Question PSU exploded, wondering why

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Jun 13, 2019
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So PSU exploded heard a loud pop and pc shut down, luckily nothing else is damaged but id want to kmow what likely caused it so it doesnt happen again.

Bit of background the PSU was a generic 650w PSU that lasted me almost 5-6years. I just gotten a cheap rx570 a few days back, second hand and GPUZ checks out its a 570, though I still have my doubts cuz I haven't seen a 570 with only a single dvi input so maybe its a problematic or fake card?, for comparison my old video card was a gtx750. I also had my 2ndmonitor connected straight to the psu like usual with my previous setup. 2nd monitor is connected to integrated graphics so i could use it for browsing

So im conflicted what caused the problem
  1. Fake gpu?
  2. New GPU drew too much power compared to previous GPU and Monitor at the same time.
  3. Problem using GPU and Integrated Graphics at the same time so i could use 2monitors?
 
Jun 13, 2019
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<mechanic voice>Well there's your problem </mechanic voice>
I dont have the funds atm, im planning to get one soon though, im just trying to see if maybe there was a problem on the gpu as I havent encountered a problem with the PSU for 5-6yrs and yet this happens a few days after i use the 570
must be a very old psu. haven't see those for a long time.
Yeah had it for 5-6years, so is it safe to say the problem was in the end because of the psu either because its a bad psu or that it couldnt handle the new gpu and monitor, and not cuz of a fake gpu?
 
Well I'll say I'm not surprised that sort of PSU popped under the load of that kind of card (plus a monitor!). Arguably it did well to hold up well before the RX570. It may be that the card is fake but regardless it's a high load you placed on that PSU.

As to the card, can you link to where you got it from? When you replace the PSU, get the best unit you can (ask here for guidance). It's possible nothing else was damaged but it's hardly unheard of for a PSU to damage other components when it fails.
 
Jun 13, 2019
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Well I'll say I'm not surprised that sort of PSU popped under the load of that kind of card (plus a monitor!). Arguably it did well to hold up well before the RX570. It may be that the card is fake but regardless it's a high load you placed on that PSU.

As to the card, can you link to where you got it from? When you replace the PSU, get the best unit you can (ask here for guidance). It's possible nothing else was damaged but it's hardly unheard of for a PSU to damage other components when it fails.
I dont have a link to it as I got it off a seller via meetup, and It didnt come with a box(probably why im very doubtful) but it looks exactly like this, with the same single dvi input
https://www.newegg.com/powercolor-radeon-rx-570-axrx-570-8gbd5-dmv3/p/N82E16814131736R

Rn im eyeing a corsair vs650 since im looking for something alomg the lines of maybe below 80$ and available at a shop where I live
 
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A bit hard to evaluate the card's origins but is there branding or a model number visible on it?

That PSU doesn't have a great rep, but what other units are available or are under consideration?
Ill get back to you on the branding and model number, as for PSUs not yet im still looking around for other options since im open to anythimg under 80$.
 

DSzymborski

Titan
Moderator
I dont have the funds atm, im planning to get one soon though, im just trying to see if maybe there was a problem on the gpu as I havent encountered a problem with the PSU for 5-6yrs and yet this happens a few days after i use the 570

Yeah had it for 5-6years, so is it safe to say the problem was in the end because of the psu either because its a bad psu or that it couldnt handle the new gpu and monitor, and not cuz of a fake gpu?

It's likely the problem. It's very possible the PSU exploding has destroyed the GPU as well; you won't know until you get a new PSU. Cheap PSUs are expensive and there's at least a chance there's been subtle long-term damage to other components as well. Junk PSUs don't just fail by blowing up stuff, they also fail by sending things to slow, premature deaths. If you could link us to where you bought the GPU, we might be able to tell you more.
 

VIVO-US

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Feb 1, 2017
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Bit of background the PSU was a generic 650w PSU that lasted me almost 5-6years.

If it was a cheap generic model, then they rated for 650W based on the momentary peak power delivery (very common for generic PSUs). a PSU like this can probably only handle up to 250W continuous at best, and had the overload safety features bypassed to save on manufacturing cost. A 450W PSU in the $40 to $50 range can deliver more power than a generic 650W model.

