Gateway Parts

Will a computer power supply turn on with out being connected to the motherboard?

I just got a new power supply (700w) to a computer that I'm building. It's the first part of the computer that I've actually received, and I wanted to test it out to make sure it worked. In any case I don't have a motherboard to connect it to right now, so I tried just plugging in the power cord and turning it on. It didn't work. Is there something wrong with my power supply, or does it have to be hooked up to a motherboard to work? Thanks in advance.

Public Comments

1. You need to hook the PS_ON pin to ground.
2. The ps on wire on the p/s connector will be a green wire at the end of 3 black wires. A simple paperclip is a standard tool at work.
3. No, when you attatch the power cord and switch on you should notice the fan inside spinning up (Listen carefully) No fan=PSU kaput.
4. short pin 16 (green) with pin 17 (black) or any other ground, and as long as all voltages establish the power supply will stay on. to switch off remove short. If you check the individual voltages you will find them a little high because they will not be connected to any load I am sure that if it is a new PSU it will be o.k anyway.
5. Most modern power supplies (700w sounds relatively recent) require a "load" to function properly. This means they need to be connected to a motherboard that has at least something to go with it, i.e. some memory or a hard drive. If you turn on the power supply without connecting it to anything you may in some cases damage it and if you connect it to a motherboard without any memory or a hard drive in it then you risk frying some fussy motherboards. In other words, it is possible to turn the supply on without a motherboard but not recommended. Just follow the standard route; when the computer is ready, let it run for 48 hours. If nothing fails in those 48 hours then the computer parts would last for a while. Also remember when you do connect the PSU to the motherboard there are several little jumper-like things for you to connect to the case- you won't fry the board if you connect them wrong but the PSU won't turn on (i.d. hard drive light, power light, speaker, etc need to be connected correctly).