24pin ATX connector melted into Socket!

Arcane · 19th Jul 2010, 09:18

I've been getting flaky performance lately, to the point where it was BSODing, not restarting without BIOS Reset etc. The culprit seems to be;

Notice the burnt pins on the 24 pin connector and the melted plastic in the socket. I've ordered a new PSU but am hoping I can clean melted plastic out of the mobo socket perhaps with a scalpel? Anyone done this before or got any suggestions?

Cru54d3r · 19th Jul 2010, 16:02

tweezers/scalpel would probably be the best choice - if its still stubborn you could try heating up say the tweezers with a lighter and try to accurately 'loosen' it

Strepsils · 19th Jul 2010, 16:11

What psu was that out of curiosity?

thingemajib · 19th Jul 2010, 16:20

hmm... are you sure its the PSU and not the motherboard thats not the culprit?

nightmare99 · 19th Jul 2010, 18:25

Quote:

What psu was that out of curiosity?

?

Arcane · 19th Jul 2010, 19:54

Well, I've had a go and had limited success, it's such a small area to get into that I ended up using a pin and magnifying glass to see what I was doing, it's a little better but nowhere near perfect. Looking around the web it seems to be a common problem when the PSU is overloaded by high end video cards, which would make sense as i've been testing out water cooled 470gtx SLI and overvolting them. The PSU is (was) a Coolermaster CM850, I thought it'd be up to the job.

I suppose the real issue now is do I try out the replacement PSU on the existing motherboard or get another one?

sybaris · 20th Jul 2010, 06:39

If it was me, I would determine if it was PSU or Mobo.

If something is causing that to melt I would be concerned.
Are your PSU and mobo under warantee? If so I would return them.
If not do some testing and see what is causing it.
Problem is that you don't want a fire risk.

Harpss1ngh · 20th Jul 2010, 11:47

Two 470GTX's on a CM850? Thats one overloaded PSU, especially since uve been overclocking/over volting. I think thats what caused it. Especially with your i7 rig. You should change your PSU to one in the KW range to handle that kind of power/load.

Arcane · 20th Jul 2010, 13:05

I've just received a new PSU, an Enermax Revolution 1250w, that should be man enough for the job,

. Now it's just whether I risk it an see if the mobo is ok or bin it and get another, the thought of spending another £200 is too much to bare.

Muel · 20th Jul 2010, 17:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harpss1ngh

Two 470GTX's on a CM850? Thats one overloaded PSU, especially since uve been overclocking/over volting. I think thats what caused it. Especially with your i7 rig. You should change your PSU to one in the KW range to handle that kind of power/load.

GTX470 SLI showing a total system draw of 541W. You have to have some serious kit connected to it to put it over 850W....

IAmATeaf · 20th Jul 2010, 21:00

You can also get this if there's simply a bad connection between the PSU connector and mobo, causing arcing which results in a build up heat and the plastic starts melting.

Arcane · 21st Jul 2010, 08:38

I put the new PSU in last night. For some reason windows had corrupted so I reinstalled it and got a lot further down the line.
I could clock the cards and pass furmark xtreme Burn test for 30 minutes, 850 core on both cards which I was very happy with.
However, I keep getting an issue where the PC screen goes blank, sits there for about 10 seconds and then restarts, this is at stock clocks, on the desktop.

So, new PSU, clean Win7 install and still issues, I'm thinking the motherboards hosed?

Speed · 21st Jul 2010, 15:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arcane

I've just received a new PSU, an Enermax Revolution 1250w, that should be man enough for the job,

. Now it's just whether I risk it an see if the mobo is ok or bin it and get another, the thought of spending another £200 is too much to bare.

Maybe contact ASUS? They might offer a testing service for a fee, that way you could be sure that the motherboard was at fault.

As far as I can see it is either the motherboard or the PSU at fault. My money would be on the PSU due to it being a coolermaster, but it could just as easily be the board.

I'd disable auto restart if you haven't already.

System Properties > Advanced System Settings > Startup and Recovery {Settings} > Untick "Automatically Restart + Overwrite any existing file"

Arcane · 23rd Jul 2010, 08:24

New motherboard sorted it...this month's been very expensive.

Speed · 23rd Jul 2010, 08:56

Good to hear, even if it did come at a price.

What you going to do with the motherboard?

