CMOS Battery on ASUS Strix Z270H

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SirLordDrB

Member
Just recently in the last day or two I have noticed my PC date and time has started to become wrong, there is an odd slight delay often when first booting my PC and just today it refused to shutdown until it had been on for sometime (and after a restart). I had my PC since spring 2017.

I suspect it may be the CMOS battery dying. However I have never done this before and also it appears to be situated directly behind my GTX1080Ti Graphics card meaning I can't see exactly what type of battery it is (Is it a CR2032?). Furthermore this means I may have to remove my GPU simply to access the Battery, which seems like a poor design to me. I possess a couple of anti-static wrist bands but I'm not too happy about having to physically handle delicate expensive components.

Also it then seems as if there is more to it than simply swapping a new battery in and taking the old one out. Is this correct?
 
ubuysa

ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
Wear the ESD bands, proceed slowly, methodically and carefully and you'll find that removing the graphics card isn't as scary as you first thought. :)

The location of the CMOS battery is often a case of where there's space rather than making it easy to get at. On laptops you sometimes have to almost dismantle the machine to get at them.

If you suspect the CMOS battery, or even if you're just getting strange things happen, such as those you mention, it's always a good idea to replace the CMOS battery before trying any other troubleshooting. From what you've said my guess would be that the battery likely does need replacing. Most batteries that I've seen are CR2032 types and cost very little.

Carefully note the polarity of the existing battery, take a photo of it to be sure and check that you can identify which way up your new battery should go. You can simply remove the old battery with your fingers, there is nothing toxic on them, but don't touch the new battery with your fingers, use a soft cloth to hold the new battery when inserting it. The acids and oils on your fingers can be harmful to the battery. Make sure it's the right way up and properly inserted before replacing your graphics card. :)
 
S

SirLordDrB

Member
ubuysa said:
Wear the ESD bands, proceed slowly, methodically and carefully and you'll find that removing the graphics card isn't as scary as you first thought. :)

The location of the CMOS battery is often a case of where there's space rather than making it easy to get at. On laptops you sometimes have to almost dismantle the machine to get at them.

If you suspect the CMOS battery, or even if you're just getting strange things happen, such as those you mention, it's always a good idea to replace the CMOS battery before trying any other troubleshooting. From what you've said my guess would be that the battery likely does need replacing. Most batteries that I've seen are CR2032 types and cost very little.

Carefully note the polarity of the existing battery, take a photo of it to be sure and check that you can identify which way up your new battery should go. You can simply remove the old battery with your fingers, there is nothing toxic on them, but don't touch the new battery with your fingers, use a soft cloth to hold the new battery when inserting it. The acids and oils on your fingers can be harmful to the battery. Make sure it's the right way up and properly inserted before replacing your graphics card. :)
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Thanks for the reply. As for the cloth, would a glasses lens cleaning cloth be ok for handling the battery?
 
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