Question Saw 2 sparks fly out from GPU last night...

[thecoffeeguy]

I was doing some gaming last night when all the sudden my screen went blank. The PC was still going (my LED memory lights and fans were still working).
I powered down the rig, let it sit for a few minutes, then opened the case to check everything out.
It all seemed ok.

I then turned back on the rig and saw 2 sparks come out from what I think is my GPU!!! First time in almost 20 years using computers, i have seen this.
I get no signal on my display.
I tried moving stuff around, disconnecting things. Still no signal
The fans on the GPU do not spin, which my first thought was, the card is dead (card is about 3 1/2 years old). the board itself is less than a year.

My first thought it is the GPU died, but what about potential other damage to the rig is my next question.
I have attempted to use the onboard video (board is here: https://www.newegg.com/msi-b450-tomahawk-max/p/N82E16813144267?Item=N82E16813144267)
But I dont get a signal. The monitor works as i tested it on my laptop.

The rig does have power: it turns on, all the fans spin, CPU fan works.....but no video.
any thoughts or things I can further check?

Much obliged my friends

TCG

 

[VirtualLarry]

Rossman, is this your alt?

Anyways, yeah, sometimes, very rarely, things can go out in a catastrophic fashion. I've got my whole fleet of CPUs and GPUs going basically full-tilt, for the PrimeGrid challenge, and believe me, I'm glad nothing's blown out yet.

I mean, hard to say what happened. If you have power glitches in your area, or are storm-prone, and don't have a UPS / battery-backup, I would recommend getting one NOW. (There is a thread in Hot Deals, Newegg has some APC PureSine units for a decent price with free shipping right now. I can vouch for those units, I've been using the 1350VA model for a year or two or maybe three so far.)

That said, maybe it was just dumb bad luck, and some small component blew on your board. Or your PC's PSU is getting old and/or "going south".

The onboard video on an AM4 boardboard, ONLY functions, if you have an APU installed. Which most gaming PCs use a Ryzen CPU, so no onboard video.

I had a PCI-E slot go out on me, on a refurb X370 Gaming mobo from Gigabyte. Then again, it was only $50 open-box/refurb. The second slot (chipset-powered) worked still. I think that I still have that board.

So, at this point, testing the PSU with the paper-clip (disconnect from rig, plug into AC power, plug in a fan into a molex connector, jump the green and a black wire together, see if the PSU and the attached fan spins), and maybe swapping parts around with another rig to determine what is dead and what isn't.

 

[thecoffeeguy]

Rossman, is this your alt?

Anyways, yeah, sometimes, very rarely, things can go out in a catastrophic fashion. I've got my whole fleet of CPUs and GPUs going basically full-tilt, for the PrimeGrid challenge, and believe me, I'm glad nothing's blown out yet.

I mean, hard to say what happened. If you have power glitches in your area, or are storm-prone, and don't have a UPS / battery-backup, I would recommend getting one NOW. (There is a thread in Hot Deals, Newegg has some APC PureSine units for a decent price with free shipping right now. I can vouch for those units, I've been using the 1350VA model for a year or two or maybe three so far.)

That said, maybe it was just dumb bad luck, and some small component blew on your board. Or your PC's PSU is getting old and/or "going south".

The onboard video on an AM4 boardboard, ONLY functions, if you have an APU installed. Which most gaming PCs use a Ryzen CPU, so no onboard video.

I had a PCI-E slot go out on me, on a refurb X370 Gaming mobo from Gigabyte. Then again, it was only $50 open-box/refurb. The second slot (chipset-powered) worked still. I think that I still have that board.

So, at this point, testing the PSU with the paper-clip (disconnect from rig, plug into AC power, plug in a fan into a molex connector, jump the green and a black wire together, see if the PSU and the attached fan spins), and maybe swapping parts around with another rig to determine what is dead and what isn't.

Thanks VirtualLarry for your input.
The PSU i have is this one:

Are you a human?

www.newegg.com

I think I follow in that you are saying is. test the vga connectors on a fan, via a connector, see if they spin up?
Let me look for some connectors, see what i can drag out.
Thanks!

 

[UsandThem]

Thanks VirtualLarry for your input.
The PSU i have is this one:

Are you a human?

www.newegg.com

I think I follow in that you are saying is. test the vga connectors on a fan, via a connector, see if they spin up?
Let me look for some connectors, see what i can drag out.
Thanks!

No, he suggested testing your PSU using the paperclip method: https://www.evga.com/support/faq/FAQdetails.aspx?faqid=59582

It appears your GPU bit the dust. Now you need to determine if it took anything out with it. Honestly, you really should make sure it wasn't the PSU that took out the GPU, but my guess would be your video card simply gave up the ghost.

 

[thecoffeeguy]

No, he suggested testing your PSU using the paperclip method: https://www.evga.com/support/faq/FAQdetails.aspx?faqid=59582

It appears your GPU bit the dust. Now you need to determine if it took anything out with it. Honestly, you really should make sure it wasn't the PSU that took out the GPU, but my guess would be your video card simply gave up the ghost.

Got it. Just did the test (had the little adaptor that came with the PSU) and the PSU fan spun up when I connected to it.
I would assume that means the PSU is ok.
Which makes me lean more to that the GPU tapped out. It was fairly old, and i pushed it pretty hard for a few years.
I just happened to find a decent card on sale last night for about $150 (much better card since its new compared to my old one). Hoping it gets here tomorrow.

Anything else I should consider?
APpreciate the help my friends!

 

[UsandThem]

Anything else I should consider?

My guess it was just your GPU dying, but if you have any issues when you get the new card installed, you might need a PSU tester (or multimeter) to check the PSU's voltage output. However, the G2 is a good power supply, so if I were a betting man, I'd place my bet on the video card dying.

Something like this is handy to have for power supplies (there are cheaper versions as well): https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-Automated-Supply-Oversized-Supplies/dp/B005F778JO

 

[thecoffeeguy]

My guess it was just your GPU dying, but if you have any issues when you get the new card installed, you might need a PSU tester (or multimeter) to check the PSU's voltage output. However, the G2 is a good power supply, so if I were a betting man, I'd place my bet on the video card dying.

Something like this is handy to have for power supplies (there are cheaper versions as well): https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-Automated-Supply-Oversized-Supplies/dp/B005F778JO

It feels like it, with the behavior i am seeing. Thats my hope at least. I think the new card gets here tomorrow so fingers crossed I can be up and running again quickly.
Appreciate all the help!

TCG

 

[VirtualLarry]

Did you ever get this solved, @thecoffeeguy ? Plz give some feedback, or are you stuck without a PC right now?