Arcane · 23rd Jul 2010, 10:22

Thanks, I'm not sure whether to RMA it or just cut my losses, reading up seems to give conflicting reports as to it being the fault of the motherboard or the PSU, no harm in trying I suppose.

welshdragon · 23rd Jul 2010, 10:28

If its any consolation I wouldn't have been happy running a motherboard with that king of damage to the connector, not worth it. RMA it, blame the motherboard and then sell the replacement on the mm to recoup your outlay!

Speed · 23rd Jul 2010, 10:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arcane

Thanks, I'm not sure whether to RMA it or just cut my losses, reading up seems to give conflicting reports as to it being the fault of the motherboard or the PSU, no harm in trying I suppose.

It is worth a go for the sake of the postage. I mean it might take a while as I suspect the retailer will want to post it back to ASUS for testing, but I wouldn't write the board off outright.

They may even be able to repair it for a fee if they deem it not to be covered by the warranty.

Negcreep · 16th Jun 2011, 10:45

Threads a bit old but I just had the *exact* same thing happen to my PSU.

Specs are:
Q6600 CPU
Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3P
SLI 2xGTX 470's
Corsair AX850

Image here: http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/.../melted12v.jpg

The set up ran for about 9-10 months like this without issue.

I took it apart and found the 12v pins melted with melted plastic left in the motherboard. After a clean up I now have it all running on a Thermaltake Toughpower 700watt PSU with 1 GTX470 and all seems fine.

Well that kind of points the finger at the PSU wouldn't you think?. I have tried to return it to Overclockers but have been informed that my warranty is void due to 'physical damage' even though the PSU is less than 1 year old. It is now looking like I will have to send it back to Corsair in the Netherlands. So I'm looking forward to the postage costs there! Thanks guys!

I have had a good read about this fault and it seems that its fairly widely reported with the latest generation of high power graphics cards and with many motherboards and PSU's.
No-one seems to know exactly where the fault lies but EVGA have release some sort of power booster cable that feeds power from a molex connector into a spare PCI-E slot.

See here:http://www.evga.com/forums/tm.aspx?m...e=1&print=true

There is however no indication that this adapter solves the problem. Although many have bought it for that purpose.

I really would like to know what is going on here in order to prevent this from happening again. I just bought a fan controller to reduce the load caused by multiple case fans on the 12v pins but I still don't know if it will be enough.

**setter** · 16th Jun 2011, 17:48

Strange one in your case Negcreep, your system would be drawing a signifigantly less amount of power than Arcane's i7 rig, particularly as he was overvolting the gpu's. Im also running sli gtx 470's, i7 920 @4.2ghz, my total power draw in game is 630w ono, furmark hits 740w ono. Psu is a corsair hx 850w.

Negcreep · 17th Jun 2011, 09:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by setter

Strange one in your case Negcreep, your system would be drawing a signifigantly less amount of power than Arcane's i7 rig, particularly as he was overvolting the gpu's. Im also running sli gtx 470's, i7 920 @4.2ghz, my total power draw in game is 630w ono, furmark hits 740w ono. Psu is a corsair hx 850w.

Yeah I'm completely puzzled. Only thing I can think of is there was a loose connection on either the motherboard or the graphics cards power connectors.

Strange how it lasted almost a year before melting too. Unless the damage occured slowly over time.

I was only playing L4D2 at the time as well...not exactly furmark eh. I'm pretty sure the AX850 should be able to handle anything my system could have thrown at it.

In all I guess it could have been worse. Board and other components appear to have survived ok.

Trollslayer · 17th Jun 2011, 10:50

You need to make sure the connector pins on the motherboard are clean, this could take more than a magnifying class.
Seriously, a microscope of some kind (any kind) should give you a much better angle.

~Divine~Wind~ · 17th Jun 2011, 12:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Negcreep

Well that kind of points the finger at the PSU wouldn't you think?. I have tried to return it to Overclockers but have been informed that my warranty is void due to 'physical damage' even though the PSU is less than 1 year old. It is now looking like I will have to send it back to Corsair in the Netherlands. So I'm looking forward to the postage costs there! Thanks guys!

Was the only "physical damage" the melted pins?
Surely they cant refuse warranty due to that, what with that being the problem and all

I'd give them a call and have a chat tbh mate or post in the customer section.

Negcreep · 17th Jun 2011, 13:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by ~Divine~Wind~

Was the only "physical damage" the melted pins?
Surely they cant refuse warranty due to that, what with that being the problem and all

I'd give them a call and have a chat tbh mate or post in the customer section.

Yeah, I completely agree it's unreasonable. I had to email the webnote system a couple of times to even get an explanation for the 'warranty void' status.

The damage I showed in the pic on the 2 ATX 12v pins is the only damage to the PSU. I will try and phone OCUK customer support today if I get a chance.

*For some reason the pic link wasn't working. I've updated it.

Negcreep · 17th Jun 2011, 18:12

Nope, it seems if your stuff goes bang Overclockers wont replace it.

Any physical damage to any product is warranty void. That's the official line.

I don't think I need to say anymore on what I think about that.

19th Jul 2010, 09:18	#1
Arcane Mobster Joined: Aug 2005 Location: Ealing, London Posts: 3,206	24pin ATX connector melted into Socket! I've been getting flaky performance lately, to the point where it was BSODing, not restarting without BIOS Reset etc. The culprit seems to be; Notice the burnt pins on the 24 pin connector and the melted plastic in the socket. I've ordered a new PSU but am hoping I can clean melted plastic out of the mobo socket perhaps with a scalpel? Anyone done this before or got any suggestions?

19th Jul 2010, 16:02	#2
Cru54d3r Gangster Joined: Oct 2003 Location: Sheffield Posts: 165	tweezers/scalpel would probably be the best choice - if its still stubborn you could try heating up say the tweezers with a lighter and try to accurately 'loosen' it
	Intel I7 860 @ 3Ghz \| Asus P7P55D Pro \| Geil Ultra Series 4GB PC3-17000 \| PowerColour HD5850 PCS+ 1GB \| XFX 650W \| Silverstone FT01B Case

19th Jul 2010, 16:11	#3
Strepsils Gangster Joined: Feb 2010 Posts: 357	What psu was that out of curiosity?
Strepsils Gangster Joined: Feb 2010 Posts: 357	AMD X4 Phenom II 2.9 Ghz B35 5GB 1333 MHZ RAM Corsair 400 watts Integrated radeon hd 4200

20th Jul 2010, 06:39	#7
sybaris Hitman Joined: Jun 2010 Location: infornt of my PC Posts: 576	If it was me, I would determine if it was PSU or Mobo. If something is causing that to melt I would be concerned. Are your PSU and mobo under warantee? If so I would return them. If not do some testing and see what is causing it. Problem is that you don't want a fire risk.
	Gaming since 1982 on a 48K rubber key ZX Spectrum

20th Jul 2010, 21:00	#11
IAmATeaf Soldato Joined: Apr 2007 Location: South of the Watford Gap! Posts: 6,134	You can also get this if there's simply a bad connection between the PSU connector and mobo, causing arcing which results in a build up heat and the plastic starts melting.
	P5Q Deluxe (2301), Q6600@3.2, TRU120A, 4x2GB 6400C5DHX XMS2, 830 256Gb SSD, 2x0.5TB 7200.12, 2x1.5TB 7200.11, Gigabyte GTX460 OC, Audigy 2ZS, NEC 7200S, Corsair HX650, Lian Li PC6089B, Samsung T240 24" TFT

19th Jul 2010, 16:20	#4
thingemajib Wise Guy Joined: Feb 2009 Location: Behind you Posts: 2,363	hmm... are you sure its the PSU and not the motherboard thats not the culprit?

19th Jul 2010, 19:54	#6
Arcane Mobster Joined: Aug 2005 Location: Ealing, London Posts: 3,206	Well, I've had a go and had limited success, it's such a small area to get into that I ended up using a pin and magnifying glass to see what I was doing, it's a little better but nowhere near perfect. Looking around the web it seems to be a common problem when the PSU is overloaded by high end video cards, which would make sense as i've been testing out water cooled 470gtx SLI and overvolting them. The PSU is (was) a Coolermaster CM850, I thought it'd be up to the job. I suppose the real issue now is do I try out the replacement PSU on the existing motherboard or get another one?

20th Jul 2010, 11:47	#8
Harpss1ngh Hitman Joined: Sep 2009 Location: London Posts: 656	Two 470GTX's on a CM850? Thats one overloaded PSU, especially since uve been overclocking/over volting. I think thats what caused it. Especially with your i7 rig. You should change your PSU to one in the KW range to handle that kind of power/load.

20th Jul 2010, 13:05	#9
Arcane Mobster Joined: Aug 2005 Location: Ealing, London Posts: 3,206	I've just received a new PSU, an Enermax Revolution 1250w, that should be man enough for the job, . Now it's just whether I risk it an see if the mobo is ok or bin it and get another, the thought of spending another £200 is too much to bare.

