Will a computer start without HDD?

[NetherHawk]

I am currently building my first computer and have been adding components over time, I recently just got my CPU and have all the components except for the HDD. I would like to know if the computer will boot up to see if my components at least work or is this not possible without a HDD?

Specs:
CPU - AMD FX-4300 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor
Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard
RAM - G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
GPU - MSI Radeon R9 380 2GB Video Card
Case - Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case
PSU - EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply

Any answers are appreciated.

*EDIT*
I've tried turning the PC on but only the power LED turns on and the CPU fan spins for a split second, nothing else turns on. What could be causing this?

*Update*
I forgot to update this thread but it was just the common issue of a dead CMOS battery on the motherboard. My computer works fine.

 

[Math Geek]

the pc will post but won't get past that point. once it looks for the OS it will give you the "boot disk not found" error. but you can at least see if it will post which means all the parts are recognized by the mobo which is a good thing.

you can also get a linux disk that runs from a thumb drive and actually be able to get to a desktop. i have an unbutu disk that loads to ram and does not need a hdd to work. not much you can do with it from there but at least you can see it all working

 

[NetherHawk]

the pc will post but won't get past that point. once it looks for the OS it will give you the "boot disk not found" error. but you can at least see if it will post which means all the parts are recognized by the mobo which is a good thing.

I've tried turning it on but nothing happens, the case's power button LED turns on and the CPU fan turns for a brief moment but nothing else, what do you think could be causing this?

 

[ko888]

You can get the system to perform a POST (i.e. Power On Self Test) and get into the BIOS setup. You won't be able to boot up because you don't have a bootable device with a working Operating System attached.

 

[azaran]

Yep that'll boot up. It just wont go anywhere past POST without something to boot from. But this would be a good time to run diagnostics on you RAM to make sure its all playing nice together. You can download and load up on to a USB a program like Memtest86 to test out the RAM. And if you want to see if everything is working prior to loading you hard drive and OS, you can create a bootable Linux USB very easily as well. Obviously you'd need to do both of those things from a working computer. But if nothing else it'll give you something to do while you wait for your HDD.

 

[Math Geek]

could be almost anything with a new build. try taking everything out except for the cpu and ram and see if it posts (normally it will beep at you which means it has posted). if that works, then add the gpu and see if it still posts and so on until an added piece makes it fail to post. this helps narrow down what might be happening. best i can offer withut sitting in front of it myself and playing with stuff

 

[NetherHawk]

could be almost anything with a new build. try taking everything out except for the cpu and ram and see if it posts (normally it will beep at you which means it has posted). if that works, then add the gpu and see if it still posts and so on until an added piece makes it fail to post. this helps narrow down what might be happening. best i can offer withut sitting in front of it myself and playing with stuff

Thanks, I will try this out now and see if anything happens.

 

[azaran]

could be almost anything with a new build. try taking everything out except for the cpu and ram and see if it posts (normally it will beep at you which means it has posted). if that works, then add the gpu and see if it still posts and so on until an added piece makes it fail to post. this helps narrow down what might be happening. best i can offer withut sitting in front of it myself and playing with stuff

Don't forget the video card on that first build. Helps being able to see the pretty lights on the monitor to see if its posting

 

[ko888]

the pc will post but won't get past that point. once it looks for the OS it will give you the "boot disk not found" error. but you can at least see if it will post which means all the parts are recognized by the mobo which is a good thing.

I've tried turning it on but nothing happens, the case's power button LED turns on and the CPU fan turns for a brief moment but nothing else, what do you think could be causing this?

It doesn't seem unusual with that PSU. I wouldn't recommend any PSU made by HEC.

 

[Math Geek]

that's the second stage. if the gpu is messing it up it may still fail to post. ram and cpu are the first step just to be sure only get to rely on that nice "beep" for that part. then the gpu comes into play for the pretty lights.


as a side note it's possible the gpu is not seating fully or the power cables are not right or a number of other things. sometimes you just have to touch everything again just to be sure, going through the build steps ensuring everything is installed right. even an experienced builder can mess something up and has to back track. lord knows i've done it many times myself!!

 

[azaran]

that's the second stage. if the gpu is messing it up it may still fail to post. ram and cpu are the first step just to be sure only get to rely on that nice "beep" for that part. then the gpu comes into play for the pretty lights.


as a side note it's possible the gpu is not seating fully or the power cables are not right or a number of other things. sometimes you just have to touch everything again just to be sure, going through the build steps ensuring everything is installed right. even an experienced builder can mess something up and has to back track. lord knows i've done it many times myself!!

Sadly so many cases/motherboards are coming without speakers now that the beep is quickly becoming a thing of the past, otherwise I'd be right there with you.

 

[Math Geek]

that is true. i take for granted that i have a few of those little ones that plug in from past builds to use. sometimes i forget everyone does not have a large box of random parts to mix and match at will.

good call.

 

[azaran]

But yes, like Math Geek said, absolutely build it up from bare minimum parts. One at a time till you know why things aren't working the way they should.

 

[azaran]

that is true. i take for granted that i have a few of those little ones that plug in from past builds to use. sometimes i forget everyone does not have a large box of random parts to mix and match at will.

good call.

Be careful should you decide to order more, they're deceptively cheap. I put in an order thinking I was buying a 5 pack... I don't know what I'm going to do with 50 of the little buggers laying around.

 

[NetherHawk]

that's the second stage. if the gpu is messing it up it may still fail to post. ram and cpu are the first step just to be sure only get to rely on that nice "beep" for that part. then the gpu comes into play for the pretty lights.


as a side note it's possible the gpu is not seating fully or the power cables are not right or a number of other things. sometimes you just have to touch everything again just to be sure, going through the build steps ensuring everything is installed right. even an experienced builder can mess something up and has to back track. lord knows i've done it many times myself!!

Sadly so many cases/motherboards are coming without speakers now that the beep is quickly becoming a thing of the past, otherwise I'd be right there with you.

I've been fiddling around with all the cables and parts for the past 30 minutes and there were no different results, same little turn on the CPU fan and power LED turning on but nothing else. I don't know if my motherboard has any speakers to make the beeping sound but I believe the PSU is at fault at this point.

I'll try taking everything out and start over from scratch to see if anything changes, otherwise I believe I've got some faulty part.

 

[azaran]

If you're going to pull the whole system apart anyway, the best thing would be to do a bench test. Run the motherboard and parts outside of the case to eliminate any possible grounding issues.

Simply putting the motherboard on top of the anti static bag it shipped in, and then o ntop of the motherboard box will give you protection (I'm assuming you dont have an anti static mat) but also will raise the motherboard up enough that you can plug cards in to it.

While you have the system out of the case, make sure all your standoffs in the care are positioned correctly and not making contact with the motherboard in any place that they shouldn't. Double check the CPU fan header and make sure you have it plugged in to the right port. Many new boards may have two ports for the CPU fan header and you want to make sure the correct on is plugged in for the system to start. Also try swapping the RAM in to different slots when booting. Its possible to have either bad RAM or even a bad RAM slot on the board.

Good luck!