1

I am not completely sure what happened here so I am looking for advice.

I built a mid sized ATX case PC a couple years ago, and ended up with the Ares Gaming 650w bronze power supply and no external graphics card. I wanted to have a multiple monitor setup so I won a bid on an MSI RTX 3060 ti graphics card and went to install it. I disconnected from the wall and it sat for about 4 hours before I installed the card. There were 2x 8 pin PCIe power connectors on the graphics card so I went to plug one of the available PCIe cables and as soon as it made contact i heard a loud pop.

I thought that was strange because it wasnt even plugged into the wall and had been sitting for a few hours. I unplugged the GPU from the power and tried turning it back on and nothing. Completely unresponsive.

So apparently there was enough power in the capacitors to unload suddenly and pop some kind of failsafe in the PSU? I understand that I might have been close to that 650W utilization however I always thought the ratings were for high utilization? Would an overloaded power supply just blow like that immediately when its not even plugged into a wall?

I also wonder if there is something shorted in the GPU that would have caused the PSU to blow? I would hate to drop money on a new PSU only for the same thing to happen again.

Improve this question
10
  • 3
    If something fried, sniff around the case to see if you can determine what it is. Have you confirmed that the PSU is dead and not the MB?
    – Blindspots
    Commented Nov 6, 2022 at 1:29
  • @BlindSpots Not sure. No smell. Is there a way to test the psu? There is no status lights nor visible fuses anywhere on it. Not sure the fan turns on until it starts drawing power
    – maple_shaft
    Commented Nov 6, 2022 at 2:06
  • 4
    I find it very hard to believe an unplugged power suppy had any charged capacitors after a few minutes, much less 4 hours. Something external caused this.
    – Keltari
    Commented Nov 6, 2022 at 2:12
  • 1
    Make sure the switch on the PSU is on (I'm guessing it is, but...). There are some simple tests you can do. PSU paper clip test will tell you if a PSU is completely dead. I assume you have completely removed the GPU and re-tested. Wouldn't normally expect the PSU to go while unplugged in the scenario you described, but see a lot of ways the MB goes.
    – Blindspots
    Commented Nov 6, 2022 at 2:27
  • I like others, find it hard to believe a capacitor in the PSU still had a charge, even if it did, if the switch on the PSU was turned off it shouldn't have mattered. "I might have been close to that 650W utilization" - The quality of your PSU, and the total Wattage of your PSU, wouldn't matter if your system was unplugged and turned off. What would cause this behavior is a plug being installed backwards, but even if that were to happen, there shouldn't have been enough powered stored in any of the capacitors to matter until the PSU was switched on.
    – Ramhound
    Commented Nov 6, 2022 at 5:33

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
0

I greatly appreciate the help from those that commented. I did figure out the issue and it turns out there is nothing wrong with the power supply nor the mobo.

The "loud pop" I heard was in fact the case power switch jumpers popping loose when I inserted the graphics card. I realized it came loose when I went to disconnect the mobo to test it. That explains why it wouldnt power on!

Improve this answer

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .