Question Possibly broken PCI-E slot, any fix available without spending loads of money?

[LouisB868]

Essentially, I bought a computer from a refurbish site not too long ago, and once I opened it, it appeared to have been dropped.

the computer itself would turn on, but no display would show, nor would any power go through to the USB. I eventually found that this must've been an issue with the PSU, as there was clear rolling on it and the case, and showed visible signs that the PC itself had been dropped. I was denied the warranty, as they claimed it was not broken when they shipped it off, which I didn't really chase up, as the parts that did seem to be working were definitely worth the money paid. I have since ordered a new power supply (which is yet to turn up) but when I went to inspect the actual motherboard once more I saw what seemed like a bunch of bent pins within the PCI-E 16x slot that houses the GPU.

I know that this is obviously a bad sign, but I’d just like to know from someone more experienced than me with the more technical side of PC building if this is a massive issue that needs fixing, and if so any solutions, or whether I can leave it as is and carry on as normal, installing the new PSU once it arrives and plugging in the computer.

Also yes, the PCI slot itself is bent, presumably from the drop that caused the broken power supply, and I unfortunately only have One PCI-E x16 slot on the motherboard.

Edit: Just thought I should note that when turning on the computer with a GTX 1660 Ti installed, it lights up fully, and spins to life, along with the rest of the build, just no display or USB.

 

[punkncat]

Sounds like pretty poor customer service as well as packaging.

If this PC has the ability to show video without dedicated graphics I might consider removing the graphics card and seeing if it will boot that way. If so, I would proceed with locating another compatible standard motherboard, if possible. If this is a proprietary prebuilt and you wish to keep it as it came you will likely be able to find the specific mobo with a bit of hunting.

 

[LouisB868]

Sounds like pretty poor customer service as well as packaging.

If this PC has the ability to show video without dedicated graphics I might consider removing the graphics card and seeing if it will boot that way. If so, I would proceed with locating another compatible standard motherboard, if possible. If this is a proprietary prebuilt and you wish to keep it as it came you will likely be able to find the specific mobo with a bit of hunting.

As unfortunate as it is, I agree that that is probably my safest bet. None the less it was so frustrating to pull the PC out the box clearly broken, and then be actually accused of causing the damage myself, but I suppose for the parts that do work I got my money's worth.

I'll have a look around and try find the same motherboard or at-least one compatible with the parts I have, thanks for your reply.

Though, do you think it would be safe for me to attempt turning on the computer with a GPU installed once I get the PSU, or should I avoid doing that?

 

[geofelt]

Sounds like you should return the unit.

 

[Kona45primo]

Seams like bent pins could short out on their neighbors pretty easily cause all sorts of problems. I'd skip using that motherboard.

If you are ok with what you recieved for the price paid, get a new motherboard. If not contact the company you bought it from. Either get them to give you a partial refund or tell them to pick up their broken PC. If that doesn't work, charge back on the credit card and tell em to pickup the PC as it did not arrive in the condition promised.

 

[DSzymborski]

Yup, contact your card provider if you can't get proper treatment from this company. Since you should not be doing this again, a chargeback should be a no problem thing.

 

[drea.drechsler]

...
None the less it was so frustrating to pull the PC out the box clearly broken, and then be actually accused of causing the damage myself, but I suppose for the parts that do work I got my money's worth.
...

It's really unfortunate what happened to you, but you should know it's not all that uncommon. Once the seller puts it in a box and the shipper picks it up it's all on them until you get it. So your claim is with the shipping company, not the people you bought it from. I'd contact them to see what their process is if you want to get things fixed right. It would have been helpful to have taken pictures of the box for external damage, and internally for damaged parts as you unboxed/opened it.

The unfortunate part is when the seller doesn't pack it properly: the GPU should be removed or supported so it doesn't hang on the PCIe socket. The really unfortunate part when the shipper says they don't cover damages due to poor packing and the seller says they packed it well enough.