In my 30 years of experience as a computer technician, a motherboard is one of the most challenging components to diagnose due to the number of components connected to it.
If a motherboard fails, you could have blue screens, freezing, beeps, inability to detect USB drives and other hardware, and more. This guide will teach you how to test a motherboard with a multi-meter before installing other PC parts.
You will need the following tools to complete your motherboard diagnostics testing.
How To Test A Motherboard
Before you place your brand new motherboard into the case, you need to POST (Power-On-Self-Test) the motherboard to verify that it works and that you didn’t receive a motherboard that isDOA (Dead On Arrival).Here is how you may test the motherboard is working or not.
If the computer boots to the BIOS, you are good to go. Unplug everything, and install the motherboard into your case and install everything as usual. If your motherboard did not POST, retry the steps again, and if it still fails, contact the motherboard manufacturer and request an RMA to get a newmotherboard.
How To Diagnose Motherboard Failures
Motherboards can be one of the most stubborn components to diagnose due to the sheer number of tiny parts embedded in them. In my experience, when motherboards fail, they typically will not boot, power on, or anything. The following steps can help narrow down your symptoms.
How To Test A Motherboard With A Multimeter
If you cannot diagnose your motherboard with the steps listed above, it is time touse a multimeter. you may purchase one at your local hardware store or onAmazon. This one at Amazon sells for less than $13 and works great.
If you have a multimeter, then you will be able to detect issues with the motherboard easily. Even if you have never used a multimeter in the past, I will walk you step-by-step on how to test your motherboard for component failure.
How To Check Ac Voltage
The first thing you want to look for with the multimeter is ashort circuit. These are common issues and can happen when there might be a surge in electricity. Below we will be verifying theAC voltageof the motherboard.
How to check DC Voltage
To checkDC voltages, follow the steps below. The steps here are slightly different than AC voltages.
