Windows 7: Bench Test

Hopefully, the RAM will arrive tomorrow, so that I can bench test the components for my new build. Since I'm not certain that I have a good video card in the closet to test with, and this motherboard does have onboard graphics, I thought that I would use that instead, but since I have never used onboard graphics previously, I just wanted to know that it should display the BIOS screen, without any video driver installed (which would not be possible until the OS is installed)?



EDIT: A side question is what the quality of the onboard graphics for an Asus M4A89GTD motherboard is? I will use my EVGA GTX460 SC for normal use, but I'm curious as to how well onboard graphics (ATI Radeon HD 4290) would compare, for use as a backup?

Yes, onboard video card without any drivers will show the POST screen and the BIOS screen.

There really won't be much comparison. The stand alone card should demolish it.

On-board 4290 compared to the GTX460 is like comparing a single speed bicycle to a new Harley Davidson you cant compare them. Go with the 460 and never look back.

I thought that would be the answer in terms of performance comparisons, but I was thinking about once when a computer salesman told me that onboard graphics were nothing like they used to be, and did excellently. Of course, the only thing that I really believed that he wanted a sale.

Hi seekermeister,

If you've included an SSD in your new rig, I'd hold off benching or tweeking Windows for a day or so.

No SSD, but the benching that I was speaking of had nothing to do with any kind of drive or OS, just insuring that the components that I received are okay, before commencing the actual build.

I just finished bench testing the components, and I'm not getting any video signal from either the onboard graphics or an old 7800GTX OC that I dug out of the closet. However, the power supply that I have for testing purposes doesn't have a 6 pin connector to attach to the back of the video card. I'm not positive, but even without that power connection, I should still be getting some kind of signal output...shouldn't I?

EDIT: Now that I think about it, if that power connection isn't made, in the past, that would set off an audible alarm, which it now doesn't do. Assuming that the card isn't defective, that also would indicate that the motherboard was no good, would it not?

Since I received no response to my last post, I have assumed that there was no accurate answer possible. Therefore, on the basis that the video signal failed on the on-board GPU, that was sufficient to determine that the motherboard is faulty, and requested an RMA for an exchange.

It is not conclusive since the box was never sealed, but the facts that the front closure flap on the box was partially pulled out on arrival, and that one of the pins on a chassis fan connector was bent at a 45 degree angle, that it indicated that I was sent a previously returned motherboard, rather than a truly new one. Being the weekend, I suspect that I won't get a response til Monday, and the exchange time will probably take a couple of weeks, I hope that I'm right, and that the problem is not the CPU or RAM, however from past experience, I consider that to be a less likely probability. Eventually, I will get the new build up and running.

You may have already, but take the video card out and try with just the onboard graphics. Most of the boards I have used with onboard are set in bios to pcie rather than on board. Without a pcie card installed, they automatically default to onboard. With a pcie card, they default to the pcie card, however without the power connections, the card probably will not be functional. At least that is what I think.

And to answer your first question, without drivers the onboard should work with no problem.

Yes, that is the way that I tried it first, with no video card installed. I only tried using a video card to double check the problem.