Plugged the 6 pin cable into ATX 12V, cable got hot and I smelled burning plastic.

[PlayWithFire]

Because I build one PC 2 years ago, i did the stupid thing and didn't carefully follow instructions.
When wiring everything up, I wasn't sure whether to use the 4 pin or the 6 pin from my PSU to go to the ATX 12V connector on the motheboard. Since I was able to make the 6 pins fit, i tried booting the system that way. It didn't post, so I turned everything off and noticed the cable was very hot the touch. I also smelled some burning plastic.

30 minutes passed, I plugged in the 4 pin cable and the system posted. I will be installing the OS tonight, but I was wondering if I've done any damage to the system. Especially something that might surface further down the road.

 

[Ubrales]

Excessive heat combined with a burning plastic smell means excessive Amps; not a short circuit. If this is localized there is no problem. However, it is prudent to change the cable in question.

There is no way to tell whether permanent damage is done, or whether other components on the motherboard are destroyed.

Replace the cable with the correct one and startup the computer..