3-day old motherboard caught fire after CPU stress test!

[nuggetz87]

Build:
Motherboard - ASRock X99 Extreme4/3.1
CPU - Intel i7-5820k
Cooling - Noctua NH-D15
PSU - Corsair RM1000x
GPU - cheap Nvidia
Memory - G.SKILL Ripjaws 4 series 128GB (8x16GB) DDR4
Storage - Samsung EVO 2.5" 250GB SSD + WD Blue 1TB HD

I built this solely to run RAM-intensive software. Today, after two days of using the software (CPU 90%+ for 0-4 hours) I tried overclocking the CPU.

Stock speed is 3.3Ghz and after reading around, I found that basically any unit can hit 4.3Ghz without running too hot. I ran Prime95 for 4 hours at stock and temp did not go above 56C or so. I decided to start overclocking by trying 4.2Ghz at 1.2 volts core. Ran the stress test again and got a blue screen after a few minutes. Increased to 1.22 volts and tried again. Blue screen again. Increased to 1.24 volts (still significantly below what is considered safe) and tried again. This time, a couple minutes into the test the computer turns off and I hear sizzling, followed by a flame! I unplug the computer and the flame goes out instantly, and the room smells like burning computer. All temperatures were fine during the stress test - the CPU didn't go above 70C.

After my adrenaline levels go back down to normal, I open the case and take a look. I notice the smell is coming from the top of the case, somewhere near the processor/cooling. I remove the Noctua NH-D15, looks fine. Remove the processor, looks fine. Then I open the back of the case and see a burn mark.

Pictures:

Burn mark on the case in the bottom right

Burn mark on the back of the motherboard, left of the screw

Fire seems to have come from one of these little silver pieces

Another angle - burn marks under the first "9" in "X99"

Was this caused by a faulty motherboard? Did the stress test do something to the motherboard? A combination?

All input is appreciated!

 

[MeanMachine41]

Hi nuggetz87. Unfortunately that's a burned resistor and could have taken other components with it.

It's difficult to tell the exact cause without knowing the Voltage and Bios changes made. (What you have described is not excessive). Running P95 for 4hrs especially if unattended could be the cause. One thing for sure, the MB is toast.
I would RMA the MB if it's only 3 days old. Attempting to fix it yourself is not worth it.

 

[nuggetz87]

Hi nuggetz87. Unfortunately that's a burned resistor and could have taken other components with it.

It's difficult to tell the exact cause without knowing the Voltage and Bios changes made. (What you have described is not excessive). Running P95 for 4hrs especially if unattended could be the cause. One thing for sure, the MB is toast.
I would RMA the MB if it's only 3 days old. Attempting to fix it yourself is not worth it.

Thanks for the quick reply.

I guess I'll get the board replaced and test all the components again, and I'll be more careful with stress testing in the future. The two Bios changes I described were the only ones. Any idea which parts are likely to be damaged? The CPU I'm guessing?

 

[MeanMachine41]

Hi nuggetz87. Unfortunately that's a burned resistor and could have taken other components with it.

It's difficult to tell the exact cause without knowing the Voltage and Bios changes made. (What you have described is not excessive). Running P95 for 4hrs especially if unattended could be the cause. One thing for sure, the MB is toast.
I would RMA the MB if it's only 3 days old. Attempting to fix it yourself is not worth it.

Thanks for the quick reply.

I guess I'll get the board replaced and test all the components again, and I'll be more careful with stress testing in the future. The two Bios changes I described were the only ones. Any idea which parts are likely to be damaged? The CPU I'm guessing?

Your not going to know till you replace the MB and hopefully your CPU will be OK.
Your best stress tester will be either AIDA64 which is not so harsh and will also test your subsystems. You can also run Realbench which is a realworld tester and if successful with that test you will be 24/7 stable.

Do not OC till your system is stable at stock frequency and you have some knowledge of your Bios. Most problems with OCing is making arbitrary changes in Bios without knowing the consequence and Over-volting is one.

 

[nuggetz87]

Thanks. I'll update the thread when I get a replacement going.

 

[nuggetz87]

And we're back. All of my parts are fine and the system is running smoothly after a motherboard replacement.

I'm scared to try overclocking again! It should cut my calculation time by around 20%, but I don't even think it's worth it. I don't feel like going through this again!

 

[MeanMachine41]

Thanks for reporting back nuggetz87 and glad its been sorted.

You should not be scared to OC your CPU as the fault was the MB and they would not have replaced it if they thought it was your fault.
Good to here your up and running and if you decide to give OCing a try then were here to help you do it properly.

 

[jsmithepa]

Burn mark indicate top VRMs.

Got one of those IR heat guns? would be curious to see how hot that VRM heatsink gets.

 

[nuggetz87]

Thanks again, MeanMachine. Will continue to update if I decide to OC again.

Burn mark indicate top VRMs.

Got one of those IR heat guns? would be curious to see how hot that VRM heatsink gets.

I do not. Actually had to google 'VRM'. Not much of a hardware guy, which is why I'm so thankful for this forum, haha.