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I attempted to setup an eGPU system today using a PE4L 2.1 and GTX 650 card, and after making all of the proper connections with my laptop off, I plugged in the PSU (520 Watts) to power the 650 and PE4L. The PSU powered on and the 650 instantly fizzled and crackled and started smoking. So now I have a dead GPU and no idea of what happened.

I also noticed afterwards that when everything is plugged in, except for the PSU to the wall, the PSU fan appears to rotate backwards as if it's receiving power from my laptop.

Any answers or ideas are appreciated. I've seen this done multiple times, but have never heard of this happening.

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My main (and most obvious) idea is that something shorted out. The juries out as to whether it was the psu or the PE4L. Were the psu and gpu confirmed working previous to attempting the eGPU setup? And are you 100% certain that the gpu is shot? I'd prefer to ask this in a comment but I can't quite yet.

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  • I can confirm that the PSU is in good working order, but I had no way of testing the GPU before hand. It was a refurbished model I got off of Newegg, so my gut reaction is to say it's a fault with that. I'm also 99.9% positive the GPU is shot since smoke was coming out of it and it smelled of burnt electronics. This may seem like a dumb question, but is it possible that the PSU is outputting too much power? As I said, it's rated for 520 watts, and the card had a requirement of 500W
    – user338711
    Commented Jun 25, 2014 at 22:32
  • If the PSU was bad it might put out a too high voltage, but not too much power. A device will draw what power it need and no more. Unless it needs more than can be supplied from the PSU.
    – cliff2310
    Commented Jun 25, 2014 at 22:55
  • I don't think that the psu could've put out too much power and burned out the gpu but it's not entirely out of the question. According to the newegg wattage calculator, an entire system (super low quality parts with exception to the gtx 650) would use about 250 watts. The single card wouldn't be able to exceed the operating limits of the power supply either. I can't come up with much more than speculation as I've not had a gpu burn out on me (yet)
    – slow_excellence
    Commented Jun 25, 2014 at 22:55
  • With all of that information, it sounds as if it was was a fault with the card itself then. Hopefully the same thing won't happen with a replacement card. As for the PSU fan spinning while unplugged from the wall once connected to the PE4L and laptop, is that supposed to happen? Because that makes it seem like there's a fault somewhere else along the line. Also, my laptop was plugged into the wall charger when this occurred. Would that create create a problem as well?
    – user338711
    Commented Jun 25, 2014 at 23:43
  • There could possibly be an issue with the PE4L itself although it would be safe to assume that the laptop would be powering the EC2C/PM3N adapter although I have no idea how that would affect the whole system. You should contact the manufacturer to see if thats a normal thing. No sense risking burning out another card!
    – slow_excellence
    Commented Jun 25, 2014 at 23:50

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