PC mystery - includes failed PSUs, DVD burners, LCD screen and a small fire....help gratefully received

[PCBuilderUK]

Hi All,

Just buit my first PC. Part list:

CPU
Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor

Motherboard
ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard

Memory
GeIL Enhance CORSA 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory

Storage
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive

Video Card
EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card

Wireless Network Adapter
TP-Link TL-WDN4800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter

Case
Corsair 550D ATX Mid Tower Case

Power Supply
XFX 850W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply

Optical Drive
Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer

Operating System
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)

Flipped the switch and everything worked. Was fine for about 2 weeks, then one morning shut down as normal, and it wouldn't turn on in the afternoon.

Tested the PSU with the paperclip method (after trying diconnecting all components apart from RAM, cpu, gpu, tried moving the RAM around, out, etc) and it appeared dead so I bought a new one, a Corsair TX850M. Plugged in the mobo, cpu and gpu and RAM only and tada, all working.

Plugged in the hard drives to the PSU !using the XFX SATA power cable! (important point) and and no go again. Hmmm. Tested each drive alone using the Corsair SATA power cable and fine, so OK, power cable a problem, took out.

Then I tried to reconnect the CD drive. Now this had worked originally, but then stopped working on the original rig. I hadn't explored it cos I wasn't using the CD drive and was concentrating on getting the PC set up. But it had definitely not been working on the old PSU. When I plugged it in this time, agian using the XFX power cable, the SATA data cable started glowing red hot, smoking, produced a small flame and melted (picture to follow).

Was a bit concerned. Switched all off, detached PSU and went to bed quite annoyed. This morning I detached the DVD drive from mobo and PSU, turned on and all fine. Tried DVD drive with another SATA data cable (spare from mobo) and the Corsair SATA power cable. No burning this time, but DVD writer still DOA.

Finally, my LCD screen has also died, at the same time as the original PC. This feels like too much coincidence to ignore.

Theories -

1) For the orignial failure: Dodgy PSU and components - bought the XFX as thought it was a good brand, but I have concerns on its authenticity (purchased from reputable site though) as when I removed a back plastic cover for the logo the paint peeled off with it. A bit surprised at that.

2) For the fire: Shouldn't use XFX Sata power cables with corsair PSU. Interestingl the Corsari SATA power cable says 'TXM/HX series only'. Does this mean that not all SATA power cables are the same?

3) For the whole mess: A power surge / electrical fault in the power strip either caused by the PSU or the strip being the main culprit? Both LCD screen and PSU connected to same strip. It's a 7 year old strip with surge protection, but reading around since it looks like surge protection is not all the same either...so I wonder if it's worn out or something?

Your thoughts would be very welcome. Obv. very concerning to see a fire in my first build! However, it appears to be OK this morning, so I'm planning on returning the old PSU and DVD writer and getting a new screen. And an electrical fire extuinguisher.

Thanks!

 

[Outlander_04]

SATA power cables have the same specification and should be interchangable [ assuming the psu end of the cable has the same plug ]

For the rest I'd say you have a problem with your electricity supply ..... but thats only a guess