[SOLVED] Something exploded in my computer

[maqjav]

Hello!
My old CPU fan has been making a lot of noises for the last week, so I decided to replace it.
After replacing the CPU fan, which I was very careful as usual, I turned on the computer and noticed that the fan was working (great), but the monitor wasn't turning on.
Actually the computer was making the typical noises when is booting, so first thing I checked was the monitor wire.
After 20 seconds more or less, trying to find the issue, i pressed the power button for a while, and restart it. Same result as the firs time, but after 10 seconds "BANG!", something blew up.
I turned it off, and checked every component. GPU seemed fine (and not smelly), I dismounted the cpu fan, the CPU seemed ok, the motherboard seem ok, only an intence smell from the PSU. The thing is that when I saw the explotion it seemed that it was coming from the GPU, but like I'm saying it didn't smell bad at all... and the GPU has 3-4 years and no problems at all...
I'm worried if the issue could have been produced by the new fan (Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO), or if maybe the computer just died because it was old (it had 9 years).
The only thing I noticed is that I might had put too much thermic paste, and there was a little bit on the sides of the CPU, I don't know if this is connected.

I was planning on buying a new AMD Ryzen 5xxx in November, and using the same cooler, now I don't know what to do.
Thanks.

 

[white.a.drew]

Hello!
My old CPU fan has been making a lot of noises for the last week, so I decided to replace it.
After replacing the CPU fan, which I was very careful as usual, I turned on the computer and noticed that the fan was working (great), but the monitor wasn't turning on.
Actually the computer was making the typical noises when is booting, so first thing I checked was the monitor wire.
After 20 seconds more or less, trying to find the issue, i pressed the power button for a while, and restart it. Same result as the firs time, but after 10 seconds "BANG!", something blew up.
I turned it off, and checked every component. GPU seemed fine (and not smelly), I dismounted the cpu fan, the CPU seemed ok, the motherboard seem ok, only an intence smell from the PSU. The thing is that when I saw the explotion it seemed that it was coming from the GPU, but like I'm saying it didn't smell bad at all... and the GPU has 2 years and no problems at all...
I'm worried if the issue could have been produced by the new fan (Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO), or if maybe the computer just died because it was old (it had 9 years).
The only thing I noticed is that I might had put too much thermic paste, and there was a little bit on the sides of the CPU, I don't know if this is connected.

I was planning on buying a new AMD Ryzen 5xxx in November, and using the same cooler, now I don't know what to do.
Thanks.

I would buy a replacement psu it sounds like the psu blew. Gpu may have shorted in the process is what you had seen saddly. So you may need two new components saddly now but i would start with the psu. Because a loud bang like that and psu smelling usually psu. The fact the you think you seen it come from the gpu tells me it may have over volted the gpu at the last moment and shorted it to saddly.

 

[maqjav]

Oh well, the only 2 components I wasn't going to replace with the upgrade...
Do you know how is possible that this happened replacing the fan? Should I be worried to try to use the same one in my new setup?
Thanks,

 

[Paperdoc]

Virtually guaranteed that the CPU fan replacement had NOTHING to do with this problem. VERY likely (as above) the PSU failed.

 

[PC Tailor]

Agreed with above.

What PSU make and model was it specifically? And was it 9 years old?
What is the rest of your system spec specifically?

 

[maqjav]

This are my specs:

Intel Core i5 2400 3.1Ghz (9 years)
Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD4-B3 (9 years)
Corsair Vengeance PC3-12800 DDR3 1600 8GB (9 years)
Geforce 1060 GTX 6GB (3-4 years)
Tacens Tadix VII 600W Plus Silver (5-6 years, I don't remember exactly)

The truth is that even yesterday the computer was working great.

Should I try to connect everything again changing the PSU? Like I said in the first post, the GPU didn't smell bad at all... I will try to open the PSU and check if something is burned inside.

Thanks for all the comments.

 

[PC Tailor]

Tacens Tadix VII 600W Plus Silver

There is your problem. Very poor quality PSU from my understanding.

I will try to open the PSU and check if something is burned inside.

Unless you're skilled at handling internal electronics, never open the PSU. One should only do this if you have experience with it. On top of that, even if the PSU isn't damaged (which I'd be shocked if it wasn't), you'd want to replace that PSU anyway.

The problem is, if the PSU has gone (whenever you hear a bang like you describe, PSU is the first place to look - when you combine that with a bad quality PSU, it's almost inevitable), then you can only hope it hasn't damaged other components, which you won't always see visually.

 

[maqjav]

I'm definetly going to throw away the PSU after this, the idea of opening it was to see if actually something burnt there and give me hope to believe that the rest of the computer is ok. I'm not planning on using it again.

I will get a better quality one for the new setup and try it on the old computer first, just to see if it works. The idea of testing the old components with the new ones freaks me out after the explotion. I imagine that if other components are damaged they will not work, right?, or should I be worried of secondary effects?

EDIT: This are some of the options for the new PSU that I have in mind "Silverstone SX700-LPT SFX-L 700W 80 Plus Platinum Modular" or "EVGA SuperNOVA 750 GA, 80 Plus Gold 750W"

Thank you very much.

 

[maqjav]

Well, so this is what I found, clearly one part is burnt and the black chip basically is gone (that was the blast).
You were so right 😉

 

[PC Tailor]

Silverstone SX700-LPT

This is an SFX unit, do you need this size or are you running a regular ATX rig?
The EVGA GA is also a decent unit.

Again, just assuming the PSU hasn't damaged anything else.

 

[maqjav]

Hey PC Tailor.

I really appreciate your help.
The PSU I had before was even bigger than the Silverstone, I assume the bigger the fan is the cooler it will be, but maybe I'm wrong.

