Posted December 27, 2021 For the past 2 times I've booted my PC after unplugging it, my time in Windows has been incorrect. Been either several hours ahead or behind of current time. And today I got a BIOS error after booting(can't quite remember what it said, panicked a bit and booted into the UEFI). However, it disappeared and booted back to Windows after I just quit without saving in the UEFI. But after rebooting into UEFI again, I noticed that seemingly every setting I've made got reset, except for my boot device order? Due to my current situation, I leave my PC every other week for (usually) another week. And in that time I unplug it completely from the wall just to be safe in case there's a big surge or thunder. I've done this since I built my PC in June 2017, but has this drained my CMOS battery way quicker than the usual 10+ years they're supposed to last? I've read around online that unplugging your PC regularly for extended periods of time can cause it to drain way faster without AC power due to modern hardware. Or does this sound like something else? Relevant specs: Motherboard: ASUS Z270 ROG MAXIMUS IX CODE (running version 1501, latest) CPU: i7-7700K RAM: Corsair vengeance CL15 16GB DDR4 300Mhz Rest of my specs are on my profile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 27, 2021 When the computer is unplugged from the wall, it uses the battery to save your BIOS settings. I'd expect the battery to be dead if you unplug it for half the time. I'm not actually trying to be as grumpy as it seems. I will find your mentions of Ikea or Gnome and I will /s post. Project Hot Box CPU 13900k, Motherboard Gigabyte Aorus Elite AX, RAM CORSAIR Vengeance 4x16gb 5200 MHZ, GPU Zotac RTX 4090 Trinity OC, Case Fractal Pop Air XL, Storage Sabrent Rocket Q4 2tb, CORSAIR Force Series MP510 1920GB NVMe, CORSAIR FORCE Series MP510 960GB NVMe, PSU CORSAIR HX1000i, Cooling Corsair XC8 CPU block, Bykski GPU block, 360mm and 280mm radiator, Displays Odyssey G9, LG 34UC98-W 34-Inch,Keyboard Mountain Everest Max, Mouse Mountain Makalu 67, Sound AT2035, Massdrop 6xx headphones, Go XLR Oppbevaring CPU i9-9900k, Motherboard, ASUS Rog Maximus Code XI, RAM, 48GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB 3200 mhz (2x16)+(2x8) GPUs Asus ROG Strix 2070 8gb, PNY 1080, Nvidia 1080, Case Mining Frame, 2x Storage Samsung 860 Evo 500 GB, PSU Corsair RM1000x and RM850x, Cooling Asus Rog Ryuo 240 with Noctua NF-12 fans Why is the 5800x so hot? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 27, 2021 Author Just now, IkeaGnome said: When the computer is unplugged from the wall, it uses the battery to save your BIOS settings. I'd expect the battery to be dead if you unplug it for half the time. So that's probably it then? I've never heard about this before until today, but I suppose it does make sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 27, 2021 2 minutes ago, TGO said: So that's probably it then? I've never heard about this before until today, but I suppose it does make sense. They usually don’t die that fast, I have had PC’s not lose BIOS settings while being unplugged for a very long time. But, maybe your battery was a dud… Rig: i7 13700k - - Asus Z790-P Wifi - - RTX 4080 - - 4x16GB 6000MHz - - Samsung 990 Pro 2TB NVMe Boot + Main Programs - - Assorted SATA SSD's for Photo Work - - Corsair RM850x - - Sound BlasterX EA-5 - - Corsair XC8 JTC Edition - - Corsair GPU Full Cover GPU Block - - XT45 X-Flow 420 + UT60 280 rads - - EK XRES RGB PWM - - Fractal Define S2 - - Acer Predator X34 -- Logitech G502 - - Logitech G710+ - - Logitech Z5500 - - LTT Deskpad Headphones/amp/dac: Schiit Lyr 3 - - Fostex TR-X00 - - Sennheiser HD 6xx Homelab/ Media Server: Proxmox VE host - - 512 NVMe Samsung 980 RAID Z1 for VM's/Proxmox boot - - Xeon e5 2660 V4- - Supermicro X10SRF-i - - 128 GB ECC 2133 - - 10x4 TB WD Red RAID Z2 - - Corsair 750D - - Corsair RM650i - - Dell H310 6Gbps SAS HBA - - Intel RES2SC240 SAS Expander - - TreuNAS + many other VM’s iPhone 14 Pro - 2018 MacBook Air Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 