your motherboard. Some motherboards give you access by pressing F2 and some motherboards have an ESC button. If you are unable to find the key, you can figure it out in the motherboard manual or google it. 

• After opening the BIOS menu, go to the Advanced menu.
• Now move your cursor to the Primary master drive to confirm the Hard drive is attached. 
• Move to the Memory configuration to ensure the RAM.

• The processor will be in the CPU menu in the Advanced file menu. Confirm your CPU here.
• This is how you can test our motherboard outside the case with the jump-start method. 

FAQ

Q. Can we test PC parts outside the case? 

A. Yes we can test the PC parts outside the case connecting to the motherboard. There is a specific way as described in this blog. You can jumpstart your motherboard after connecting all essential hardware. You can also check the hardware from BIOS. 

Q. Is it safe to test the motherboard outside the case? 

A. In this described method, it is safe to test the motherboard outside the case. You have to follow some simple steps to test the motherboard before installation. A short circuit in the motherboard is a common problem before the installation. You can avoid it by placing your board on a wooden platform.

Q. How to turn on the motherboard outside the case? 

A. You can use the jumpstart method to turn on your motherboard outside the case for the test. It requires a jump start button or just a simple conductor. 

You have to locate the system header panel on the motherboard. Now shortcircuit the power and ground pins. If your motherboard fans start running, your motherboard is starting. 

Q. How to access BIOS on the motherboard outside the case?

A. You can access BIOS easily to test all the hardware on your motherboard. First, you have to plug in RAMs, CPU, GPU, and a display monitor. 

When everything is done, you have to start your motherboard with the jump-start method as described in the blog. Now press F2 or Esc (according to your board manual) to access BIOS. 

Conclusion

Testing the motherboard outside the case requires special concentration. Shortcircuit may cause serious damage. This jump-start method is simple and safe to apply. It enables you to connect all hardware and test them as well. You can test RAMs, CPU, GPU, and hard drive through this method. BIOS may give you accurate data on connected hardware without installing the operating system.