Question Did my cheap PSU burn my 24-pin connector?

[andres3211]

Hello, recently I bought some new components to upgrade my PC: new MOBO, CPU and RAM. I decided to keep a ~2 years old tacens radix Eco 750w PSU that I had been using with my old setup. Bad idea, but it worked like a charm during the first day.

The next day, I was enjoying Forza Horizon 4 and my computer suddenly shut down. The power button didn't work for around 20 minutes, and it was really hot. I assumed that it overheated, since the hot air was leaving the case pointing towards wood furniture with a very narrow space above, my fault. I didn't see any physical damage so I moved the computer to the cold floor so it could breath properly.

The next day, the computer's temperature was controlled: my 1050ti GPU didn't get hotter than 60°, and the CPU was also reporting a nice temperature. The case wasn't hot either.

So, the problem is that it started to restart without any reason. The screen just went black and it started up again with the windows login screen. This happened after a few minutes of gaming under 80% CPU load, but it also happened while browsing the web. I formatted my PC, just in case something was wrong with the old drivers, but the problem didn't disappear.

After confirming that it was a hardware problem, I disconnected the 24-pin connector and saw this... Probably the high temperatures of the day before burnt a part of the connector (I have checked my old motherboard and it is absolutely clean, so I'm 99% sure that it happened during the overheat). The new motherboard's pin is dark, compared to the brilliant 23 pins remaining.

I already ordered a Corsair reliable PSU, but I don't know if I should clean the motherboard's pin before connecting the new PSU. Can it burn the new PSU? Should I use Isopropyl alcohol with the pin? How should I clean it before connecting the new PSU?

I attached some images of the burnt PSU and the motherboard. I checked the rest of the pins and they aren't burnt, it's only one of them. Could I go through RMA with a burnt pin? The motherboard is barely a few days old.

Thank you so much for your time.

https://ibb.co/wWZc4t5

IMG-20190822-135846 hosted at ImgBB

Image IMG-20190822-135846 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

https://ibb.co/TWYBtHH

 

[Lutfij]

When posting a thread of troubleshooting nature, it's customary to include your full system's specs. List them like so:
CPU:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS:

Burn damages are usually factors that void your RMA. So my answer would be no. You will need to talk to the manufacturer of the board as well as the seller from whom you purchased the board from. Now would be a very good time to buy a reliably built PSU and learn your lesson the hard way if RMA doesn't go through.

 

[jay32267]

I don't think the lack of venting caused the melting of the connector directly.

What caused that to melt is either too much current or a bad connection.

Two things could cause too much current.....high voltage on the 12V rail of the PSU or a faulty motherboard.

One thing to try would be to power up the PSU with nothing connected and measure the voltage on the 12V rail. If it's above 12.6V you have a PSU problem.

If it's between 11.4V and 12.6V.....it either went high and came back down or I think you have a motherboard problem.....or it was a bad connection to begin with.

 

[andres3211]

I don't think the lack of venting caused the melting of the connector directly.

What caused that to melt is either too much current or a bad connection.

Two things could cause too much current.....high voltage on the 12V rail of the PSU or a faulty motherboard.

One thing to try would be to power up the PSU with nothing connected and measure the voltage on the 12V rail. If it's above 12.6V you have a PSU problem.

If it's between 11.4V and 12.6V.....it either went high and came back down or I think you have a motherboard problem.....or it was a bad connection to begin with.

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Motherboard: MSI B450 Gaming Plus
Ram: Corsair Vengeance 2x8GB 3200MHz cl16
SSD/HDD: 120GB Crucial SSD, 1TB WD Green HDD 7200RPM
GPU: NVIDIA GTX 1050ti 4GB
PSU: Tacens Radix Eco II 750W --> Corsair CX550M
Chassis: Nox Infinity Atom
OS: Windows 10 Pro x64

I forgot to add that I connected the 4+4 CPU connector wrong. Instead of joining them into a 8 pin, then plugging it in, I connected them separately. It was really tough to unplug it, since it was stuck, but the pins were clean. Maybe it caused the problem in the 24 pin. I already put the 4+4cpin cables together and plug the 8 pin properly, but the problem was still there. Thanks again.

