Turning on MSI K7T pro2a without a CPU

[sylvan]

I want to check whether the mobo that I just received is good or not. (no CPU)

I put in a Graphic card and hook it up to the monitor. I turned on the power, and nothing showed up on the monitor. All the 4 DLED are red.

Is this normal for MSI K7T pro2a ? I thought that there should still be some BIOS message on the monitor even though there's no CPU.

 

[wreed]

No you will not receive anything on the screen, just the leds will light up, I am nnot sure what the code is on that mobo (waiting for mine in the mail) but I know for a fact you will not get a message on the screen.

 

[CandyKid]

Power travels...

AC from wall to power supply then the dc power flows through the cpu (via the atx mobo connector)... if no cpu it has no wear to go to complete the circuit.

This is at least what i read in my A+ cert. book..

 

[KR]

Does it really say that in an A+ book? If so, it's such an oversimplification that it's frightening. Is this really the level of knowledge that the rocket scientists of tomorrow are given? Very Very Scary!

The answer to the original question is NO, it will not display anything on the screen. The Bios Power On Self Test (POST) is a program which is executed just like any other program you run on a computer. The difference between the BIOS and other programs is that the BIOS is on the motherboard and stored in a Flash Prom (Programmable Read Only Memory)and is automatically started when you apply power to your system. Like any other program, it requires that the CPU be present in order to execute the program. No CPU, no program execution, no display and generally, no nothing.