RTX3070 short circuited and created a small flame.

[flammable_gpu]

Hey guys!

This thursday I received my MSI RTX 3070 ventus 3x OC and was ready build my new pc. After assembly the PC ran fine for two days and I installed drivers and downloaded a few games. However, on saturday it suddenly shut down. I was not doing anything that would demand much of the system. Only thing open was a browser. Anywho, it would not turn on, so I tried pulling out the power cable and putting it back in. This time it turned on, but I quickly noticed a small flame coming from around the GPU and turned the system off again. It started to smell burnt, and after opening the case up I noticed a small burnt area on the GPU. Everything else looks fine.

 

The burnt area
 

Afterwards, I've removed the GPU and replaced it with my old 1050i. Everything now runs fine and have done so for a couple of hours of light use.

 

Is there anything I can do to test the system or can I be pretty certain the only problem was the GPU?

 

Other components:

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600x

Board: ASRock Phantom Gaming x570 mini-itx / tb3

Ram: HyperX 16GB DDR4

SSD: WD Blue SN550

Case: Nzxt H1

PSU (included in the case): 650W SFX-L 80Plus Gold Fully Modular Power Supply (NP-S650M)

 

Thank you and warm wishes! :)

[Bombastinator]

I would go with cool wishes myself in this case.  Fire bad.  
 

It sounds like you’re worried that the machine may be damaged elsewhere.  Highest probability is a manufacturing screw up with the 3070, especially if the machine is running OK now without it.  Things I would want to look at perhaps:

The PSU.  There are testing devices for such things.  Some high end PSUs actually come with them now I understand.  Traditional Diagnostics testing for a PSU requires wild equipment though.  Iirc an oscilloscope is one tool.  

The Mobo.  Looking at the pic the fire happened very close to the pcie connector on the mobo.  Does it look like it’s still in good shape?  All the caps and stuff look healthy on the mobo?

Edited November 21, 2020 by Bombastinator

[cr8tor]

1 hour ago, flammable_gpu said:

Is there anything I can do to test the system or can I be pretty certain the only problem was the GPU?

You did it by putting another GPU in and testing.

Works fine, visible damage on the bad GPU confirms it died.

Like bombastinator said, eyeball everything and look for other burn marks.

But chances are that since it booted back up with another GPU, you are fine.

[flammable_gpu]

Only cool wishes allowed from now on. And thank you both for taking the time to respond! 

 

I'm absolutely terrified that there are other damages inside, but also of the same thing happening again if I put another 3070 in. 

 

After reading your comments I've taken a closer look at the motherboard, and even sniffed for burnt smells. I can't see or smell anything out of the ordinary. It looks perfectly fine to me.

 

A thought I had (no idea if it even matters) was about the PCI-E cables in the case. Both were connected fully, when the 3070 was in. Only one is needed in my old GPU, and I've tried with both and they work fine. Could they potentially be a problem?

 

I've attached screenshots of AMD Ryzen Master and Speccy. The currrent voltage in the CPU swings between 0.8 to 1.4 and the CPU-temp is good. However, it hasn't really been challenged yet.

 

I'm contacting the seller today about the GPU and potentially getting another one. Hope I can use the warranty.