My GFX card caught fire, mobos fault?

[Mateo]

I just got in all my parts today and when I went to boot it up for the first time my 6800GS caught fire. I had the PCIE cable plugged in the right way, and the FDD and the molex connecters both pluged in. Anything that I could have done wrong? Could the MoBo have overvolted my card? I made sure everything was set at default(jumper wise). I am super pissed, now I won't get my replacement until sometime around New Years. New Egg will take their time, I know it.

 

 

I am not a newbie at all, but this is my first DFI mobo and my first socket 939 system. I have built many socket A and 478 systems.

 

 

Also, the mobo does work. It beeps, and I only get 1 red light. Anyway can I check to make sure this won't happen again? Could my PSU have overvolted the PCIE cable? I have a Sunbeam nuuo and it's geting great reviews, so I doubt it.

[Guest Flip]

I think you got an faulty gfx card.

Never heard of a mobo which brings gfx-cards to fire

 

Sorry for your card.

does the Board work and does it boot?

You could test an old PCI-card for testing.

[Mateo]

Well I don't have a PCI video card, but if I can get one for like 20$ I might get it.

 

 

EDIT: Thanks BTW.

[Reinvented]

Sorry to hear about your loss. To me, ALL modular PSU's are a no-no. I say this because, all the cables are there for a reason. It is a possibility that your PSU overvolted your GPU. Might wanna check it out with a DMM.

[Fight Game]

Even the best brand psu, with the best reviews, could have a bad one every now and then.

[JVG81]

I think you may have used the 6 pin powerconnector designed for the motherboard and put it in your gfx card, they look exactly the same. This WILL damage your gfx card, like happened. Read your PSU's manual to check.

[Mateo]

Even the best brand psu, with the best reviews, could have a bad one every now and then.

 

 

Yeah, I figured that. I powered it on a couple of more times, and everything seems to be fine. I guess I won't know until my new GS comes. Anyway, if I were to check the PCI E power cable, I should get 12V on all the yellow wires right? Another thing I thought of was that the PCIE cable is directional. There is a big hump in it that is covered with heat shrink. Here is a picture. I had the end with the "hump" plugged into my PSU.

 

 

I am kinda grasping at straws here, I just really want to know why.

 

Well thanks everyone for the support.

 

 

I think you may have used the 6 pin powerconnector designed for the motherboard and put it in your gfx card, they look exactly the same. This WILL damage your gfx card, like happened. Read your PSU's manual to check.

 

 

I didn't ...

[NEOAethyr]

Umm...

The normal 4-8 pin connectors don't have those filters on them, at least on the ocz's.

 

The pci-e video card, 6 pin connectors do have them though, on the ocz's.

 

So I assume you plugged in the wrong one here...

 

Then again I have'nt heard of a 6 pin hooking up to a mobo before, but I'm a bit out of date when it comes to the nf4's and such.

 

The 6 pin's are supposed to be for the video cards.

Some 4 pin, normal liek ide connectors are for drives, etc, some have filters, if they have filters plug it in the video card if you have that sort of connector on the video card it's self(this would be a agp card though).

 

 

Err, what I mean is those "humps" are filters.

They are good things.

 

Use them on the best parts in your board.

 

Normally 6 pin connectors that have these filters are for the video cards.

And again I dn think there is a 6 pin connector for the mobo but I guess I could be wrong.

 

I was pretty sure it was just a 4 pin floppy, 4 pin ide type, and 4-8 pin p4-p8?(p8, is that right?) connector.

These I was pretty sure were the only types of connections going to the mobo.

 

If there is one ment for the mobo, a 6 pin, it probably does'nt have a filter on it.

Again liek that dude said re-read the manual on that.

It really seems like you did something backwards here.

 

If you can get away with an rma, don't tell the place you baught it from that you did plug in somehitng in backwards lol.

 

I really hope you did'nt fry your mobo too.

Getting a led or 2 does'nt mean anything.

Actually sounds liek bad news to me, it should hit the 3rd led if I remember right,tehn beep, soemtimes posting sometimes not with a faulty card, meaning sometimes it'll sit at the 3rd led, and soemtimes it'll go past it.

Should beep at that 3rd led though, am I right guys?

 

Defently find a cheapy, bootable if anything pci card to test with asap!

Does'nt matter if it's compatible or not in windows, as long as it posts.

 

 

Edit:

They end with the "hump", should probably be plugged into the card.

Then again with the mods I did on my psu, I have it the way you said you plugged it in, ie the filter by the psu end.

 

But if you did this on your psu, since it's moduler, it could of got some pins backwards.

This may of been your prob .

 

I recently ordered a ocz 600 sli psu myself, just a bit ago.

All the filters are on the ends of the cab;es, where they would plug into the devices, this is probably somewhat of a standered.

 

You get to many filters at the end where the psu is and it'll get cramped fast, so I assume it's mean to be the other way around, ie by the card it's self I'm afraid.

[Mateo]

Well the cable in the picture(on the right) is labeled the PCIE cable. The 4 pin power connector (by the 24pin connector) has a 8 pin connector on it also. So I know I didn't plug the mobo 8 pin connector in to the card because I wouldn't of had the 4 pin pluged in. Also the 8 pin connector doesn't fit into the 6 pin.

 

 

See what I mean?

 

 

 

The PCIE power cable doesn't fit in the 8 pin mobo input on the psu either. So I know I didn't fudge up their either.

 

 

With the filter, it doesn't say which way it should go. I matched the wires up on the PCIE cable and they match, so it isn't geting +12V where it should be getting a ground.

 

When I get my next card I will have the filter end of the cable pluged into the card. I really do have a feeling that it was a bad cap or something.

[JVG81]

Yes there are 6-pin motherboard connectors in this world, but I did a quick search an it's not on that PSU. The story of the guy up here sounds reasonable, it's probably some power problem and most likely a wrong plug at the wrong place. I mean how can a PSU give completely wrong currents by itself?

 

Test your motherboard for damage too.

 

EDIT: So you dont think it could have been jsut using the powercords the wrong way around?

[Mateo]

Well if it was a short, I think the PSU would have shut down. As soon and I mean milliseconds after I hit the power button I heard a pop and a little 1 inch high flame. Killed the power, and blew it out.

 

EDIT: So you dont think it could have been jsut using the powercords the wrong way around?

 

 

If by the wrong way around you mean having the filter at the wrong end then yes. I think that could be a viable reason.

 

 

 

I think I made a discovery. after examining the hard drive power dongle to PCI-E 6 pin adapter I realized the grounds and +12V are in different spots my Nuuo's dedicated PCI-E cable. I am pretty sure that would mess things up really bad.

 

This really wouldn't have been my fault mostly because my 6800GS didn't come with any warning like that. It never stated that it might be incompatable with certain PSU's PCI-E power cables.

 

Sure it's a little ignorant, but it is the truth. Then again I might be 100% wrong.