The GTX 750 is rated for 55W while the RX 570 is rated for 120W, so it takes more than double the power for it to work. Combined with the rest of your system, the wattage under load was most likely too much for the PSU to handle, causing something like a power transistor or other component to fail.
 
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a generic 650w PSU that lasted me almost 5-6years
OK...your problem is one of a borderline PSU that has been used for 5-6 years. It probably did very well to last that long, quite frankly.
https://ibb.co/y0SqFY4
I connected to the bottom port, its been the same for maybe 8-9 months when I still used the 750
This style of PSU usually uses a mechanical high-side switch (a switch that interrupts the mains supply to both the power supply AND the monitor power connector) which places no DC loading on the PSU because of the presence of the monitor load. The monitor had nothing to do with the PSU popping on you.

As stated, earlier, this style of PSU is extremely old. When you bought it, it was probably old stock from the mid to late first decade of the century. (I had one of these in the garage, before I cleaned out the worthless stuff, and it was a vintage 2008 PSU that actually had Japanese capacitors in it; yet, still not worth saving, except to recover the toroid cores and copper from.)

Whether or not the video card is genuine, your best strategy would be to get a high-quality replacement PSU of the same power output (650W), in the higher quality end of the Corsair or Seasonic lines. That would put your current system power consumption right in the 50% - 60% point of the efficiency curve of a 650W PSU; which is where all contemporary SMPSes should be loaded.
 
Jun 13, 2019
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It's likely the problem. It's very possible the PSU exploding has destroyed the GPU as well; you won't know until you get a new PSU. Cheap PSUs are expensive and there's at least a chance there's been subtle long-term damage to other components as well. Junk PSUs don't just fail by blowing up stuff, they also fail by sending things to slow, premature deaths. If you could link us to where you bought the GPU, we might be able to tell you more.
ive borrowed another psu from a friend, obviously another one of those generic psu's just to check if any other components got damaged. I plugged in the gpu and it still works, but atm im reusing the 750 so atleast I can use my PC.

Anyone can give me an idea on which PSU i should get soon? I have 4 choices atm
Silverstone Strider Essential 700W Power Supply, 230V (Non Modular)
FSP HYPER K 700w 80+ Certified Power Supply
FSP RAIDER II 650W 80+ SILVER Rated w/ Flat Cables Power Supply
Corsair VS650
 
Jun 13, 2019
11
0
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It's likely the problem. It's very possible the PSU exploding has destroyed the GPU as well; you won't know until you get a new PSU. Cheap PSUs are expensive and there's at least a chance there's been subtle long-term damage to other components as well. Junk PSUs don't just fail by blowing up stuff, they also fail by sending things to slow, premature deaths. If you could link us to where you bought the GPU, we might be able to tell you more.
I actually got this of a meetup so i dont have a link to it, but as far as Ive searched this is the closest thing i could find that resembles my GPU https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/636...rx-570-axrx-570-8gbd5-dmv3/p/N82E16814131736R

with a difference that mine is the 4gb variant,
 

King_V

Illustrious
Ambassador
So PSU exploded heard a loud pop and pc shut down, luckily nothing else is damaged but id want to kmow what likely caused it so it doesnt happen again.

Bit of background the PSU was a generic 650w PSU that lasted me almost 5-6years.

While the prospect of a fake GPU is a distinct possibility, the above statement is very concerning right there.

There are a lot of cheap/no-name/unknown/name PSUs out there that rate themselves at some wattage because the combined output of all the rails, 3.3V, 5V, and 12V, totals up to 650W.

However, the vast majority of the power needed is from the 12V rails. I've seen stickers posted of high-powered PSUs where it turns out that less than HALF of the total rating is actually available on the 12V rail.

These things are dangerous, full stop.

I'd be curious to see the specifications label on that PSU. I am not a betting man, but I'd be inclined to think that the PSU isn't as good as the rating suggests.


Side note: I think there were a couple of RX 570s released that were targeted to cryptomining, and had only a single video output. Don't hold me to this, though.
 
The power supply is the single most important element in your PC. Without reliable, clean power. And plenty of it. The rest of the system will always be prone to problems/failures. Do NOT skimp here by using $20-30 supplies. A good supply will set you back a bit ($60-70+). And listen to the advice given above concerning models.
 
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