Problem with GALAX 4070 Ti Super ARGB Sync Cable damaging motherboard header
Problem with GALAX 4070 Ti Super ARGB Sync Cable damaging motherboard header
System Specifications:
GPU: GALAX GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER SG 1-Click OC
Motherboard: MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk WiFi
CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7900
RAM: G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB 2x16GB 6000MHz CL30
Power Supply: Corsair RM850e
Cooling: Lian Li Galahad Trinity II Performance
Case Fans PWM: Bottom 3 daisy chained, rear 2 daisy chained into SYS_FAN connectors on MB
Case Fans ARGB: Connected via Zalman Z-Sync ARGB Controller
Case: Lian Li O11 Vision Black
Yesterday I received my final parts and assembled the PC. I connected the ARGB sync cable that came with the GALAX 4070 Ti Super SG 1-Click OC. The cable features a 5-pin connector for the GPU and a 3-pin 5V ARGB connector intended for an ARGB header—either on the motherboard or an ARGB controller.
What transpired:
Initial Connection: I linked the 3-pin ARGB connector of the sync cable to the Zalman Z-Sync ARGB controller. When I powered on, the PC attempted to start within a fraction of a second. Some fans lit up briefly, but the machine halted almost instantly except for the RAM indicators. The system refused to activate.
Second Try (Without ARGB Cable): I disconnected both GPU power cables and the ARGB sync cable, then removed the GPU. Booting without the GPU worked perfectly. After reinstalling the GPU and reconnecting its power cords, I left the ARGB sync cable unplugged. The system started normally.
Final Attempt (Direct Motherboard Connection): I hypothesized that connecting the ARGB sync cable straight to the motherboard might have resolved the issue. So, I inserted the 3-pin ARGB connector into the 5V ARGB header on my MSI B650 Tomahawk WiFi. After turning on the PC, I noticed a small amount of smoke and flame emanating from the motherboard’s ARGB header. I immediately powered down the system.
After some time, I fully removed the ARGB sync cable and restarted the machine. Now everything functions as expected—the OS boots, and Windows operates without problems.
However, during startup, the motherboard displayed red (CPU error) and yellow (DRAM error) lights for a few seconds. These indicators eventually ceased, and the system ran smoothly afterward.
My concerns:
1. Could this confirm the problem was with the GALAX ARGB sync cable?
- Yes, it blocked booting initially and damaged the motherboard’s ARGB header when connected directly. It might have been defective from the start.
2. Might the motherboard be compromised beyond just the burnt ARGB header?
- Since the system boots normally now, I suspect only the ARGB header was affected, but I’m hesitant to run stress tests.
3. What should I do next?
- Any guidance would be invaluable! Thank you in advance.
It's unclear exactly what happened, but it seems the cable might have been connected incorrectly on the GPU side. I'm also considering the possibility that the connector could be inserted in the wrong orientation on the motherboard end, especially since the third pin is missing.
You may want to examine the rest of the board near the ARGB header. It could be a separate section of the board containing the ARGB controller. If you observe strange behavior later, this incident might be the reason you should replace the motherboard. Unless you're comfortable with desoldering and rewiring components on a board (which would also cancel your warranty).
The GPU should be stress tested to ensure it isn't damaged. I used to think a short circuit occurred because something similar happened on an ECS H67H2-M Black Edition motherboard, where the S/PDIF coaxial output was connected according to the pinout in the manual. After some time, I noticed burning and realized my homemade wire for the S/PDIF output had melted or warped. This taught me about dead shorts and electrical fires, which happen when +5v connects directly to ground. That’s why I suspect the harness was wired incorrectly—either the GPU pinout was wrong, the harness was connected improperly from the factory, or the motherboard’s pinout is incorrect.
Later, I rebuilt the S/PDIF coaxial cable, carefully noting which pin was +5 and which was ground. The ECS support didn’t help much, as they kept directing me to follow the manual. Eventually, I realized my situation stemmed from the motherboard manual.
Further reading: https://www.reddit.com/r/arduino/comment...ight_to_a/
That’s actually a good point, thank you so much for your response. The GPU-side connector could be inserted in both orientations and I did try both.
When plugged into the Zalman Z-Sync controller in one direction, the system would try to power on but shut down immediately. Then when I found it was because of this cable, I flipped the cable on the GPU side before plugging into the motherboard.
If the first orientation was correct, then it should've worked with the controller and system should've started normally.
If the first orientation was wrong, and the correct one was when I flipped before I plugged into the motherboard, did my first attempt on the controller damage the cable and then it burnt the motherboard because of that?
And moving forward, I already installed Windows and some drivers. Except for MB red and yellow diagnostics lighting up at the start for a few seconds, it seems to be working fine. I'm sorry for asking the same question again which you've already answered. Should I run stress tests and if nothing comes up I can assume ARGB header on the motherboard was the only thing that was damaged and I can safely continue using the PC? I think I can observe voltages during the stress tests via HWMonitor or something but I won't be able to tell if something is wrong with my current knowledge on the matter.
If there was damage beyond the ARGB header, and there were damage beyond that on the motherboard, if stress tests are fine can I assume no other components are damaged? And if the motherboard is damaged now, would it hurt other components or if there's something wrong, would just the motherboard stop working and just replacing that solve the problem?
Again, I'm sorry for asking probably same questions I already asked. And thanks so much for you patience.