[SOLVED] Motherboard / socket smoke

[atfspectre]

CPU: 9900K w/ Corsair H100i
GPU: MSI 2080 TI Gaming Trio
Mobo: Asus Hero XI
PSU: RM 1000X
RAM: 32GB Vengeance LPX 3200
2tb 860 evo

So I was playing a game and my pc randomly turned off with no error / blue screen. I tried to turn it back on and it would not turn on however all the lights were still on except for the gpu. I took out the gpu and tried to see if I could get it to turn back on but it caused the cpu / waterblock area to smoke up. I cut power and checked for damage on the cpu /socket but it there doesn't seem to be.
Now I am unsure whether this is a motherboard or psu (or even something else) problem. What should be the next steps I take at finding a solution / the faulty part(s)? If I left something out / you need more information, feel free to ask.

 

[Darkbreeze]

How long has it been since you assembled this build and have had it running?

When you removed the graphics card, did you connect the display cable to the motherboard video output before you powered it back on?

What is the missing information, because there is something here that doesn't add up. Either something had to be installed wrong, or the AIO was leaking, or there were bent pins on the CPU, or there was one or more standoffs installed into the case under the motherboard in a place that doesn't line up with any of the standoff holes on the motherboard itself, or something.

Smoke doesn't just start coming out of a system that was running normally, just because you remove the graphics card, unless something else is going on. Not normally. So yes, we need more information.

 

[drivinfast247]

Did you have the PC powered off before removing the GPU?

 

[Darkbreeze]

Did you have the PC powered off before removing the GPU?

Well, yeah, I guess that's a really good question too. LOL.

 

[atfspectre]

How long has it been since you assembled this build and have had it running?

When you removed the graphics card, did you connect the display cable to the motherboard video output before you powered it back on?

What is the missing information, because there is something here that doesn't add up. Either something had to be installed wrong, or the AIO was leaking, or there were bent pins on the CPU, or there was one or more standoffs installed into the case under the motherboard in a place that doesn't line up with any of the standoff holes on the motherboard itself, or something.

Smoke doesn't just start coming out of a system that was running normally, just because you remove the graphics card, unless something else is going on. Not normally. So yes, we need more information.

CPU: 9900K w/ Corsair H100i
GPU: MSI 2080 TI Gaming Trio
Mobo: Asus Hero XI
PSU: RM 1000X
RAM: 32GB Vengeance LPX 3200
2tb 860 evo

So I was playing a game and my pc randomly turned off with no error / blue screen. I tried to turn it back on and it would not turn on however all the lights were still on except for the gpu. I took out the gpu and tried to see if I could get it to turn back on but it caused the cpu / waterblock area to smoke up. I cut power and checked for damage on the cpu /socket but it there doesn't seem to be.
Now I am unsure whether this is a motherboard or psu (or even something else) problem. What should be the next steps I take at finding a solution / the faulty part(s)? If I left something out / you need more information, feel free to ask.

Its been roughly 2 years now I think. Working fine every day since then but randomly today while playing a game it turned off without any error code /screen, it just simply shut off. I tried to turn it back on and it would not power back on. All the lights on the motherboard were still lit up like normal except for the graphics card. So I took it out to see if it would boot without the gpu but it did not. Case / system fans did not spin at all at the power button press however the area near the cpu socket (left side) started to smoke. Since then I have taken out the cpu and can not see any visible signs of damage or bent pins / any damage to the socket.

I do not believe the aio is leaking anywhere. Also, if I did mess up somewhere with the standoffs on the motherboard, wouldn't this problem have occurred a lot earlier? And yes the system was powered off when removing the components. I'm not too sure on what else could be causing it.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Not necessarily. Motherboards come with a protective coating over the traces. Sometimes if a standoff is in the wrong place it takes some time for it to wear through that protective coating due to vibration, and cause a short, etc. So, no, it wouldn't necessarily have had to be an immediate issue. I've seen quite a few systems with a standoff that didn't belong there that didn't have problems until sometime later down the road.

Usually, yes, it will be immediately obvious something isn't right, but not always.

How old is your RM1000x, in years of service?

Given the fact that there was smoke, then there MUST be damage somewhere. I would take a VERY close look at the motherboard. Look at all the caps, where you can see them anyhow. I'd remove the motherboard in order to see the backside of the board and check closely for any burnt, blistered, bubbled, discolored or otherwise abnormal looking areas, especially around the backside of the socket area.