21st Jul 2010, 08:38	#12
Arcane Mobster Joined: Aug 2005 Location: Ealing, London Posts: 3,206	I put the new PSU in last night. For some reason windows had corrupted so I reinstalled it and got a lot further down the line. I could clock the cards and pass furmark xtreme Burn test for 30 minutes, 850 core on both cards which I was very happy with. However, I keep getting an issue where the PC screen goes blank, sits there for about 10 seconds and then restarts, this is at stock clocks, on the desktop. So, new PSU, clean Win7 install and still issues, I'm thinking the motherboards hosed?

23rd Jul 2010, 08:24	#14
Arcane Mobster Joined: Aug 2005 Location: Ealing, London Posts: 3,206	New motherboard sorted it...this month's been very expensive.

23rd Jul 2010, 08:56	#15
Speed Soldato Joined: Nov 2002 Posts: 7,413	Good to hear, even if it did come at a price. What you going to do with the motherboard?
Speed Soldato Joined: Nov 2002 Posts: 7,413

23rd Jul 2010, 10:22	#16
Arcane Mobster Joined: Aug 2005 Location: Ealing, London Posts: 3,206	Thanks, I'm not sure whether to RMA it or just cut my losses, reading up seems to give conflicting reports as to it being the fault of the motherboard or the PSU, no harm in trying I suppose.

23rd Jul 2010, 10:28	#17
welshdragon Soldato Joined: Dec 2009 Location: Wales Posts: 5,193	If its any consolation I wouldn't have been happy running a motherboard with that king of damage to the connector, not worth it. RMA it, blame the motherboard and then sell the replacement on the mm to recoup your outlay!

16th Jun 2011, 10:45	#19
Negcreep Associate Joined: Mar 2010 Posts: 11	Threads a bit old but I just had the exact same thing happen to my PSU. Specs are: Q6600 CPU Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3P SLI 2xGTX 470's Corsair AX850 Image here: http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/.../melted12v.jpg The set up ran for about 9-10 months like this without issue. I took it apart and found the 12v pins melted with melted plastic left in the motherboard. After a clean up I now have it all running on a Thermaltake Toughpower 700watt PSU with 1 GTX470 and all seems fine. Well that kind of points the finger at the PSU wouldn't you think?. I have tried to return it to Overclockers but have been informed that my warranty is void due to 'physical damage' even though the PSU is less than 1 year old. It is now looking like I will have to send it back to Corsair in the Netherlands. So I'm looking forward to the postage costs there! Thanks guys! I have had a good read about this fault and it seems that its fairly widely reported with the latest generation of high power graphics cards and with many motherboards and PSU's. No-one seems to know exactly where the fault lies but EVGA have release some sort of power booster cable that feeds power from a molex connector into a spare PCI-E slot. See here:http://www.evga.com/forums/tm.aspx?m...e=1&print=true There is however no indication that this adapter solves the problem. Although many have bought it for that purpose. I really would like to know what is going on here in order to prevent this from happening again. I just bought a fan controller to reduce the load caused by multiple case fans on the 12v pins but I still don't know if it will be enough.
Negcreep Associate Joined: Mar 2010 Posts: 11	Last edited by Negcreep; 17th Jun 2011 at 15:04.

16th Jun 2011, 17:48	#20
setter Don Joined: Dec 2005 Location: armoy, n. ireland Posts: 28,157	Strange one in your case Negcreep, your system would be drawing a signifigantly less amount of power than Arcane's i7 rig, particularly as he was overvolting the gpu's. Im also running sli gtx 470's, i7 920 @4.2ghz, my total power draw in game is 630w ono, furmark hits 740w ono. Psu is a corsair hx 850w.

17th Jun 2011, 10:50	#22
Trollslayer Associate Joined: Jan 2011 Posts: 27	You need to make sure the connector pins on the motherboard are clean, this could take more than a magnifying class. Seriously, a microscope of some kind (any kind) should give you a much better angle.
Trollslayer Associate Joined: Jan 2011 Posts: 27

17th Jun 2011, 18:12	#25
Negcreep Associate Joined: Mar 2010 Posts: 11	Nope, it seems if your stuff goes bang Overclockers wont replace it. Any physical damage to any product is warranty void. That's the official line. I don't think I need to say anymore on what I think about that.
Negcreep Associate Joined: Mar 2010 Posts: 11