[SOLVED] 980 Ti causing PSU fuse to pop.

[electro_neanderthal]

Basically, my brother-in-law's MSI GTX 980 Ti Gaming 6GB prevents his PC from booting. So, I took it in and am trying to diagnose it.

What I found out so far in my test PC:
- Connecting no external power (relying only on the PCIe slot), the PC boots and the graphics card fans spin; logo light also turns on.
- Connecting only the innermost 8-pin power connector allows the PC to boot and the graphics card fans spin; logo light also turns on.
- Connecting the outermost 8-pin power connector, whether by itself, or with the other 8-pin, prevents the PC from booting. Furthermore, it flips the internal fuse on my PSU, forcing me to reset it by toggling the switch.

So, I want to see if I can fix it, but without wiring schematics, that's like finding a needle in a haystack. My next best option is hoping someone else knows what component causes this via experience or if a company rep sees this post and can give me a likely cause.

I know the card is out of warranty, and money is tight, so unless it's cheap (less than $50 including shipping), sending it in for repair isn't an option. I also understand any advice I choose to take is on me, not the advice giver. So I'd appreciate any clue and accompanying values that I can test and verify.

I know this is a long shot, as it's a very specific unknown (and there's only so much one can do over the internet), but I'm trying all avenues just in case.

 

[daswilhelm]

Are you absolutely sure its out of warranty? My 980ti still has warranty through the end of this month, as they were released June 2015. Depending on when it was shipped, you might still have some time left. Even more time if you can prove date of original purchase.

 

[electro_neanderthal]

Are you absolutely sure its out of warranty? My 980ti still has warranty through the end of this month, as they were released June 2015. Depending on when it was shipped, you might still have some time left. Even more time if you can prove date of original purchase.

He bought it from Ebay used, so I'm pretty sure it's out of warranty. Unless you don't need a receipt or to be the original purchaser? The warranty sticker is untouched.

 

[Rogue Leader]

I would take the cooler off and look for burns on the board. IF its a capacitor and you are REALLY good with a soldiering iron you can maybe replace it yourself. Anything else, forget it.

 

[electro_neanderthal]

I would take the cooler off and look for burns on the board. IF its a capacitor and you are REALLY good with a soldiering iron you can maybe replace it yourself. Anything else, forget it.

Well, I'm pretty sure it's not a capacitor (based on how they work and the nature of the issue at hand), but it's something I'll try if we can't get this warranty thing to work. For all I know, the original owner registered it and we might be able to take advantage of that... maybe. I've seen a manufacturer do something similar before... but it depends on how far MSI will go to warranty their product. And trying is the only way to find out.

 

[daswilhelm]

Contact the cards manufacturer and request an RMA, they will know the date it was shipped and will let you know about warranty status. I would do this asap, then go from there if not under warranty.

 

[Rogue Leader]

I would take the cooler off and look for burns on the board. IF its a capacitor and you are REALLY good with a soldiering iron you can maybe replace it yourself. Anything else, forget it.

Well, I'm pretty sure it's not a capacitor (based on how they work and the nature of the issue at hand), but it's something I'll try if we can't get this warranty thing to work. For all I know, the original owner registered it and we might be able to take advantage of that... maybe. I've seen a manufacturer do something similar before... but it depends on how far MSI will go to warranty their product. And trying is the only way to find out.

Yes if you plan to try to warranty is, taking it apart would be a bad idea.

 

[electro_neanderthal]

Contact the cards manufacturer and request an RMA, they will know the date it was shipped and will let you know about warranty status. I would do this asap, then go from there if not under warranty.

To my surprise, MSI agreed to fix it. They replaced it with a 1070ti (iirc). Thanks. Also, sorry for the late update. I had forgotten about this thread

 

[Rogue Leader]

To my surprise, MSI agreed to fix it. They replaced it with a 1070ti (iirc). Thanks. Also, sorry for the late update. I had forgotten about this thread

Glad it was resolved!

 

[DSzymborski]

Glad the story had a happy ending! MSI, like EVGA, tends to be quite good at this sort of thing. My last GPU fail (1070) also resulted in a 1070 Ti, which is a nice little upgrade.