Videocard started on Fire, is it the card or the psu?

[myien]

My computer suddenly lost power while I was using it this last weekend. I wasn't sure why, but I had been playing Skyrim for the last several hours. My computer has always handled it just fine, and I don't overclock anything, but the power just cut off suddenly and wouldn't turn back on.

After turning it completely off, plugging it, and letting it sit for awhile I pulled it out to start working on it. When I first tried to see if it would turn back on, there was a spark in the upper corner of my case were it could only have been a fan or the power supply unit. So I assumed the psu. I was using a 500W with a nvidia GTX 260. I plugged a spare 450W psu into the motherboard to test if it would turn on, and it did. So I went out and bought a new psu, assuming my 5 year old psu just went bad. I got a Thermaltake 700W TR-2 psu, but when I plugged it in and powered it up for the first time, instantly there was a spark and my video card started on fire.

I cut the power asap, removed the video card and psu, and put in a spare video card that didn't require its own power with the 450W psu to make sure the rest of my computer wasn't damaged. Everything else seems okay, but I am unsure what to do about my psu & video card now.

Does anyone have any recommendations to find out if the new psu I bought is bad or was it probably my video card having issues from the start? I've never had anything actually spark or start on fire before, and I don't want to buy a new video card only to ruin it instantly.

I had double checked my case to make sure nothing was touching or loose after I installed the new psu but my current case doesn't have a lot of spare space either.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[DarkSable]

That sounds like a video card that got a short on it - was it particularly dusty / did it have anything spill on it in the past?

Also, where was the spark? Was it at the pcie bracket, or by the power plugs?

And what are the brand / models of the power supplies you're messing with?

 

[baddad]

I think it was the GPU that caused the problem, I would contact whoever you got that card from.

 

[GavinLeigh]

I'd also pull out the motherboard and check that nothing metallic has got behind it. A loose screw behind there can short all kinds of things out. There are many amps of power running over that board. And even a badly installed stand-off can cause issues. Also it's worth remembering not to take a PSU apart unless you have an idea of what you are doing, even for cleaning.

From what you describe it sounds like the video card may have been sparking. Give all the power regulators a look over on the video card... I bet a couple have blown by the power connector. I've had this happen and the card was under warranty Gigabyte repaired it for me (nice job too.. they actually repaired the card I sent them).

 

[myien]

That sounds like a video card that got a short on it - was it particularly dusty / did it have anything spill on it in the past?

Also, where was the spark? Was it at the pcie bracket, or by the power plugs?

And what are the brand / models of the power supplies you're messing with?

The spark was in the corner opposite the power plugs, and opposite the pcie brackets.
The PSU that ive been using are
My orginal: A RaidMax 500W ATX12v
My backup/tester: A CoolerMaster 400W
My new one: A Thermaltake 700W TR2

I dusted the video card off when I first started working with it after the power cut off. It didn't appear too dirty. Nothing has been spilled on it, but it is a hand-me-down card from a friend. I've had it for about 9 months now and my friend is usually pretty careful of his parts, but I can't be 100% sure.

 

[DarkSable]

Opposite the power plugs and opposite the pcie brackets? So the corner facing the motherboard with nothing attached to it?

Also, you just send alarm bells blaring: You just named three bad quality power supplies, especially the first two. Even if the card was what failed, a power supply sending unregulated voltage through it could have caused that. The power supply is THE most important part of your computer, because if anything goes wrong with it, it could explode, light things on fire (as you may have seen), or fry part or all of your computer. If you have the budget to get one nice thing, get a good power supply.

 

[Doramius]

PSU testing is always a good measure. It is preferred to get an inexpensive tester as even ones with an LCD readout can sometimes be found under $20. Quick testing a PSU disconnected from everything, can be done without a PSU tester, by just running a jumper from the Green lead to a black lead. this will only indicate that the PSU turns on, and doesn't give info about the PSU functionality, though.

