so...i bought a GT 240 for $50 from the egg a few days ago, to replace my 3850 (not much of an upgrade, if an upgrade at all...but it only occupies one slot, uses MUCH less power, and generates less heat)...anyway, it came yesterday so i opened the HTPC to put it and noticed that since it would free up a slot, i had room to put in my second tuner and a USB expansion card...i pulled everything out, moved stuff around, and reseated

turned it on, no problems...except for the smell of ozone...it wasn't that bad, though, and so i didn't worry about it...i installed drivers, set up my new tuner through media center, and then shut down it down so i could run errands (i almost left it on, but the smell made me paranoid)

came home, turned on the computer..after about a minute, i hear a loud pop/bang (pop/bang!), see sparks come out from the recessed area where the computer is, and smelled ozone (or whatever)...go to the computer and it's completely dead

so...who thinks it's just the power supply? most of the components are relatively new, so i'm hoping that the PSU is the issue...i don't have a spare one to test it with, though, and a new one will take a few days to get here (unless i go to tiger direct or something, but i hate paying out the nose for computer parts)...who has a spare one they'll let me test out?

1/7/2010 10:53:00 AM

1/7/2010 10:57:08 AM

yeah, i've never actually had a computer blow up...PSU wasn't that old, either...it is (was) a 580w hiper type-r series:

http://www.extremeoverclocking.com/reviews/cases/Hiper_TypeR_580W_1.html

1/7/2010 11:00:34 AM

newegg?

more like newbomb

1/7/2010 11:01:22 AM

They hid the explosives in the new card's underwear. Newegg-Qaeda.

1/7/2010 11:29:27 AM

Why do you suspect the power supply? My guess it that you dislodged some dust or something into one of the PCI/PCIe slots and it led to a short. Are there any visible signs of damage?

1/7/2010 11:41:20 AM

i don't see any visible damage...i suspect the power supply because it won't turn on anymore (the power supply itself, not the computer)

it barely has any dust on the fan fins, let alone inside the computer itself...everything is well-seated

*shrug*

[Edited on January 7, 2010 at 11:43 AM. Reason : .]

1/7/2010 11:43:24 AM

Motherboard fried?

1/7/2010 11:49:00 AM

i don't know...i don't have another power supply to test it with...i certainly hope not, since it's a pretty nice motherboard it will make me

1/7/2010 11:52:08 AM

In my opinion, the voltages on the motherboard are not high enough to produce enough sparks for them to be visible outside the case. Therefore, the initial flash came from your power supply. A capacitor probably over-heated and ruptured, causing a temporary short. Replace that first. It is very possible your other components escaped damage.

1/7/2010 12:04:16 PM

Quote :

"In my opinion, the voltages on the motherboard are not high enough to produce enough sparks for them to be visible outside the case. Therefore, the initial flash came from your power supply. A capacitor probably over-heated and ruptured, causing a temporary short."

i'm not an EE, but that was general idea...components fry, but power supplies explode

Quote :

"Replace that first. It is very possible your other components escaped damage."

will do...checking CL for any i can pick up today, otherwise i'll probably just wait while one is delievered (this one, maybe? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341019)...here's hoping the rest is okay

1/7/2010 12:10:37 PM

if you heard a pop/bang, it was most likely a cap. you should be able to see the trouble area by examining the front & back of the motherboard or by opening up or smelling the PSU for that electrical burnt smell. also look for bulging caps while your at it as that's a good indicator it's bad.

1/7/2010 12:16:14 PM

1/7/2010 12:22:34 PM

blown capacitor?

1/7/2010 12:45:37 PM

Go to best buy -- buy a new power supply -- see if it works.

Return power supply to best buy once you are done testing and order a new one online.

1/7/2010 12:47:34 PM

i...think i found the problem



not quite sure how this happened unless the cord was faulty from the beginning...there's no tangle of cords, nor is there anything for it to have snagged on...it's also plugged directly into a UPS

i haven't actually checked the see if the power supply and motherboard/components are okay...though i still can't find any blown caps in the PSU or on the mobo, and when i tried a different cord and socket, the indicator light on the PSU came on (which it didn't, before)

jeebus, that could have set the house on fire

[Edited on January 7, 2010 at 1:07 PM. Reason : jeebus]

1/7/2010 1:06:12 PM

^ Did the cable get pinched at some point?

1/7/2010 3:21:32 PM

no...there's no way for it to have been pinched...there's NOTHING between the computer and the UPS except the cord...it's not even behind the computer near the wall

1/7/2010 7:38:06 PM

Did the UPS breaker trip? Was it a made in China cable?

1/7/2010 7:48:34 PM

the UPS breaker did NOT trip...and yeah, it's a pretty shitty cable (thinner than a lot of others...i actually prefer those flat cables...i chose it because it was short, though, and i wanted to minimize cabling )

i just hooked everything back up and i'm not getting any response...the master switch on the PSU is actually lighted, and now when i plug it in, it lights up when in the "on" position...however, when i try to power on the computer, i get NO response whatsoever

dead mobo? could the PSU still be a possibility?

damnation

1/7/2010 7:57:11 PM

1/7/2010 8:35:08 PM

Youre gonna have to test everything in this, component by component probably. You probably fried the PSU and maybe the mobo. Dont trust indicator lights.

1/7/2010 9:26:53 PM

i opened up the PSU and couldn't find anything that appeared to be bad, but i figured that was the first component to swap out, in any case, so i picked up a NIB antec earthwatts (80 PLUS) 500w PSU for $40 from a CLer and swapped it out

everything seems to be fine

1/9/2010 9:22:03 AM

The last time I set a computer on fire was back in 19 hundred and 92. Bush was in the white house and kids were doing a dance called the Hammer. AT power supplies ran 120VAC to the front switch which I inadvertently bumped with my screwdriver. The plastic on the case caught fire and I was like trying to find a towel to smother it. Kids today with their 5V logic level power switches don't appreciate what they have. It's all going to hell in a handbasket if you ask me.

1/9/2010 10:34:43 AM

If you have some basic tools including a multimeter, you can test the power supply. There are several guides that can be found via google that will walk you through the process.

1/9/2010 3:42:00 PM

do you have a cat?

they'll eat on power cables in a heartbeat

cats: nature's idiots

1/9/2010 4:40:03 PM

^^^

^^ i do have a multimeter, though heck if i know where it is

^ no...as unlikely as the cord just being a piece of crap and melting sounds, i can't think of another explanation

1/10/2010 9:05:18 AM

^^ wouldn't the cat also be dead?

1/10/2010 10:25:28 AM

Not necessarily. If it were to short across the tooth, or just short through direct copper-copper contact, the cat would only suffer slight burns from the short.

1/10/2010 10:36:19 PM

My question is, would the cat do it again?

Maybe we should all buy these cheap cables at first and just leave them plugged into the wall by themselves as a training device for feline pets?

1/11/2010 3:53:19 PM

I had a dog die once from chewing on an extension cord.

1/11/2010 8:36:20 PM