# Minimum hardware requirements for a PC to POST



## neoreif (Feb 27, 2011)

Good Day to everyone on TPU! It's been a long time since I've been here but surely TPU ain't forgotten! As the title states, I would want to know the minimum hardware required for a PC to POST like would a MOBO, Processor and PSU do it? Or is this not possible? Thanks in advance guys and more power to TPU! Home of the "Tech Suave"!


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## 2DividedbyZero (Feb 27, 2011)

i would like to think you need a memory slot filled too, and as long as it has onboard gfx else you wouldnt see the post.


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## stevednmc (Feb 27, 2011)

Just to post into the bios? Well youd need a stick of memory at least as well, and a cooler on the cpu.


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## neoreif (Feb 27, 2011)

Thanks for the zippy reply guys!


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## stevednmc (Feb 27, 2011)

Sure thing!And The grafix...lol i forgot that


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## Tatty_One (Feb 27, 2011)

stevednmc said:


> Just to post into the bios? Well youd need a stick of memory at least as well, and a cooler on the cpu.



And a monitor to see it had posted, along with a video card of course unless the mobo has integrated.


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## stevednmc (Feb 27, 2011)

LOL, and a keyboard to go through bios if necessary.....i think that is the full list there!


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## laszlo (Feb 27, 2011)

don't forget power connector and power lol


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## 2DividedbyZero (Feb 27, 2011)

so to summarise:

mobo
psu + connectors
cpu + hs
memory
gfx + display
keyboard/mouse

add a HDD and a case u got a system


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## LAN_deRf_HA (Feb 27, 2011)

You can also skip the dvd drive. Seems it would have been simpler to start from the top down and subtract.


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## Peter1986C (Feb 27, 2011)

A HDD is *not* required to POST.


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## streetfighter 2 (Feb 27, 2011)

This thread is increasingly tangential.  The minimum amount of hardware required varies from system to system but generally speaking it's a PSU, mobo, 1 stick of ram* and cpu (with a heatsink).  Boot it up and listen for the beep code**.  Done.

*If there is no ram and ram is required to post then the mobo will beep with a ram error.
**If there is no graphics and the graphics are required to post then the mobo will beep with a graphics/PCIE/AGP error.


Tatty_One said:


> And a monitor to see it had posted, along with a video card of course unless the mobo has integrated.


You don't need a monitor to "see" if it posted.  Most mobos have a piezo speaker or a speaker header.  Just listen for the beep.


2DividedbyZero said:


> so to summarise:
> 
> mobo
> psu + connectors
> ...


A mouse isn't required to post, ever.  A keyboard used to be required in the days of the PS/2 keyboard, but is no longer required to post.  A display is also not required (see above).  Some older computers can post without RAM; I think most new ones will not.


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## qubit (Feb 27, 2011)

The absolute minimum you'd need:

PSU
CPU
CPU cooler (fan doesn't need to be plugged in, if it's just a couple of minutes)
RAM (1 stick)
Motherboard
Graphics card, unless it's built into the mobo

That'll be enough for it to give you a BIOS display. Of course, you'll want to control it, so a keyboard is needed too. Basically, you need most of the components in place to see anything.


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## hellrazor (Feb 28, 2011)

I beg to differ on the heatsink, it may be a bad idea but your PC *will* POST without one.


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## Jstn7477 (Feb 28, 2011)

hellrazor said:


> I beg to differ on the heatsink, it may be a bad idea but your PC *will* POST without one.



Sure, it'll POST, but you might as well have one on there for good measure unless you want to accidentally kill your system and never POST again.

I remember a few weeks ago when a forum member asked someone to disconnect the power cables from their motherboard and jump the PSU to try to test it. Guy only disconnected the power cables from the motherboard, left the video card plugged in and may have broken it.  

So, I guess to summarize, something that seems simple to us (don't have the board powered on for more than a few seconds) could turn into a disaster (board gets left turned on without HSF and magic blue smoke ensues*). 

*Unless you have an Intel. Some guy ran an i7 980X for a week without a HSF, wondered what the burning smell and abrupt PC death was all about, and wrote a s***ty review on a site about how the processor only lasted a week and that they "maybe should have used the included fan." 

[/End extremely random 3:30 AM post (Sorry if upset anyone)]


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## qubit (Feb 28, 2011)

hellrazor said:


> I beg to differ on the heatsink, it may be a bad idea but your PC *will* POST without one.



No it won't. A modern processor running at several gigahurtz will burn up within 10-20 seconds after power-on. You're unlikely to see anything on the screen. However, feel free to enjoy the acrid smell of burnt out electronics.

Now, you _can_ get away without plugging the CPU fan in for a couple of minutes, but it's not recommended.


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## slyfox2151 (Feb 28, 2011)

qubit said:


> No it won't. A modern processor running at several gigahurtz will burn up within 10-20 seconds after power-on. You're unlikely to see anything on the screen. However, feel free to enjoy the acrid smell of burnt out electronics.
> 
> Now, you _can_ get away without plugging the CPU fan in for a couple of minutes, but it's not recommended.



i dont know about yours.... but my pc dosnt take anywhere near 10 - 20 seconds to post 
maybe 2 - 4 seconds


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## scaminatrix (Feb 28, 2011)

hellrazor said:


> I beg to differ on the heatsink, it may be a bad idea but your PC *will* POST without one.



Prove it


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## n-ster (Feb 28, 2011)

I'm assuming he means SAFELY post


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## hellrazor (Feb 28, 2011)

scaminatrix said:


> Prove it



How do you think I figured out that this mobo works?

Goodwill mobo and PSU + craigslist CPU and RAM + old video card = Awesome

Took me forever to get to Fry's to buy a heatsink.


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## qubit (Feb 28, 2011)

slyfox2151 said:


> i dont know about yours.... but my pc dosnt take anywhere near 10 - 20 seconds to post
> maybe 2 - 4 seconds



Even if you see a display within 2 seconds (which is really fast and a bit unlikely) the CPU temperature will actually rise to a dangerous level within that time and start to be damaged. Then you have the human response time to hit that power switch and even longer for the power to die from the PSU - half to one second is not unreasonable. So, how long is that in total? In CPU burnout time it's ages - and all just to see if it works. Well, it soon won't

It will start to smoke within 10-20 or so and then it's really had it.

How do I know they heat up so fast?

Years ago, I had a very poor heatsink (some weird shit unknown brand. Forex, maybe?) sitting on an Athlon XP (remember them?!). The contact surface was machined badly, so that it had a nobbly bit in the middle, so that as you wobbled it, the temperature of the CPU would jump up and down - and boy did it jump. I'm, talking about 10-20 degrees C _instantly._ And the heatsink never completely lost contact with it either.

So, just don't do it boys and girls! 

I returned this POS after a couple of days.  Never seen anything like it before or since.


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