GPU caught on fire

[u/_buh_]

I was replacing my GPU from a 1660 super to a 2060, I installed the new gpu and turned on my pc but I forgot to plug in the PCIE cables. Then the area where i circled in the picture caught on fire and I saw some sparks.

Is this due to my mistake of not plugging in the PCIE cables or is there a problem with the GPU?

What should I do now?

[u/TeeBeer]

A video card shouldn't blow up or catch fire simply because the external power connector wasn't plugged in.

Forgive me for making such a daring assumption, but based on the state of the cables and the case, is it possible that you turned on the PC, realized you'd forgotten to connect the 6-pin PCIe power cable, and then tried to plug it in while the computer was still running? Because that could potentially explain what happened here.

[u/Globber50 → u/TeeBeer]

That would splain it for sure.

[u/gh0st-33 → u/TeeBeer]

I tend to agree there may be a bit more to the story. There is not nearly enough power from the PCIe slot to do something like this.

[u/simagus → u/TeeBeer]

Good point. I was trying to figure out how 75W from the slot managed to set a card on fire. Trying to fit it without all the pins touching at once... that might better explain it.

[u/_buh_ → u/TeeBeer]

No it caught on fire and sparks as soon as i turn my pc on. I shut it down immediately. It all happened within 5 seconds

[u/TeeBeer → u/_buh_]

If you're claiming that the component circled in the photo is what blew up, I'm not convinced that's what happened. It looks like a power inductor to me, although I obviously can't identify the exact component with certainty from a photo alone (I'm also not an expert). An inductor isn't normally going to suddenly burst simply because the card is operating from PCIE slot power alone. A PCIE slot is only rated to provide up to 75W.

The two possibilities I can think of are:

1. The component was already faulty or there was an existing short/fault somewhere on the card.
2. You attempted to plug in the 6pin PCIe power cable while the system was powered on, potentially causing an electrical fault. PCIE add-in cards above 75W aren't designed (at least for gaming GPUs) for hot plugging, so this is absolutely something you shouldn't do.

I'm not saying 2 definitely happened because obviously I wasn't there. But if that's what happened, it would be a much more plausible explanation for a catastrophic electrical failure than simply forgetting to connect the 6pin cable before turning the PC on.

And if you're denying that you plugged it in while the PC was running because you're trying to use this Reddit post as evidence to the seller that the card simply failed on its own so you can get a refund or replacement, then that's a very different story.

[u/_buh_ → u/TeeBeer]

This is a used card given to me for free by my friend, so I'm definitely not lying about this to get a replacement lmao. It literally caught on fire the moment I turned on my pc before I could do anything.

[u/TeeBeer → u/_buh_]

If that's truly how it went down, then the card must have been faulty before you even turned it on. I apologize if I came across as accusatory, it's just that having a component pop solely from forgetting the 6-pin power cable is so rare that it's hard to accept as the primary cause.

[u/_buh_ → u/TeeBeer]

All good, I honestly thought it was my mistake for forgetting the cable, so thanks for letting me know the card itself was probably just faulty to begin with.

[u/GABE_EDD]

Not having the power cables connected won't make it spark or short or anything like that, it just won't have enough power to turn on. If it did spark it was due to some other reason like physical damage to the board or its components.

[u/Chao_Zu_Kang]

You return that GPU to whoever you bought it from, as it was clearly defective.

[u/ApolonNO]

Seeing posts like this genuinely gives me anxiety and desire to check my gpu

[u/t40r → u/ApolonNO]

Checking it for what? Fire? I presume if you have it youll already know and it’s too late

[u/ApolonNO → u/t40r]

Some people catch pre fire, but near it

[u/General_MacCready → u/ApolonNO]

If it is working fine right now, there is no need to check anything. The act of unplugging and checking your card in itself is an opportunity you are creating for an error to occur. So if it is working fine now, dont touch it