New Build Question.

[Gazza]

Hi,
I have what may be daft question, but it's something I have never done, so I thought i'd ask before I do something stoopid.

I have just started getting the bits and pieces together for my new PC. I haven't built one for a few years and so i'm playing catch up, and because my wife would have kittens if she really know how much I was spending on it i'm forced into buying my kit bit by bit, a couple of pieces every month.

So far I have only purchased the case & mobo and now I have enough money for the PSU and it might be a while before I have the money for the Processor & Fan.

In the past I have always just gone out and purchased all my kit at once and whacked it all together in one go...and in a way the fact that I can't do this is my problem.

I'm a worrier and I have been looking at my motherboard for a couple of weeks and worrying that by the time I get round to getting everything else that I would normally hook up before the first power up then I may well have had the mobo 3-4 months and if there is a problem with it then I may have problems sending it back as I have been sitting on it for so long..albeit unused.

To get to the point (finally!) I did have the bright idea that if I purchased the PSU this week then I could at least power up the mobo and see if erm..any LED's on the board light up..(i'm not really sure of the point but at least i'll see power running to it! - lol) and it'll make sure the PSU fires up too.

So my question is, Is powering up just a mobo with nothing else attached ok to do?? I have never considered doing it before and I'm obviously not using the right phrase when Googling it either 'cos I can't find any advice!

Will anything (bad!) happen? - I'm sure I remember reading somewhere years ago that you shouldn't use your PSU unless it's going to be running under some kind of real load (i.e. Processor & Fan) but I might have imagined it.

I don't want to screw up a £200+ mobo or psu because I'm prone to fretting but the only other option I can think of is Divorce...and I think I'd probably end up with less cash anyway..

hehe..I didn't really wanna ask..it's probably just pointing out how thick i am.

[shaithis]

Nothing bad should happen but I doubt you would learn anything from doing it either.

[vinnyT]

Don't worry about the psu load thing, I've started psus' before by using a paperclip to make the connection, the mobo should be absolutely fine.