I’m currently waiting for all the components for my PC upgrade to arrive. Got the motherboard today and immediately upon opening, I noticed that the CMOS battery was not in its slot but just kind of next to it loose on top of the board. The slot seems fine, it seems to fit securely in there. No scratches on the board either. But now I’m a bit worried - could the battery have shorted something on the motherboard? It holds a charge after all. What do you think - should I return it for a new one untested or are the chances of the battery harming anything so miniscule that I should just go for it and use it in my build?
Batteries are sometimes shipped with those little plastic tabs that prevent the connection (so the battery won’t drain whilst it’s sitting in the warehouse). Could they ship the battery as you found it because of that?
Bios batteries almost never come with those because they have a 10+year lifetime.
Good point. I haven’t bought a motherboard in a while but must admit I don’t remember ever having the CMOS battery separate.