Question Will BIOS get corrupted If I leave the motherboard for about 12 months without any power ?

[WaterOS]

I bought a mid-range motherboard that came out the factory 2 months ago. I will use it for a future PC build I'm planning, but I'm not actively working on it.

The question is: If I leave the motherboard for about 12 months without power (it won't be unpacked and connected to a power supply for now, until all PC components arrive), will the BIOS get corrupted?

Data in storage devices gets corrupted when the devices are left without power for long time. Does the same principle apply to the Firmware chip of motherboards?

That principle is supposed to apply more to SSDs compared to HDDs. SSDs and the Firmware chip both use NAND Flash, which is supposed to require power occasionally in order to maintain data integrity..

 

[JWNoctis]

Flash memory chips do fade, though they are supposed to do that on a scale of years, unless you stored your motherboard in some really extreme condition. Chips that are rarely rewritten, like motherboard BIOS, are supposed to last even longer.

For reference, while there are reports of performance loss and data corruption on SSDs after years of powered-down storage, there has been no news of Switch - or for that matter, 3DS - carts failing en-masse, as of yet.

 

[CountMike]

I bought a mid-range motherboard that came out the factory 2 months ago. I will use it for a future PC build I'm planning, but I'm not actively working on it.

The question is: If I leave the motherboard for about 12 months without power (it won't be unpacked and connected to a power supply for now, until all PC components arrive), will the BIOS get corrupted?

Data in storage devices gets corrupted when the devices are left without power for long time. Does the same principle apply to the Firmware chip of motherboards?

That principle is supposed to apply more to SSDs compared to HDDs. SSDs and the Firmware chip both use NAND Flash, which is supposed to require power occasionally in order to maintain data integrity..

No, BIOS doesn't get corrupted, un-powered could last forever. Only problem could be if CMOS battery fades under 3v so it "forgets" settings. When it's disconnected from power, 3v battery is used to keep CMOS settings.

 

[WaterOS]

Flash memory chips do fade, though they are supposed to do that on a scale of years, unless you stored your motherboard in some really extreme condition. Chips that are rarely rewritten, like motherboard BIOS, are supposed to last even longer.

For reference, while there are reports of performance loss and data corruption on SSDs after years of powered-down storage, there has been no news of Switch - or for that matter, 3DS - carts failing en-masse, as of yet.

Okay.

 

[WaterOS]

No, BIOS doesn't get corrupted, un-powered could last forever. Only problem could be if CMOS battery fades under 3v so it "forgets" settings. When it's disconnected from power, 3v battery is used to keep CMOS settings.

This problem with the settings will only happen if the motherboard was used and the settings were changed, right? Because in my case, the motherboard is new and has never been used, so the settings are default.

When the CMOS battery runs out, settings go back to default (factory settings) and nothing gets dysfunctional, right? In such case, I won't have any problems, the settings are default anyway.

 

[CountMike]

This problem with the settings will only happen if the motherboard was used and the settings were changed, right? Because in my case, the motherboard is new and has never been used, so the settings are default.

When the CMOS battery runs out, settings go back to default (factory settings) and nothing gets dysfunctional, right? In such case, I won't have any problems, the settings are default anyway.

CMOS is volatile memory, much like RAM, without power it's just empty. Once power is applied, content of BIOS are copied to it and that's where all settings stay and are accessed from. Once power is applied BIOS factory settings for that version are applied until further changes are made.
BIOS is EEPROM type,(Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) which could be reprogrammed (changing versions). Modern have part of it dedicated to "remember" last few settings in CMOS so you can reapply them once power to it is restored. Battery is used only during total shutdown of all power to MB. Battery shelf life (when disconnected/removed) is quite long, up to 10 years or more. You could take it out, store it and reuse it during that time.