[SOLVED] Can a PSU kill a GPU? (Please, help!)

[sammael1984]

Hello, guys;

My GPU died on me exactly one year ago. Here are my specs:

Processor: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0 GHz Quad-Core Processor
Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE
MOBO: Gigabyte GA-Z97MX-Gaming
Memory: 16.0GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 799MHz
Hard Drive: 1TB Western Digital WDC (SATA )
SSD: Samsung SSD 850 EVO 120GB
GPU: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 4GB (Fried)
PSU: EVGA 850 G2 80 Plus Gold
OS: Windows 10
Case: NZXT H440

A couple of weeks before my GPU completely gave up on me (about a year ago), I noticed a burning smell and a little bit of smoke coming out from the GPU. I immediately turned the PC off and left it like that for a couple of hours. When I turned it back on, I tried to play some games and everything seemed fine. In my ignorance, I thought some "dust" had entered the "hot part" of the GPU and it burned it, and that's why I saw the smoke and noticed the burning smell. Two weeks from there, the GPU completely died. I pulled it off the system and I cleaned it as best as I could. I put it back into the system, and it immediately short-circuited and more smoke came out. At that point, I just gave up and put away the GPU.

My system is now almost seven years old, and it is working "just fine".

I paid a lot for the new GPU (3070 Ti), and I don't want to plug it in and have it fried like my old GPU.

I'm not going to lie, it's been ages since I put my current rig together.

Please do me solid, guys. I really need a lot of help here.

Is there a way to determine for sure that my PSU is working fine and that my old GPU just happened to die by "natural" causes?

Is there a way to know if something else killed my old GPU other than my current PSU?

I have my PC connected to a power surge protector. I recently bought a new one just in case the old one was faulty. Aren't those supposed to protect my PC from a power surge? Isn't there something that should protect the PC components built-in in a "decent" PSU these days?

Is this PSU enough for my system?

Do I REALLY have to buy a new PSU just in case? Is my PSU "dangerously" old?

I'm not very smart, guys. I admit it. I could REALLY use your help.

Sincerely;

Paul

 

[DRagor]

I would not risk it. Considering the price you had to pay for 3070ti it surely deserves new, rock solid PSU. Not that G2 was bad model, but after 7 years it won't be as good as it was. It's not even a matter of if G2 fried your old GPU or not (probably not) - but you surely want to sleep well knowing you did all to protect your new expensive (and hard to get) component.

 

[Satan-IR]

The 3000 series cards are quite demanding in terms of power consumption and have large power spikes. For that card I'd use a good quality 750W or even a 850W PSU. Like Corsair RM750x or RM850x.

I personally wouldn't trust a 7 year old PSU (any brand model PSU) to run a brand new demanding expensive graphics card like a 3070Ti.

On a different note that CPU and your old system/platform would really hold your GPU back in games. The GPU's potential performance would be wasted with that CPU/platform. I would pair that GPU with the likes of a i7 12700K and 16-32GB DDR4 RAM. Last but no the least a very good 750-850W PSU.

Is there a way to determine for sure that my PSU is working fine and that my old GPU just happened to die by "natural" causes?

Not really unless some qualified and equipped person examines it and might be able to guess what killed the card.

Is this PSU enough for my system?

A 7 year old PSU with a 3070Ti? No I wouldn't say it's good enough anymore.

 

[Wolfshadw]

I would probably pull the new GPU from the system and then use a combination of programs to test the system.
I'd use a CPU Stress Test program like GIMPS to push your system and HWMonitor to watch the power supply voltages to make sure they stay within 5% of expected values (+12v, +5v, +3.3v).

While I'd also tend to agree with the previous posters in that you have a brand new (and quite expensive) piece of hardware, not sure I'd want to trust it to a seven year old PSU.

-Wolf sends

 

[sammael1984]

The 3000 series cards are quite demanding in terms of power consumption and have large power spikes. For that card I'd use a good quality 750W or even a 850W PSU. Like Corsair RM750x or RM850x.

I personally wouldn't trust a 7 year old PSU (any brand model PSU) to run a brand new demanding expensive graphics card like a 3070Ti.

On a different note that CPU and your old system/platform would really hold your GPU back in games. The GPU's potential performance would be wasted with that CPU/platform. I would pair that GPU with the likes of a i7 12700K and 16-32GB DDR4 RAM. Last but no the least a very good 750-850W PSU.

Not really unless some qualified and equipped person examines it and might be able to guess what killed the card.


A 7 year old PSU with a 3070Ti? No I wouldn't say it's good enough anymore.

Hey, Satan;

I really appreciate the time you took to answer my questions. I'm not gonna lie, man, buying the GPU already put me way beyond my budget, but I will definitely upgrade the MOBO and de CPU as soon as I can financially afford it. Regarding the PSU, I guess I will have to bite the bullet and just buy a new one, just to have some peace of mind, brother. This is gonna hurt, but you are right. Why risk it, right?

One final question, though. Do you think I could get by with a 650w PSU? If not, can you recommend a reasonably "good" PSU that will not break the bank?

Thanks, man.

Mod Edit - Content

 

[Satan-IR]

Hey, Satan;

I really appreciate the time you took to answer my questions. I'm not gonna lie, man, buying the GPU already put me way beyond my budget, but I will definitely upgrade the MOBO and de CPU as soon as I can financially afford it. Regarding the PSU, I guess I will have to bite the bullet and just buy a new one, just to have some peace of mind, brother. This is gonna hurt, but you are right. Why risk it, right?

One final question, though. Do you think I could get by with a 650w PSU? If not, can you recommend a reasonably "good" PSU that will not break the bank?

Thanks, man.

Mod Edit - Content

Yes I wouldn't really risk it either with what graphcis cards prices are like. I wouldn't run a 3070Ti with anything less than a good quality 850W PSU, considering there's a platform upgrade in future. A good 850W unit with 10 years of warranty would power your GPU and prospective new platform MOBO+CPU+RAM for a good 6-7 years.

Of course it all depends on games you play, resolution and refresh rate you want and graphics settings and so on but with that card paired with good capable CPU I'd say you're OK for gaming for maybe 3-4 years to come.

No, personally, I would not power a 3070Ti with a 650W PSU.

I'm not sure how much would or wouldn't break the bank but SeaSonic focus or prime series or Corsair RMx, RMi, HX, HXi, AX or AXi are good. The Thermaltake Toughpower GF1 850W is a good unit too Tom's review of it is here. Again I won't go below a good 850W unit. I suggest you see if others have any input as well.