I've ordered most of my PC components, but my SSD isn't scheduled to arrive for a few weeks. I'm concerned that by this time, the return windows for my motherboard and GPU will be up. Is there any way to check that my other parts are functioning correctly without having the SSD installed?
5 Answers
You could also create a bootable Linux USB stick and run your parts that way. It'll let you do some basic testing and see that everything is functioning.
You can boot your system using a flash drive or an external hard drive for now. If you're in a pinch, you could even pop into a store and grab a new SSD, which could serve as extra storage later!
I hear you! SSD prices are all over the place. I had to keep an eye on SanDisk to finally score a 2TB WD Black for around 195 CAD!
If you have an old HDD lying around, you can use that to boot up too. Unfortunately, I don’t have any spare drives either since this is my first build, and I still need to grab a flash drive for my Windows install.
You can definitely boot into BIOS without the SSD, which at least shows that your components are functional enough for it to post, even if you can't do anything with an OS yet.
Technically, you can access your BIOS since it's stored on the motherboard. Just keep in mind that without a boot device, you might not be able to get past the POST, so it might throw up a BOOT light.
Good point! But if there's no POST, does that mean no access to BIOS?
Will using a flash drive let me test my GPU too?