Do this testing before installing it in a system.

Video cards generally aren't usually an initial area of problem. on occasion components may wear out over time, like low quality capacitors. Many high end manufacturers of computer equipment have been dealt with low quality parts at one time or another, particularly with bad capacitors. bad capacitors can sometimes vent, blow, pop, bulge, leak, and/or smoke. a bad capacitor can prevent proper voltage filtration, and sometimes cause overheating of other components.

This may not be what caused your specific issue, but it can help you research areas and components on your equipment as you try to detect the root of the problem.

My personal feeling is to check the video card fan, then related components. if the card had a blown part near the voltage connection, it may have burned, or caused a carbon short at that point. this can cause a PSU to spark and possibly a fire on the card. burning would immediately be at the power connection of the video card. if the burning was anywhere else, this may not be you issue.

 

[myien]

I'd also pull out the motherboard and check that nothing metallic has got behind it. A loose screw behind there can short all kinds of things out. There are many amps of power running over that board. And even a badly installed stand-off can cause issues. Also it's worth remembering not to take a PSU apart unless you have an idea of what you are doing, even for cleaning.

From what you describe it sounds like the video card may have been sparking. Give all the power regulators a look over on the video card... I bet a couple have blown by the power connector. I've had this happen and the card was under warranty Gigabyte repaired it for me (nice job too.. they actually repaired the card I sent them).

I checked for any stray bits and there's nothing. No psu has been taken apart, just unplugged and removed from the case. As for looking at the card..while I'm not really sure what I'm looking at when it comes to the individual components of the card, it seems that everything looks intact. However, the burn is directly below one so your probably right.

From everyone's replies, it seems I can probably bet on the video card just needing to be replaced and my psu itself is probably fine then?

 

[myien]

Opposite the power plugs and opposite the pcie brackets? So the corner facing the motherboard with nothing attached to it?

Also, you just send alarm bells blaring: You just named three bad quality power supplies, especially the first two. Even if the card was what failed, a power supply sending unregulated voltage through it could have caused that. The power supply is THE most important part of your computer, because if anything goes wrong with it, it could explode, light things on fire (as you may have seen), or fry part or all of your computer. If you have the budget to get one nice thing, get a good power supply.

Yes that corner.

Add what brand would you recommend off hand? I had thought thermaltake was decent.

 

[DarkSable]

You should test your power supply anyways - it's not of the best quality, and if the graphics supply died, it was likely the cause of the power supply.

 

[DarkSable]

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/power-supply-oem-manufacturer,2913-9.html

The ones made by FSP are good, and the older ones made by Seventeam were good. The other models vary between middling and bad. I'd peruse that guide - anything made by Flower Power, Seventeam, Seasonic, FSP (fortron), PC P&C, and to a slightly lesser extent, Channel Well, will be of good quality.

 

[myien]

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/power-supply-oem-manufacturer,2913-9.html

The ones made by FSP are good, and the older ones made by Seventeam were good. The other models vary between middling and bad. I'd peruse that guide - anything made by Flower Power, Seventeam, Seasonic, FSP (fortron), PC P&C, and to a slightly lesser extent, Channel Well, will be of good quality.

Thanks, my friend will be loaning me a psu tester and I'll into my replacements more. I've just been using the raidmax 500W psu that came with my case years ago and never have given a second thought as long as it still met the power requirements of my parts.

 

[DarkSable]

If it's been working reliably, I wouldn't replace it immediately, but I would test it thoroughly, especially for if it's supplying dirty voltage to the card, which could have easily caused this problem. (Dirty voltage is improperly regulated voltage with current fluctuations beyond what's safe.)

 

[Doramius]

I'd recommend testing the PSU with a proper tester, even if the issue turns out to be the video card. If the burn is below a component, like a resistor or capacitor, it may be carbonized. carbonizing of a circuit-board can cause shorting. Again test the PSU by itself, properly -then use the PSU in your system with a known good video card.