If nothing is visually apparent, then I'd take a look at those standoffs to make sure that there isn't an extra one installed under there at all. There should ONLY be 9 standoffs installed and they should ALL line up exactly with the 9 mounting holes in the motherboard. If that is all there is, with no extras and none in the wrong place, then I'd probably go ahead and test the PSU with a volt meter before trying to bench test the whole thing outside the case.

How To - Motherboard bench testing

Finding the problem through bench testing If you are here then it’s likely you have encountered a serious hardware issue and have been unable to resolve it using the standard no-POST troubleshooting procedures. If you have not yet attempted to resolve your issues using the no-POST...

forums.tomshardware.com

 

[atfspectre]

Not necessarily. Motherboards come with a protective coating over the traces. Sometimes if a standoff is in the wrong place it takes some time for it to wear through that protective coating due to vibration, and cause a short, etc. So, no, it wouldn't necessarily have had to be an immediate issue. I've seen quite a few systems with a standoff that didn't belong there that didn't have problems until sometime later down the road.

Usually, yes, it will be immediately obvious something isn't right, but not always.

How old is your RM1000x, in years of service?

Given the fact that there was smoke, then there MUST be damage somewhere. I would take a VERY close look at the motherboard. Look at all the caps, where you can see them anyhow. I'd remove the motherboard in order to see the backside of the board and check closely for any burnt, blistered, bubbled, discolored or otherwise abnormal looking areas, especially around the backside of the socket area.

If nothing is visually apparent, then I'd take a look at those standoffs to make sure that there isn't an extra one installed under there at all. There should ONLY be 9 standoffs installed and they should ALL line up exactly with the 9 mounting holes in the motherboard. If that is all there is, with no extras and none in the wrong place, then I'd probably go ahead and test the PSU with a volt meter before trying to bench test the whole thing outside the case.

How To - Motherboard bench testing

Finding the problem through bench testing If you are here then it’s likely you have encountered a serious hardware issue and have been unable to resolve it using the standard no-POST troubleshooting procedures. If you have not yet attempted to resolve your issues using the no-POST...

forums.tomshardware.com

Not necessarily. Motherboards come with a protective coating over the traces. Sometimes if a standoff is in the wrong place it takes some time for it to wear through that protective coating due to vibration, and cause a short, etc. So, no, it wouldn't necessarily have had to be an immediate issue. I've seen quite a few systems with a standoff that didn't belong there that didn't have problems until sometime later down the road.

Usually, yes, it will be immediately obvious something isn't right, but not always.

How old is your RM1000x, in years of service?

Given the fact that there was smoke, then there MUST be damage somewhere. I would take a VERY close look at the motherboard. Look at all the caps, where you can see them anyhow. I'd remove the motherboard in order to see the backside of the board and check closely for any burnt, blistered, bubbled, discolored or otherwise abnormal looking areas, especially around the backside of the socket area.

If nothing is visually apparent, then I'd take a look at those standoffs to make sure that there isn't an extra one installed under there at all. There should ONLY be 9 standoffs installed and they should ALL line up exactly with the 9 mounting holes in the motherboard. If that is all there is, with no extras and none in the wrong place, then I'd probably go ahead and test the PSU with a volt meter before trying to bench test the whole thing outside the case.

How To - Motherboard bench testing

Finding the problem through bench testing If you are here then it’s likely you have encountered a serious hardware issue and have been unable to resolve it using the standard no-POST troubleshooting procedures. If you have not yet attempted to resolve your issues using the no-POST...

forums.tomshardware.com

The psu was new just like every component so 2 years. I was planning on testing the psu tomorrow morning as well as a friend recommended checking the vrms as that could be a problem area. I'll be able to take a closer look tomorrow. And on the chance that it is a motherboard error, what are the chances of the cpu being salvaged? Or is that most likely done as well.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Actually, most CPUs are fine when the motherboard fails. Of course it does happen that sometimes the CPU gets smoked when something fails on the motherboard but usually that is only when something directly shorts and pulls too much current through one of the circuits on the CPU. Motherboards and power supplies tend to have pretty good protections on modern models so there's a good chance the CPU is ok, but that should not be taken as a confirmation that it is. I wouldn't count on anything either way until you know for sure.

The thing is, something has to have been pretty "wrong" for that to have happened in the first place. Magic smoke doesn't get released without there being a good reason for it.

I would check ALL of the wiring coming from the power supply to the motherboard and other hardware. That is the MOST likely culprit when there is smoke, due to the insulation on the wiring. But capacitors, traces on the motherboard and any electronic components really, can all smoke if they get hot enough. And by hot enough, I mean when there is a direct short of some kind. Smoke doesn't appear unless something shorts out.