The new power supply caused my motherboard to be destroyed.
The new power supply caused my motherboard to be destroyed.
Hello,
I’m dealing with an unusual issue. I purchased a fresh power supply (CORSAIR CX series CX750M 750W) to support my new graphics card (GeForce GTX 970). After swapping out my previous PSU and graphics card, I attempted to boot up the PC but nothing occurred. Once I experimented further, it started but emitted a shock sound and released smoke, leading me to believe I’d made a mistake. After restarting, it worked properly (no graphics display), though Windows still loaded.
I then tried using the old PSU (Rosewill RG630-S12 – Green Series 630-Watt) and the graphics card (Nvidia Quadro 4000), which functioned normally. This confirmed that the problem wasn’t with those components.
Next, I replaced the old graphics card with the new one using the old PSU, but no display appeared. The computer would briefly power on, then shut down after a couple seconds, repeating this cycle until it was completely off—using both the old and new components.
I’ve tried various fixes: removing RAM, extracting the graphics card, disconnecting the motherboard from the case, etc.
I suspect the PSU may have damaged the motherboard or CPU (or possibly one of them). I’m seeking advice on possible solutions. Apologies for the lengthy explanation.
ASUS Sabertooth X79
Intel Core i7-4930K Ivy Bridge-E
CORSAIR CX series CX750M 750W (new), Rosewill RG630-S12 – Green Series 630-Watt (old)
GeForce GTX 970 (new), Nvidia Quadro 4000 (old)
G.SKILL Sniper Gaming Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
Windows 7
It seems the motherboard might be the issue... CPUs usually hold up in most scenarios, but sometimes they fail too. Still, in this case it’s more likely the motherboard is affected.
You probably attempted to clear the CMOS, but that didn’t resolve it.
Consider reaching out to Corsair support and submitting a claim—see if they can cover the damaged components. It might be the power supply that failed first, causing the GPU and then the motherboard to stop working. Unless there was a problem with the new GPU, the PSU should have shut down to protect itself.
Without testing each part separately in another system, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what’s broken.
Start with Corsair support if they don’t assist. If they won’t help, you’ll need to test all components yourself, replace the faulty ones, and dispose of the broken parts—selling them on eBay for a low price could be an option.
It seems the motherboard might be the issue... CPUs usually hold up better in such cases, though sometimes the CPU fails too. I think you probably cleared the CMOS. You should reach out to Corsair support and submit a claim—see if they can cover the damaged components. It looks like the power supply was likely the problem, which would have caused the GPU to fail and eventually the motherboard (possibly along with the CPU). Without testing other parts separately, it's hard to pinpoint exactly what's broken.
Try contacting Corsair first. If they don’t assist, you’ll need to test each component individually and figure out what needs replacing. You might have to buy replacement parts or sell the faulty ones on eBay.
Thanks for the advice, Videl. I was hesitant about the GPU but thought it was less likely. Everything is still under warranty, so I contacted Intel and Asus who said they’ll replace the parts—hopefully without any issues. If not, Corsair will probably send me a stern message.
And don’t forget to yell at the motherboard if you want to be sure!
Hey there, bobesponjawow, I'm happy your components are still covered under warranty! That's great news. I've had a few similar situations where a power supply ended up destroying parts. I once found a dead Evga LGA 1366 motherboard that was just like that—years ago—but I had to pay out of pocket to repair my setup since there was no warranty on the parts.
I think you get it, we've all been there. It can be super annoying... sometimes I even wish I could tell the parts to stop being so unreliable, but I'm pretty sure that would only worry my family a bit.
Wishing you all the best! Let me know how the warranty replacements and Corsair go. 😉