New (and first) Build - Ticking/Spark Noises then Smoke

[WhatsGoingOn]

I just finished finally building my first PC, however when I went to power it on to test the BIOS (GPU wasn't installed) I instantly heard ticking and spark sounds. Soon enough my computer turned itself off and tons of white smoke was pouring out of the computer, then a strong smell of burning plastic/electrical fire smoke. I left the side panels off and remember seeing it coming from the PSU. I've opened up the computer and the majority of the smell seems to be coming from the PSU; however I found the build difficult and it could be a number of other things:

I scratched the motherboard when fitting heatsink.
I potentially shorted the HDD.
Optical drive is slightly loose in drive bay.

There are no signs of damage on the motherboard.

Can anyone help? My PSU is a Corsair CX430, CPU i3-6100, Gigabyte GA-H110M-S2H, Western Digital SATA 320GB Caviar Blue.

EDIT: My PSU cooler is one made for an i5 1150 socket but I did research online and it says it should work fine.

 

[helpstar]

Optical drive is not your problem

how did you shorten the hdd?

do you see scratches that are as deep as the copper ? shouldn´t be a problem, because you would have cut a wire and not shorten it.

which cpu cooler is it? base plate changed?
the cx430 is crap, exchange it with a psu listed in the psu tier list in this forum. Look for tier 1 to 3.

Did you install spacers in the correct places between case and motherboard?

 

[WhatsGoingOn]

Optical drive is not your problem

how did you shorten the hdd?

do you see scratches that are as deep as the copper ? shouldn´t be a problem, because you would have cut a wire and not shorten it.

which cpu cooler is it? base plate changed?
the cx430 is crap, exchange it with a psu listed in the psu tier list in this forum. Look for tier 1 to 3.

Did you install spacers in the correct places between case and motherboard?

The mounting on my case is awkward and I dropped the HDD on my knee when installing. I managed to grab it before it hit the floor so one of my hands may have touched the circuit underneath.

They are pretty deep but I'm not sure if they cut through the copper or not as the board is black.

The cooler is an intel stock one, made for a 1150.

The standoffs were pre-installed and fit my motherboard however one is missing because there isn't a standoff in the required position. The motherboard doesn't touch the case though.

I have heard the PSU is bad but surely it shouldn't just not work at all and start smoking...

Where should I go from here?

EDIT: I did the paperclip test on the PSU and it powers on but only for a second or so before turning itself off. What could this mean?

 

[helpstar]

Dead on arrival is not uncommon in the electronics sector.

unplug all but the power button from the case, the cpu fan, the 24pin main power connector, the 4+4Pin ATX12V plugs, the monitor cable in the motherboard, CPU and one ram stick

 

[USAFRet]

Where should I go from here?

EDIT: I did the paperclip test on the PSU and it powers on but only for a second or so before turning itself off. What could this mean?

Replace the PSU. It is dead.
Hopefully, it didn't kill anything else.

 

[WhatsGoingOn]

Dead on arrival is not uncommon in the electronics sector.

unplug all but the power button from the case, the cpu fan, the 24pin main power connector, the 4+4Pin ATX12V plugs, the monitor cable in the motherboard, CPU and one ram stick

I just opened up the case again to install a new PSU and noticed there's a burn mark by the USB 3 connector. It looks like a blister/bubble rather than a mark on the motherboard. I didn't use it as part of my build. It doesn't go through to the back of the board, however there is a copper wire exposed. What should I do now?

 

[WhatsGoingOn]

Where should I go from here?

EDIT: I did the paperclip test on the PSU and it powers on but only for a second or so before turning itself off. What could this mean?

Replace the PSU. It is dead.
Hopefully, it didn't kill anything else.

I just opened up the case again to install a new PSU and noticed there's a burn mark by the USB 3 connector. It looks like a blister/bubble rather than a mark on the motherboard. I didn't use it as part of my build. It doesn't go through to the back of the board, however there is a copper wire exposed. What should I do now?

 

[USAFRet]

On the motherboard, a burn mark and copper exposed?
Then the motherboard might also be toast.

 

[WhatsGoingOn]

On the motherboard, a burn mark and copper exposed?
Then the motherboard might also be toast.

In that case I'll RMA. Another two days wasted on this build.

 

[USAFRet]

On the motherboard, a burn mark and copper exposed?
Then the motherboard might also be toast.

In that case I'll RMA. Another two days wasted on this build.

Warranty probably does not cover being smoked by something else.

 

[helpstar]

could you take some pictures of your build? upload them to an image hoster and post the link/s.

Is something inside the connector of the usb ports?

Was a thunder storm while the motherboard was plugged in the wall socket?

while disassembling, be extremely careful with the CPU. The socket pins of the motherboard could bent. Secure the socket with the delivered plastic cover before packaging.

 

[WhatsGoingOn]

To conclude for future searches/builders:

Looks like the PSU blew up and burned out the motherboard. Replaced both and now currently installing Windows with no problems. Didn't damage any other component (e.g. RAM, HDD). A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to my thread.