Motherboard battery

[Protomesh]

Can motherboard battery run out if it's not used for a long time? Found a guy selling a LGA1151 motherboard for cheap locally, but apparently the motherboard hasn't been used in 3 years since he upgraded to LGA1700. He claims it worked perfectly in his use but he had already sold the CPU separately so he can't test the motherboard before selling.

 

Is it possible for the motherboard battery to just deplete itself if it's not used? What issues would it cause? Any way to revive it if it's empty? I don't know how motherboard batteries work.

[Hinjima]

16 minutes ago, Protomesh said:

Can motherboard battery run out if it's not used for a long time? Found a guy selling a LGA1151 motherboard for cheap locally, but apparently the motherboard hasn't been used in 3 years since he upgraded to LGA1700. He claims it worked perfectly in his use but he had already sold the CPU separately so he can't test the motherboard before selling.

 

Is it possible for the motherboard battery to just deplete itself if it's not used? What issues would it cause? Any way to revive it if it's empty? I don't know how motherboard batteries work.

A PC can run without the CMOS battery but any changes done in the BIOS will always be reset to default settings.

CMOS battery can definitely deplete over time but replacing it takes only a couple of seconds, you can buy new CMOS batteries for 5-7 dollars.

[Aleph256]

43 minutes ago, Protomesh said:

I don't know how motherboard batteries work.

Motherboard batteries are just button cell batteries.

If you have doubts about its status, just pop it off, check the exact model, and buy a replacement - as pointed above, they're cheap.

[Protomesh]

31 minutes ago, Hinjima said:

A PC can run without the CMOS battery but any changes done in the BIOS will always be reset to default settings.

CMOS battery can definitely deplete over time but replacing it takes only a couple of seconds, you can buy new CMOS batteries for 5-7 dollars.

So for example if I turned on XMP it would just turn itself off when trying to boot?

[Protomesh]

3 minutes ago, Aleph256 said:

Motherboard batteries are just button cell batteries.

If you have doubts about its status, just pop it off, check the exact model, and buy a replacement - as pointed above, they're cheap.

Probably very hard to find a replacement to an older board ? 

[Aleph256]

1 minute ago, Protomesh said:

Probably very hard to find a replacement to an older board ? 

Nah, they're standard batteries, the same kind you'd put in your watch. Just hit the nearest convenience store/supermarket and you should find plenty of them.

[Hinjima]

8 minutes ago, Protomesh said:

So for example if I turned on XMP it would just turn itself off when trying to boot?

Yes, exactly.

8 minutes ago, Protomesh said:

Probably very hard to find a replacement to an older board ? 

Nah, they are available everywhere Most convenience stores have them.

Just take the battery from the motherboard with you so you can find an identical one.

[Dedayog]

Lick it to test.

[mariushm]

They're standard CR2032 batteries available everywhere.

 

The battery is used when there's no other power source available, for example when the computer is completely unplugged

 

If the computer is plugged in and the power supply is not turned off using its power switch, even when the computer is turned off the power supply's 5v stand-by voltage replaces the battery and so the battery lasts longer.