I think I'm going to buy the EVGA, it adjusts more to my budget, and then wait for the new components. The only thing I was going to reuse was the GPU and PSU (and HDD), so once I get my new components I will check if the GPU works, otherwise I will buy a new one.

Thanks for your advices.

 

[jasonf2]

It is very unlikely that the cooler replacement caused the failure. Although sometimes the simple action of opening things up and moving parts around will be the final straw that pushes a marginal part into failure. From your description the GPU may have shorted and fried the PSU or vice versa but the which came first (The chicken or the egg?) question is irrelevant. Be very careful with an open power supply. The capacitors inside can keep their potential for a while and shorting them out can be shocking to say the least (pun intended). With the damage noted in the PSU (and the possibility that it put high enough voltage into the system to burn the GPU) I would not be at all surprised if other components such as the motherboard/cpu are damaged as well. I know budgets are always tight but due to overall component age and their mainstream part numbers if this were my machine I would start over fresh. There is a very good chance that the repair bill will get really close to the new build.

 

[PC Tailor]

The PSU I had before was even bigger than the Silverstone, I assume the bigger the fan is the cooler it will be, but maybe I'm wrong.

Cooling was not your issue, quality was.
That and yes because your previous PSU was ATX standard, the Silverstone is Small Form Factor. If your case is not made for SFF PSUs, you need to get an ATX one. That and there are far more ATX ones available.

From your description the GPU may have shorted and fried the PSU or vice versa but the which came first

I'd say almost unquestionably the PSU with it's quality. The Tacens are renowned for being very poor all round

I think I'm going to buy the EVGA, it adjusts more to my budget, and then wait for the new components.

Yeah get the new PSU and then retest, it's the only real way you'd be able to tell if anything else has been damaged.

 

[maqjav]

Thank you all for your comments.

At least after the bad year we are going through one more crappy thing won't make it worst, and now I have learnt that even if 5 years go I thought I made a good purchase, it wasn't.

As soon as I get my hands on that new Zen3 CPU I will let you know if the GPU died or not. Anyway that 1060 will probably bottle neck my new CPU, so it was matter of time.

Cheers!

 

[maqjav]

Hello!
I got today my new PSU and tried it with the computer, and this time it wasn't even making the noises of the other day. I got fans on, and that's all. So I decided to not forze the situation and wait for the new components.
However, reading about this issue the whole weekend, I found a good amount of messages on the internet of people installing the exact same cooler and having the exact same issue as me (no monitor signal and fried motherboard), a couple of examples (but there are a lot more):

https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/my-computer-wont-boot-after-i-reinstalled-cpu-cooler.1557515

https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/installed-new-cpu-fan-no-display-now.3115295

So I'm wondering if there is some kind of issue with this cooler and the system to attach it. It comes with some brackets that you can adjust to the socket (is compatible with Intel and AMD) and honestly they are a little bit tricky to set in position and even once that the cooler is tighten, it doesn't look completely straight, you can twist it 1-2º to set it in position, but it will go back to the original one with its own weight.

This is the 10th cooler I build and I never had any problems like this one, so I'm thinking that the issue I had with the PSU was a response of some kind of shortcut caused by the installation of the cooler or maybe even a bad balance of preasure on the CPU, is this possible?

I don't know if I should discard this cooler and buy a new one for the new computer, I don't want to put it on risk for something like this. What do you think?

Thanks.

 

[PC Tailor]

so I'm thinking that the issue I had with the PSU was a response of some kind of shortcut caused by the installation of the cooler or maybe even a bad balance of preasure on the CPU, is this possible?

Doubt it. This cooler whilst a bit fiddly, is fine and wouldn't cause PSU damage. It could however easily cause CPU or MB damage. Bad pressure on the CPU also would not cause an issue with your PSU.

It would likely just sooner be that the CPU is faulting itself in some way, it's very common for excess pressure from the CPU cooler to cause faults such as failure to boot or memory issues, and also if any pins of the CPU have been bent slightly, damaged, or contaminated, this will easily cause it to not boot.

That or the PSU going bang took out your motherboard which is not uncommon.

 

[hang-the-9]

Hello!
My old CPU fan has been making a lot of noises for the last week, so I decided to replace it.
After replacing the CPU fan, which I was very careful as usual, I turned on the computer and noticed that the fan was working (great), but the monitor wasn't turning on.
Actually the computer was making the typical noises when is booting, so first thing I checked was the monitor wire.
After 20 seconds more or less, trying to find the issue, i pressed the power button for a while, and restart it. Same result as the firs time, but after 10 seconds "BANG!", something blew up.
I turned it off, and checked every component. GPU seemed fine (and not smelly), I dismounted the cpu fan, the CPU seemed ok, the motherboard seem ok, only an intence smell from the PSU. The thing is that when I saw the explotion it seemed that it was coming from the GPU, but like I'm saying it didn't smell bad at all... and the GPU has 3-4 years and no problems at all...
I'm worried if the issue could have been produced by the new fan (Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO), or if maybe the computer just died because it was old (it had 9 years).
The only thing I noticed is that I might had put too much thermic paste, and there was a little bit on the sides of the CPU, I don't know if this is connected.

I was planning on buying a new AMD Ryzen 5xxx in November, and using the same cooler, now I don't know what to do.
Thanks.

Too much thermal paste is bad, can seep into the socket or other motherboard parts if you are not careful and will actually make cooling worse. Motherboard may have been damaged. Bang sounds and smell is never good in a computer.

 

[maqjav]

Hello!
So after updating the computer I found out that the graphic card is alive. So I guess that the motherboard and/or the CPU burnt with the blast.
Thank you very much for your help!