Question Is it safe to replace burnt GPU? (PSU might be at fault)

[wondra2]

I have simple but tricky question - is it safe to replace burnt GPU when PSU might have been what burnt it? Or are there any precautions when doing so? A bit of backstory/troubleshooting timeline
1. all screens went back during game load, all fans started to spin at max speed
2. next boot reached desktop, but after a few seconds PC turned off
3. after that, power button is no longer does anything (no beep, BOOT led nor any of the fault leds light up, fans do not spin, no DP signal)
4. disconnected all peripherals but keyboard and a monitor, no luck
5. removed GPU power cables (left sloted in in PC, not really sure why, dont ask), turned on. Result: sparks and smoke from GPU
6. unsloted, now burnt, GPU and connected monitor to motherboard DP, PC boots as normal
when I get a new GPU, can I just put it back in the PC, or are there any precautions/steps I can do to ensure the new one isnt sent to the silicon heaven right away?

 

[zinkles]

The fact that Smoke came out of the GPU is concerning, it could have been a short circuit. If you could verify that its due to a short circuit, (you see a black area or a place that is burnt, then you can partially verify that the GPU wasn't burnt because of a PSU fault, and prolly due to some internal cause of the GPU)

Because the PC is working fine (assuming its stable under some load) when the GPU is not there, the PSU is presumably ok.

Just make sure your new GPU can be powered by your PSU, because if the PSU cant deliver the recommended wattage for the GPU it could cause more issues.

Note that this is just some information, and NOT advice. I wont be responsible for anything. The best thing to do is to take it to a physical computer shop rather than resorting to online forums Hope everything works out!

 

[Moonstick2]

If I'm reading this correctly, you disconnected the power cables from the graphics card while the PSU was still connected to power and switched on, resulting in sparks and smoke.

There's the possibility that the cables have also damaged as a result. I wouldn't risk plugging them into a new card. Buy new, official cables for your PSU if those cables are modular (can be unplugged from the PSU and replaced). If they're not modular then unfortunately you should replace the PSU as well.

 

[wondra2]

If I'm reading this correctly, you disconnected the power cables from the graphics card while the PSU was still connected to power and switched on, resulting in sparks and smoke.

Sorry for the ambiguity - no, the PSU was not on when I unplugged the GPU power cables. Everything was disconnected, including the monitor (switch on extension chord). There were sparks only after I plugged in the PC and pushed start button.

 

[wondra2]

The fact that Smoke came out of the GPU is concerning, it could have been a short circuit. If you could verify that its due to a short circuit, (you see a black area or a place that is burnt, then you can partially verify that the GPU wasn't burnt because of a PSU fault, and prolly due to some internal cause of the GPU)

Because the PC is working fine (assuming its stable under some load) when the GPU is not there, the PSU is presumably ok.

Just make sure your new GPU can be powered by your PSU, because if the PSU cant deliver the recommended wattage for the GPU it could cause more issues.

Thank you for your reply, the GPU is not visibly burnt (that is on the visible surface), but most of it is covered by heatsink/fans/backplate. The sparks looked like they originated from roughly the area where power cables come in, it didnt look like from the chip or output areas. Will have to take it apart to check. Still smells like hell, even after hours since it burned.

Luckily, the PSU has more than enough headroom - it was too much actually for the GTX 1080 I had. Origianlly, I inteded to buy RTX 4080 but because its rather unconvincing series I decided to skip it, looks like I will be forced to anyway...

 

[zinkles]

The sparks looked like they originated from roughly the area where power cables come in

Dang... Seems like where the GPU takes power these probably has been a short-circuit. Maybe something unavoidable happened, like the contacts were shorted by dust (yes, that does happen sometimes).

So far, it seems like a short-circuit, so plugging in another power supply wont be an issue. (I can say that a bit more confidently now)

Since the short has happened near the power input, next time be sure to check for lose cables regularly. A lose cable can cause these types of things to happen near the place where the GPU takes in power. Dust is also an enemy, cleaning the GPU carefully is recommended, when its a bit dusty.

Hope everything works out!

 

[wondra2]

Since the short has happened near the power input, next time be sure to check for lose cables regularly. A lose cable can cause these types of things to happen near the place where the GPU takes in power. Dust is also an enemy, cleaning the GPU carefully is recommended, when its a bit dusty.

Hope everything works out!

Thinking about it, the cables for GPU were a bit tight - not to the point of bend or using force, but it was to the last millimetre, I coundnt have used the other PCIe slot.
Its an inverted case (glass on right, rather than left), and the manufaturer seems to have overlooked cable length, even though it was marketed as such. Chose both case and PSU same brand for this exact reason, and it was really tight in some spots anyway.

 

[DSzymborski]

What *was* the PSU?

 

[wondra2]

What *was* the PSU?

Be quiet! Dark Power 12 (850W)