Yes, motherboards can display indicators of activity even without a CPU.
Yes, motherboards can display indicators of activity even without a CPU.
I recently purchased the Aorus Elite AX v2 but while the rest of the system is in, the CPU isn't quite yet here. I'm using a piddly little Corsair CX500 PSU to power the PC until I can afford something a little more capable. I wanted to test out my rig before the CPU arrive so I plugged in the case and all fans and pretty much all but the storage (which is in my old rig for now). However, after trying to both use the case button and trying to bridge the power pins with tin foil, the motherboard won't even power the PSU. I have some fans connected to the board and some on molex, if I test the PSU by bridging pins 4+5 outside the motherboard, its own fan and the fans on molex spin up. When switching on the power while connected to the motherboard, there's a notable spark originating from the PSU and trying to press the power button does absolutely nothing at all. I've read that you usually get power delivery from the PSU, fan spin, and beep/light codes, but my PC does jack shit nothing without the CPU. Is this normal behaviour, or should I prepare for an RMA?
The signal is originating from behind the DP, which is concerning.
It seems like a couple of LEDs were blinking intermittently each time I turned them on, so it might be worth hoping it functions properly.
It seems the Gigabyte Aorus Elite V2 AX only displays activity when a CPU is connected. That works perfectly.