The Z790-A Wi-Fi motherboard appears to be damaged.
The Z790-A Wi-Fi motherboard appears to be damaged.
I purchased a prebuilt from a trusted source called "Alexander PCs" in January and didn't use it much. It came with Windows 11, so I switched to Windows 10 and continued functioning normally. Recently, the machine stopped booting at all, but it would power on fully—lights, fans, audio, everything working except the screen displayed nothing. I checked the orange boot indicator on the motherboard and began testing by removing components to see if it would start. No success until I removed the GPU, which is an MSI 4070 Ti gaming X Trio. Then I tried booting with just the i7 13900K, and a bright flash appeared from the top right of the board next to the orange light. I immediately turned it off and unplugged everything. I'm now unsure what to do next; my battery life seems to be zero. The power supply unit is brand new, an EVGA Supernova 850 80 Plus Gold.
There should be some sign of trouble with the flame, smoke, or spark—it usually means there’s a bigger problem. The board might still function, but it could be a minor part that isn’t essential. I’d probably give it a shot, even if you have a 12-month warranty. It’s time to begin the process. Once everything is reconnected, don’t just unplug things; that could cancel the warranty. I tend to be honest and rely on practical considerations rather than ideal situations.
I believed the goal of using a prebuilt was to return it for fixes instead of fixing it yourself. At this stage they probably won’t assist you anymore, yet clearly they made huge mistakes building it because getting fire from your hardware isn’t normal. That’s why I never suggest buying prebuilds. Nobody can tell you what’s working or not in your PC right now—just avoid turning it on and hand it over to a pro to prevent more damage and understand the issue. It’s usually a low-quality PSU, off-brand parts, bad cables, or other problems. Contact them and see how it goes. I don’t stress too much about opening it yourself, but be honest with yourself. Also, you shouldn’t have done this—Windows 11 is the better option for the 13900K.
most devices will need repair eventually. the real problem isn't the product itself, but rather how parts can malfunction unexpectedly. even high-quality components can fail, and it's unlikely this stems from the original manufacturer. the bigger concern is likely a faulty power supply unit that triggered the fire when the GPU was not connected. it seems the issue might be related to overload or short protection features until the GPU was removed.
You purchased a solution that doesn't concern you... NMP... please don't make it your issue... send it back.