27, 2021 Yep it's normal, it usually lasts 10+ years simply because it's never used unless the PC is unplugged, which most people don't do. I have a machine that's been spending more time unplugged than plugged and the battery was dead in 2 years. F@H Desktop: i9-13900K, ASUS Z790-E, 64GB DDR5-6000 CL36, RTX3080, 2TB MP600 Pro XT, 2TB SX8200Pro, 2x16TB Ironwolf RAID0, Corsair HX1200, Antec Vortex 360 AIO, Thermaltake Versa H25 TG, Samsung 4K curved 49" TV, 23" secondary, Mountain Everest Max Mobile SFF rig: i9-9900K, Noctua NH-L9i, Asrock Z390 Phantom ITX-AC, 32GB, GTX1070, 2x1TB SX8200Pro RAID0, 2x5TB 2.5" HDD RAID0, Athena 500W Flex (Noctua fan), Custom 4.7l 3D printed case Asus Zenbook UM325UA, Ryzen 7 5700u, 16GB, 1TB, OLED GPD Win 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 27, 2021 Yeah, the CMOS basically got drained within that time, I'm not very suprised. HP at least says that CMOS batteries last between 2 and 10 years so it's not exactly a guarantee that the CMOS battery will hold for 10 years, HP also says that the CMOS battery gets charged when the laptop is plugged in I'm assumming laptop can be replaced with PC in this scenarios regardless. Quote The CMOS battery gets charged whenever your laptop is plugged in. It's only when your laptop is unplugged that the battery loses charge. Most batteries will last 2 to 10 years from the date they're manufactured. The more you leave your laptop plugged in, the longer your battery will last. https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/tech-takes/what-is-cmos-battery-how-to-remove-and-replace Edit: It might be best in your case to just get a surge protector because it'll be more convenient since you don't have to unplug your PC at all or replace the CMOS battery more often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 27, 2021 54 minutes ago, TGO said: For the past 2 times I've booted my PC after unplugging it, my time in Windows has been incorrect. I would recommend NOT doing this unless you very well know what you are doing. Its a huge strain on your home power situation as well as the PSU for when you turn it on again. (capacitor inrush) And as you can see now also the extra problem of needing to buy a new battery. Ps i've worked with a many old computer and 2 years is about the max for when its never turned on. But ive seen computers over 15 years with the same battery working perfectly. So yes its highly dependent on use case. When i ask for more specs, don't expect me to know the answer! I'm just helping YOU to help YOURSELF! (The more info you give the easier it is for others to help you out!) Not willing to capitulate to the ignorance of the masses! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 27, 2021 Author 1 hour ago, AndreiArgeanu said: It might be best in your case to just get a surge protector because it'll be more convenient since you don't have to unplug your PC at all or replace the CMOS battery more often. I do have a surge protecting power strip, but I don't think it helps against lightning? 37 minutes ago, HanZie82 said: I would recommend NOT doing this unless you very well know what you are doing. Its a huge strain on your home power situation as well as the PSU for when you turn it on again. (capacitor inrush) And as you can see now also the extra problem of needing to buy a new battery. Really? Even with modern hardware? I've always been under the assumption that you should always unplug your stuff whenever you're not at home with it for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 27, 2021 Stuff doesn't mind being unplugged at all. F@H Desktop: i9-13900K, ASUS Z790-E, 64GB DDR5-6000 CL36, RTX3080, 2TB MP600 Pro XT, 2TB SX8200Pro, 2x16TB Ironwolf RAID0, Corsair HX1200, Antec Vortex 360 AIO, Thermaltake Versa H25 TG, Samsung 4K curved 49" TV, 23" secondary, Mountain Everest Max Mobile SFF rig: i9-9900K, Noctua NH-L9i, Asrock Z390 Phantom ITX-AC, 32GB, GTX1070, 2x1TB SX8200Pro RAID0, 2x5TB 2.5" HDD RAID0, Athena 500W Flex (Noctua fan), Custom 4.7l 3D printed case Asus Zenbook UM325UA, Ryzen 7 5700u, 16GB, 1TB, OLED GPD Win 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 27, 2021 Author 1 hour ago, Kilrah said: Stuff doesn't mind being unplugged at all. Except when they have a CMOS battery? