Steps to test a newly built system

[tokogaru]

I'm going to be doing my first build in the next few days, and was wondering how you go about testing that the system is stable and good to use.

Obviously the first thing you need to do is assemble it, and turn it on. If it does, then your definitely on the right track.

But what about after that? Is the next step to install an OS, or are there tests you can run before that to ensure that its stable (you obviously don't want the system to crap out during the install).

As mentioned before this will be my first system build, so I'd like to be as well informed as possible. So I was wondering if anyone could give me some pointers on testing a newly built system.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

Memtest86+ is a very good application for testing RAM. You can go to www.memtest.org and download the ISO image. You then burn the ISO image and boot from it. You don't have to have a OS installed to run memtest86+. It's also a good idea to manually set the RAM speed/timings/voltage to the manufacturers specs in the BIOS before you run memtest.

If the RAM checks out, you can then install the OS. Prime95 is a popular tool for testing overall system stability. CPU-Z is a utility you can use to ensure your hardware is running at the correct speed. Everyone has their favorite software that they use, so I'll let someone else chime in with more options.

It's probably a good idea to read through this checklist to avoid some of the common first time build mistakes:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261145-31-build-post-checklist