 

[jay32267]

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Motherboard: MSI B450 Gaming Plus
Ram: Corsair Vengeance 2x8GB 3200MHz cl16
SSD/HDD: 120GB Crucial SSD, 1TB WD Green HDD 7200RPM
GPU: NVIDIA GTX 1050ti 4GB
PSU: Tacens Radix Eco II 750W --> Corsair CX550M
Chassis: Nox Infinity Atom
OS: Windows 10 Pro x64

I forgot to add that I connected the 4+4 CPU connector wrong. Instead of joining them into a 8 pin, then plugging it in, I connected them separately. It was really tough to unplug it, since it was stuck, but the pins were clean. Maybe it caused the problem in the 24 pin. I already put the 4+4cpin cables together and plug the 8 pin properly, but the problem was still there. Thanks again.

Then I think it's possible you might have fried the motherboard.

Here's why.

The CPU connector has both ground and 12V terminals.

If you put it in wrong....a ground probably connected to where 12V should have been.

This would probably have let a ton of current through the motherboard because now you have a short.....12V to ground.

If you still have the problem of restarting without any reason.....with all the plugs connected correctly....I'd lean on that the MB is toast.

I think the old PSU might be OK....if it is short circuit protected.

 

[andres3211]

Then I think it's possible you might have fried the motherboard.

Here's why.

The CPU connector has both ground and 12V terminals.

If you put it in wrong....a ground probably connected to where 12V should have been.

This would probably have let a ton of current through the motherboard because now you have a short.....12V to ground.

If you still have the problem of restarting without any reason.....with all the plugs connected correctly....I'd lean on that the MB is toast.

I think the old PSU might be OK....if it is short circuit protected.

Well, the old PSU was a cheap one, and I didn't read any good things about Tacens PSUs online. I couldn't afford anything more expensive than 30€ when I bought it, since my old PSU died after 10 years and I had to replace it. I'd bet that it isn't short circuit protected. Moreover, the 24 pin cable looks burnt. The motherboard pin that looks blackish is the "+13V" one iirc.

Moreover, the PSU 4+4 pin was connected where it should be. The problem is that they didn't fit well at all because I didn't put the 4+4 cable together by sliding it with the little mechanism that it has, so it could have been loose. Nonetheless, the position of the connectors was correct.

I will receive the new reliable PSU today. Should I connect it to the PC and test it for a while? In case it restarts, it would be within a few minutes. Could I also damage my new PSU by doing this? I don't have any tool to measure the voltage either. Thank you so much.

 

[jay32267]

Not sure why that pin says +13V are you sure the 3 is not a 2?

If the 4x4 was oriented correctly and not turned on a 90 or something like that....I don't understand why it was so hard to unplug....which is why I assumed you didn't have it oriented correctly.

When you get the Corsair....I would try it because.....what else is there to do other than replace the MB?

Also....I imagine you won't hurt the Corsair if there indeed is a short.

 

[andres3211]

Not sure why that pin says +13V are you sure the 3 is not a 2?

If the 4x4 was oriented correctly and not turned on a 90 or something like that....I don't understand why it was so hard to unplug....which is why I assumed you didn't have it oriented correctly.

When you get the Corsair....I would try it because.....what else is there to do other than replace the MB?

Also....I imagine you won't hurt the Corsair if there indeed is a short.

I meant to write +12V, sorry. The problem with the 4+4 pin was that, instead of sliding them together to create an 8 pin, I plugged them separately: first I plugged one 4 pin, then another one next to it. Since they weren't connected as a "8 pin unit", it just wouldn't come out. That bad connection is the only reason that I can find to the motherboard being burnt. I still don't understand why would it burn the 24 pin connector rather than the 4+4 pin connector, since the last one is the one that I didn't plug properly.

 

[jay32267]

It may have been something with the pin socket connection.
It's hard to say....but it does seem odd.

 

[andres3211]

It may have been something with the pin socket connection.
It's hard to say....but it does seem odd.

I think the same. Amazon emailed me because the delivery will be delayed and I will receive the new PSU tomorrow. I will post any news if the problem is still happening, thank you all for the help!

 

[jay32267]

You're welcome.