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 27, 2021 Author I can't find anything related to replacing this CMOS battery on the motherboard's support page.. Should I just replace it with a battery with the same size? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted December 28, 2021 14 hours ago, TGO said: I can't find anything related to replacing this CMOS battery on the motherboard's support page.. Should I just replace it with a battery with the same size? Yes, usually they are CR2025 (Or CR2030) it should be marked on the battery. When installing the new one take care to not touch both sides to much, as even the resistance of your skin can drain the battery. Since its such a tiny battery. When i ask for more specs, don't expect me to know the answer! I'm just helping YOU to help YOURSELF! (The more info you give the easier it is for others to help you out!) Not willing to capitulate to the ignorance of the masses! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted January 8, 2022 Author Got back to the PC today, this is the error I get after unplugging it from AC: It rebooted 3-4 times before it got to this screen as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted January 8, 2022 Author Possibly off-topic, but any idea as to how to access the PCI release for the GPU so I can take it out and remove the “armor” hiding the CMOS? The release button is only visabale on the side where it sits RIGHT in the middle between the CPU cooler and GPU: Would rather not use a screwdriver and put the risk of slipping and damaging the board under, but removing the CPU cooler seems like a hassle in itself having to re-apply thermal paste etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted January 8, 2022 Not much choice but to use a long thin thing, maybe use a pen with retractable tip, other plastic thing or a stick of wood if you don't want something hard... F@H Desktop: i9-13900K, ASUS Z790-E, 64GB DDR5-6000 CL36, RTX3080, 2TB MP600 Pro XT, 2TB SX8200Pro, 2x16TB Ironwolf RAID0, Corsair HX1200, Antec Vortex 360 AIO, Thermaltake Versa H25 TG, Samsung 4K curved 49" TV, 23" secondary, Mountain Everest Max Mobile SFF rig: i9-9900K, Noctua NH-L9i, Asrock Z390 Phantom ITX-AC, 32GB, GTX1070, 2x1TB SX8200Pro RAID0, 2x5TB 2.5" HDD RAID0, Athena 500W Flex (Noctua fan), Custom 4.7l 3D printed case Asus Zenbook UM325UA, Ryzen 7 5700u, 16GB, 1TB, OLED GPD Win 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted January 8, 2022 Author 33 minutes ago, Kilrah said: Not much choice but to use a long thin thing, maybe use a pen with retractable tip, other plastic thing or a stick of wood if you don't want something hard... Any idea how big the chances are of damaging the board under is case the screwdriver would slip off the plastic PCI lock? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted January 8, 2022 Basically impossible to tell... F@H Desktop: i9-13900K, ASUS Z790-E, 64GB DDR5-6000 CL36, RTX3080, 2TB MP600 Pro XT, 2TB SX8200Pro, 2x16TB Ironwolf RAID0, Corsair HX1200, Antec Vortex 360 AIO, Thermaltake Versa H25 TG, Samsung 4K curved 49" TV, 23" secondary, Mountain Everest Max Mobile SFF rig: i9-9900K, Noctua NH-L9i, Asrock Z390 Phantom ITX-AC, 32GB, GTX1070, 2x1TB SX8200Pro RAID0, 2x5TB 2.5" HDD RAID0, Athena 500W Flex (Noctua fan), Custom 4.7l 3D printed case Asus Zenbook UM325UA, Ryzen 7 5700u, 16GB, 1TB, OLED GPD Win 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted January 8, 2022 Author 13 minutes ago, Kilrah said: Basically impossible to tell... I suppose. I just really don’t want to damage the board, especially now during the shortage. I’m not even sure I have some liquid to wipe off the thermal paste in case I have to take the cooler out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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