Question PSU cable melted in GPU connector

[FrickinBrian]

Not sure if this should be in GPU or PSU forum, but the question is more about whether my GPU is fried. I'm 100% already getting a different PSU. Probably a Corsair SF750.

I have an MSI 7900XTX and I've been getting, what I can best describe as, loss of GPU signal during gaming. The screen will go black, and the fan will sort of ramp a bit. Only way that I thought to fix it was to remove all power and drain the capacitors by holding down the power button. I figured it was dust or maybe a bad seat, so when I took out the GPU to start dusting, I noticed that the plastic around the power connector got hot, cracked, and melted a bit. The one that melted was the (don't know what you wanna call it) the "extra 6+2 daisy-chain connector on my PCIe cable". I was able to kind of clean out some the plastic from inside the GPU connector and reseat the cables (they clicked in properly) in a different way so that the melted "daisy chain" is no longer involved.

The thing that puzzles me is... I'm still operating Windows just fine; as I am currently typing on my system right now for help. I just don't think I can run a game and push power until I get a new PSU.

I don't think I can RMA my GPU in time because it'll be a year since I bought it in 3 days.

What's the best way to go about this?

 

[Darkbreeze]

MSI graphics cards, and most graphics cards in general, carry a 3 year warranty, so you should have no problem getting it replaced IF the card is to blame.

What is the model of the current PSU?

Is this a mini ITX build?

 

[FrickinBrian]

Yup, ITX. It's the PSU that came in the Cooler Master NR200P Max. I think it's called a V850. It's 850W, Gold rated. Honestly, it might have just been a loose connection that fried it. Those cables for that PSU are quite stiff.

 

[CountMike]

Yup, ITX. It's the PSU that came in the Cooler Master NR200P Max. I think it's called a V850. It's 850W, Gold rated. Honestly, it might have just been a loose connection that fried it. Those cables for that PSU are quite stiff.

Yes, loose contacts ca cause that. It would be better to run 2 PCIe power cables straight from PSU instead of daisy chain to spread the load on wires and connectors.

 

[Dragos Manea]

Yes, loose contacts ca cause that. It would be better to run 2 PCIe power cables straight from PSU instead of daisy chain to spread the load on wires and connectors.

100% agree, this is so underated as an information, if your card pulls more the 200W use 2 separate cables and not just 1 daisy chain cable

 

[Darkbreeze]

Yes, I agree this was most likely due to a cable that wasn't entirely seated in which case, and card manufacturers know this, it may be a tough sell to get it RMA'd. But, if it's working with a different cable fully seated, and you're getting a new PSU, I'd say ride it until the wheels fall off. If you haven't already seen issues after finding the melted connector then probably you won't. It's certainly possible but if you simply pay attention and act if you notice anything unusual, chances are good you will likely be ok. Either way, good luck.

 

[RAIDGoblin]

also, if it turns out to be caused by the socket on the GPU there are enough small companies about that offer electronics repair, if you find someone who offers repair of PCB's, they're usually more industrial companies, you can absolutely get the socket replaced, given the value of the card it would be worth trying that

 

[FrickinBrian]

Thank you for the info. Computer turns on just fine still and I am able to use my display still. I have a Corsair SF1000 that I expedited. Should be here tomorrow and will report back when the new PSU is installed.

 

[FrickinBrian]

100% agree, this is so underated as an information, if your card pulls more the 200W use 2 separate cables and not just 1 daisy chain cable

My 7900XTX has 3 power connectors and only came with two 6+2 PCIe cables. I've never had such a powerful card and didn't really think it was going to be a big deal to daisy chain onto one of the three ports. The one port that was a daisy chain ended up being the one that had the melted end...

 

[FrickinBrian]

PSU is out for delivery. Main thing I'm worried about is... why I am able to get video and run low wattage applications, but when I run a game on this old PSU, even though I got that melted daisy-chain adapter out of the equation, I have still experienced the black screen issue. I'm hoping removing the entire PSU from the stop that from happening, because if it happens with the new PSU, then that must mean it's my GPU, right?

 

[FrickinBrian]

It appears that there is still a bit of material still in the socket, even though I did the best I could to clean it out with a skinny metal pick. The PCIe cable is clicked in, but there is a small gap. If it's clicked in, and I can't pull it off unless I lift the tab, then it should be connected well, right??? I don't want to give it a chance for another short. I might be overcautious, but I don't want to have this happen again.

 

[Darkbreeze]

I mean, nobody can really tell you yay or nay on that. For one, we aren't there, and can't see the inside of the socket. For two, once something has let the magic smoke out, all bets are off and anything you do with it after that is always a roll of the dice. The only reason I said it should be fine is because you indicated that you had plugged it back in and it was working fine, which would seem to indicate that if something bad was going to happen it already would have.

But, if there is still debris in the socket and you can't fully seat it, then you DO run the risk of the same thing happening again, or happening worse. I mean, the fact that it seats and locks doesn't necessarily mean that it's actually seated correctly. Not for sure. I've seen people cram all kinds of connectors into places they don't belong. Like even when the individual receptacles on the socket are "keyed" to avoid that, I've still seen them do it. Like with 8 pin PCIe power connectors crammed into the 4+4 EPS/CPU socket. Somehow. So, I'd still say try it, but at your own risk. If it didn't smoke the old PSU when you tried it, it shouldn't smoke the new one, and at least then you can see if you still get a black screen or if it's ok.

Like Dirty Harry said. Do you feel lucky punk. Well, do ya? (Just kidding)

 

[FrickinBrian]

So, new PSU is in. Seems to be okay so far. Playing the 2008 Dead Space and there was no black screen this time, but there was a second where it went to the desktop. Not a crash to the desktop. It was like some did and alt+tab. Who knows. Maybe I bumped something.

 

[CountMike]

So, new PSU is in. Seems to be okay so far. Playing the 2008 Dead Space and there was no black screen this time, but there was a second where it went to the desktop. Not a crash to the desktop. It was like some did and alt+tab. Who knows. Maybe I bumped something.

To make sure, you could run something like FurMark that would cause high load on GPU and monitor connectors and cables.

FurMark Homepage

FurMark - GPU stress test and graphics card benchmark

geeks3d.com

 

[Darkbreeze]

So, new PSU is in. Seems to be okay so far. Playing the 2008 Dead Space and there was no black screen this time, but there was a second where it went to the desktop. Not a crash to the desktop. It was like some did and alt+tab. Who knows. Maybe I bumped something.

Great. I'd just keep on eye on it and if you notice anything unusual or out of the ordinary, especially if it happens more than once, don't ignore it. Otherwise, glad it seems to have worked out for you. Good luck.

 

[FrickinBrian]

To make sure, you could run something like FurMark that would cause high load on GPU and monitor connectors and cables.

Ran FurMark at 4K for about 6 minutes. Getting ~100 fps, no crashing. Seems like everything is okay.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Sweet.