[SOLVED] PSU Sparked - Replacement?

[mrjane]

So, I have (had?) a Seasonic Focus+ Gold 650W.

Yesterday, the breaker went, so I investigated. Unplugged everything in the basement and slowly plugged things back in one at a time. When I went to plug in my PC, the PSU sparked and the breaker went again. So, great, seems the PSU is bad.

I have two questions. Can I just replace the PSU? Or do I need to do new cables throughout the system as well?

And two, what should I replace it with? I want to get something better, so hopefully I don't have this problem again.

My specs are:
ASUS Prime X470 Pro
Ryzen 7 2700X
16 GB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080ti
Windows 10

Thanks for any advice!

 

[DSzymborski]

RMA it with SeaSonic and get a new one. There's nothing wrong with the design of the PSU, it's just likely something failed, which can happen to any PSU.

 

[LORDPrometheus]

Just as DSzymborski said RMA immediately. NEVER trust electronics that experience a visible short. Even if they seem to still work it is playing Russian Roulette with your computer

 

[PC Tailor]

Can I just replace the PSU? Or do I need to do new cables throughout the system as well?

If you replace under warranty Seasonic will typically request you to do one or the other depending on your location, they may stipulate that you send all of the cables back with the PSU.

Just confirming above too, Seasonic Focus+ is an excellent PSU, no need to change, just unfortunately one that has become defective, which happens to every brand model PSU ultimately. Stick to the same and just get an RMA, it has a 10 year warranty so you're easily covered.

 

[mrjane]

Yeah... but if I return it then I'll probably have to take out all of the cables and connectors too, right? All the stuff that came with it... That seems like quite the hassle. And then wait however many days it takes to process and ship a new one out. Doesn't seem worth it. I'd rather have my PC up and running again ASAP. Got work to do (and play Outer Worlds!)

 

[PC Tailor]

All the stuff that came with it... That seems like quite the hassle

Again, depends on the location and Seasonics policy, in some parts they state you can keep the cables, in others they ask for all of them back.
Seasonic are pretty swift with most RMA resolutions.

It's your choice, just that PSU is excellent and has a 10 year warranty, so I would just use it. But again, up to you.

 

[geofelt]

There is nothing better.
Contact seasonic. Perhaps they can cross ship you a replacement.
Such a process would involve paying for the replacement and getting a credit when your failed unit reached seasonic.

If you need to get back playing asap, buy another seasonic focus 650 gold locally and install it.
Do take the time to replace the cables since a failed cable could actually be the problem.
When you receive the replacement, sell it unopened.

 

[mrjane]

Yeah, I think geofelt here has the right idea. I think I'll buy a new one and do the RMA. Then I'll do exactly as said, sell the new unopened one.

Thanks for the advice everyone!

 

[FALC0N]

Do take the time to replace the cables since a failed cable could actually be the problem.

An excellent point that is worth highlighting.

 

[mrjane]

Yeah, I'll definitely be replacing the cables. A hassle sure, but you're all right, they could be part of the problem.

 

[InvalidError]

Do take the time to replace the cables since a failed cable could actually be the problem.

A shorted cable on the output side would be extremely unlikely to trip breakers. Breaker trips pretty much only happen when something has gone horribly wrong on the primary (AC-facing) side of the PSU, especially on lower-powered PSUs that aren't rated anywhere near enough to trip breakers on their own when operating normally.

 

[mrjane]

A shorted cable on the output side would be extremely unlikely to trip breakers. Breaker trips pretty much only happen when something has gone horribly wrong on the primary (AC-facing) side of the PSU, especially on lower-powered PSUs that aren't rated anywhere near enough to trip breakers on their own when operating normally.

Thanks for the advice. I do have to wonder though, if something went horribly wrogn on the primary side, what would that have been? Just the connector on the PSU? The power cable from outlet to PSU (and should I replace this)? Is there any way to know?

 

[InvalidError]

I do have to wonder though, if something went horribly wrogn on the primary side, what would that have been?

Could be a material or manufacturing defect that didn't get caught in factory testing.

I have a habit of disassembling PSUs before using them and have seen one case where a piece of solder splatter got stuck on a thermal pad and almost shorted FETs in a synchronous rectifier circuit. I bet that could have turned nasty if it randomly did make contact while powered up.

The most common issue I have seen in PSUs on the primary side is bad solder joint. Many components on the primary side have high thermal mass, therefore requiring more heat for solder to properly bond to them. A bad bond along the path of a snubber circuit could cause a FET to fail prematurely from repeated exposure to excessive switching transients.