Question New PC shutdown, Spark & Pop from CPU/GPU area, no smell then restarted without problem

[Theo Matthews]

As I started up my first game today, within 5 minutes my pc shutdown then proceeded to spark and pop from around the CPU/GPU area. There was no smell whatsoever and the PC restarted without issue and no errors appeared in windows once I was logged in. Using windows normally there has been no issues and it's been running for multiple hours yesterday and today. I can only deduct that it's going to happen again under medium / heavy load.

I've built a few PCs in the past without issue but actually troubleshooting hardware problem I'm at a loss with so I'm hoping to get some help from you guys.

I can't be sure if it was from the CPU or GPU but it 100% was not from the PSU area. The specs are as followed

CPU - i3-12100F & Stock Cooler
GPU - MSI Gaming GTX 970 (used)
Mobo - MSI H610M-B
RAM - Corsair 16gb DDR4 Vengeance RGB Pro
SSD & HDD - Crucial MX500 & WD Blue 1TB
PSU - Corsair TX650m
Case - IONZ KZ10 White

I've read countless threads and I am at a loss as the spark and pop came from the area it did. Various things I've checked and fixed so far

updated drivers
moved cables in the case around (GPU power was running across the top of the 24 Motherboard power (could this has caused a surge?)
reseated the cpu fan
No apparent physical damage to any components (no expert however)

before I go into anymore games or stress test I want to narrow down what could have caused the spark. I have also noticed the display will go black for a split second then come back, which leads me to believe it may be a GPU issues as its the only part in my system which is second hand.

Something bizarre I've also realised is since the spark incident when the case power button is pressed it instantly turns on now, where as before it would take maybe a second to register & power up.

I've been monitoring the system using HWinfo. CPU & GPU temps aren't extreme under normal load (wasn't monitoring when the first crash happened) PSU voltage seems good. (does slightly fluctuate but always stays above 12, 5 & 3.3V)

My question really is what could have caused a spark from that area?

Thanks in advance to any advice and help. The PC build is for a friend so I'm even more concerned than if it was my own money & PC.

 

[Grobe]

There is so many different variations of such sounds, can you record the actual sound and share ?

 

[Theo Matthews]

There is so many different variations of such sounds, can you record the actual sound and share ?

I have yet to put it under enough load for it to happen again. As mentioned light usage where the GPU only gets up to about 50c doesn't cause issues at all.

I will try my best to get a recording but in all honesty I want to avoid pushing it and potentially causing permeant damage. I was hoping to get some new ideas before going down that road.

I've posted elsewhere and they've mentioned it could be a short on the board? which it could be I suppose but it confuses me why it would only be shorting under load?

Just straight off the bat, what would be your first thoughts about the issue?

 

[little_me]

wild guess is it could be a short. (as noted though, there is no proof of it yet)
usually those cause more or less irreparable damage but.... if it's something like fan, which might not be on when not under heavy load, it could allow things to work on light load and go pop once load rises enough that system turns GPU fan on. (or CPU, although this is usually on at some speed all the time)

if it is a fan, replacing fan could be somewhat simple job and disconnecting it would allow you to test if it is the problem (do monitor temps though, with less cooling potential, going too high is not advisable)

 

[Grobe]

Ok, let me see - the sparking sound you mentioned - did it occur in the very moment you experienced a hard shutdown of the computer ?

 

[Theo Matthews]

Ok, let me see - the sparking sound you mentioned - did it occur in the very moment you experienced a hard shutdown of the computer ?

Nope. Shutdown, then 2 or 3 seconds later spark and pop, then windows automatic restart.

 

[Theo Matthews]

wild guess is it could be a short. (as noted though, there is no proof of it yet)
usually those cause more or less irreparable damage but.... if it's something like fan, which might not be on when not under heavy load, it could allow things to work on light load and go pop once load rises enough that system turns GPU fan on. (or CPU, although this is usually on at some speed all the time)

if it is a fan, replacing fan could be somewhat simple job and disconnecting it would allow you to test if it is the problem (do monitor temps though, with less cooling potential, going too high is not advisable)

if it's a short could, how come it only has happened under load? surely it would be happening all the time?

 

[Grobe]

Ok, so the pop sound actually happens during reboot.

Have you tried to look inside the PSU (important: never open it) and by help of a flash light, be able to spot some visible burn marks or similar ?

 

[Theo Matthews]

So I took the PSU out and checked it over with a flashlight. Me and my friend both can't see anything to indicate burning or any damage. Whilst checking it over though I did notice a few things

The 24pin motherboard and CPU power cables plastic holder is slightly protruding from the PSU. There also seems be possibly be a frey in the motherboard cable but I'm not sure if its even a frey or if I'm noticing things that aren't really a problem.

I've posted images of both

Imgur PC Images

 

[Grobe]

There also seems be possibly be a frey in the motherboard cable

Ok, that wording is something that google search isn't very helpful to figure out, so it suggest everything between finance and norse gods and weird stuff, but seemingly nothing related to electric circuits or wires.

 

[Theo Matthews]

Ok, that wording is something that google search isn't very helpful to figure out, so it suggest everything between finance and norse gods and weird stuff, but seemingly nothing related to electric circuits or wires.

My poor spelling will be the culprit there

Fray

It's when a cable becomes worn. Although as mentioned I think that may be a reach if you see the photos

 

[Grobe]

Ok, I figured it was in that ballpark somewhere - you see, decoding spelling errors may be very hard when English isn't native language.

But no, I cannot spot definitive signs of exessive wear just by looking at the images.

 

[Theo Matthews]

What are your thoughts overall then? considering everything I've mentioned so far.

Would it be safe to assume it was not a short, as it only happened whilst gaming, theres no apparent damage and did not happen immediately as the pc shutdown?

Could it be a faulty psu? I'm totally stumped.

 

[norcalsc]

are you sure the noise didn't come from your speakers as they pop from time to time when they get power?

 

[Theo Matthews]

are you sure the noise didn't come from your speakers as they pop from time to time when they get power?

Yeah 100% sure. I had the pc on my desk and I saw a visual spark and pop noise from the cpu/gpu area.

 

[Grobe]

Yeah 100% sure. I had the pc on my desk and I saw a visual spark and pop noise from the cpu/gpu area.

Ok, so then you have actual visual confirmation. Maybe you can put a visible circle on an image of the mobo in order to narrow in ?

 

[Theo Matthews]

Ok, so then you have actual visual confirmation. Maybe you can put a visible circle on an image of the mobo in order to narrow in ?

Hi sorry for the delayed reply.

So we got the courage up to do some testing.

OCCT cpu testing was fine, no errors or shutdowns.

Haven was the same, no problems at all.

Computer ran for 10 hours yesterday under use and again no problems.

Unless it happens again I'm going to put it down to ESD or an intermittently faulty power supply. I was stupid enough to build the pc in a fleece without discharging my self. I didn't realise how a fleece is the worst item of clothing for static.

Those are the only 2 possibilities in my eyes now.