CPU Fried, RAM Not Working, Potentially Due to Power Surge?

lesher on 11/11/2020 - 09:35

Hey all, I got myself a prebuilt gaming PC very recently since I'm not really an expert in building PC and I honestly wouldn't trust myself to build one from scratch (upgrading an already built pc I can probably do) and those tempting deals are just too good

Anyway, one month after I got it, I noticed something smells funny in my room but I couldn't quite tell where it's from. At first I tried sniffing the exhaust of my pc and any obvious places in my room but I couldn't source it, so I just carried on with using my pc. At some point, I decided to restart my pc and it never comes back on again… The smell does kinda like burnt plastic or electronic.

So I sent it back to the store where I got the PC from for repair, and I was informed that the:

  • CPU was burnt (there's black char around the area of the CPU according to technicians)
  • RAM doesn't work when connected to other PC they tested

PS: The CPU is AMD and RAM is Corsair.

Now, the store initial thoughts is that this could be due to power surge, and I admit I wasn't using like a powerboard with surge protection in particular or at least I'm not aware if it has one (yes, I'm a dummy in hindsight), but how likely is this to be the case? Wouldn't the power supply get affected first instead? My power supply is corsair, which I think is pretty decent brand for it (I live in apartment with of 10+ floors, not sure if this is relevant or not)

PS I also notice that my monitor very very randomly flickers every now and then (like only few times a day); and in particular, usually at least once around 10pm – 11pm, which I suspect something that uses big electricity (not inside my apartment unit for sure) is turned on/off, could this be related?

Computing

Comments

  • Muzeeb on 11/11/2020 - 09:52

    Did anything else in your apartment fry?

    • lesher on 11/11/2020 - 12:35

      I don't think so, no.

  • jamescavs on 11/11/2020 - 09:59
    +2

    At first, I thought that the computer was poorly built.

    However, after reading about your monitor flickering, I now think that there may be issues with the electricity in your apartment.

    Is your apartment old? (more than 20 years). It may be worth paying an electrician to check all your electricity points to ensure it is safe.

    We had a power outage at our last rental property (the property was at least 40 years old). Turns out one of the power points was faulty. We stopped using it and had no issues since.

    • lesher on 11/11/2020 - 12:36

      I considered doing this actually! But I figured maybe I should get few second opinions beforehand just to see if my suspicion is ill-founded or not.

      Say, did your issue back then gets resolved in a single visit by electrician? (and how much the whole thing costs roughly, if you still remember?)

      • jamescavs on 11/11/2020 - 12:53

        Landlord paid for it so no idea.

        The electrician only came for an emergency appointment because we had no power. They fixed a fuse, and then worked out which power points were faulty. The landlord never followed up with fixing it, we just avoided using it.

        • lesher on 11/11/2020 - 13:02

          Sadly in my case it's kinda hard to avoid using the specific power point I'm using right now without some super long extension cord and at this point, no guarantee if other port helps anyway since I think I remember the monitor flickers when I used different power point, I guess I'll need to get it checked and get it fixed if there's problem with it, thanks for replying and the input!

  • garetz on 11/11/2020 - 10:21
    -1

    Get an electrician to test out your electrical in your apartment. Sounds like a brownout happened possibly, less likely a surge.

    If it was a surge, you would 100% know, as everything in your unit would of turned off, and the safety switch breaker would of been tripped in your electrical box for your unit.

    • abb on 11/11/2020 - 12:11
      +1

      Sounds like a brownout happened possibly, less likely a surge.

      Agree, but that's unlikely to damage the PC unless severe.

      If it was a surge, you would 100% know, as everything in your unit would of turned off, and the safety switch breaker would of been tripped in your electrical box for your unit.

      Not necessarily.

      The safety switch trips on earth leakage.
      Circuit breakers trip on over current.

      Neither of these conditions will necessarily happen during an overvoltage (surge) event.

  • SF3 on 11/11/2020 - 10:26

    OP, as per jamescavs it does sounds like an electricity supplier problem.

    I had lights flicker at night too (as I wasn't home to observe it during daytime). What ended up being the problem was the junction from the main electricity line into my house was "worn out" (aging). I noticed this especially if I was using the microwave, kettle (e.g. sudden "pull" of power). This was fixed when the junction/cabling was replaced (AusGrid in NSW).

    My is a house vs apartment… but does sound like some connection problem.

    • lesher on 11/11/2020 - 12:40

      Yeah, it might be. I'll just start looking around for electrician just in case

      • SF3 on 11/11/2020 - 13:39

        Good luck!

        I remember the name of the problem, the wires were "arcing".

  • abb on 11/11/2020 - 12:13

    I admit I wasn't using like a powerboard with surge protection in particular or at least I'm not aware if it has one (yes, I'm a dummy in hindsight)

    You're not a dummy, most PCs in the world run perfectly fine for years on non-surge-protected power outlets.

    Further, most surge protectors are worthless, the cheap type will usually wear themselves out by absorbing non-damaging surges within a year or two, and lack the ability to absorb the really dangerous spikes (lightning) anyway.

  • avoidfullprice on 12/11/2020 - 00:04
    +1

    If the electricity is dirty, say due to arcing, then a power surge protected circuit prob wont prevent what happened to your computer. An analogy is that a power surge is someone trying to slap your face hard, while dirty electricity is someone to repeatedly slap your face like in a massage.

    If the electricity is not smooth, you will prob look at getting an UPS to filter your power to PC.

    But hope the electrician will find and fix your problem

    • lesher on 12/11/2020 - 21:55

      I did wonder though, what if the cable fraying happens inside the wall instead at the power outlet spot instead, would that be easy to detect I wonder? Anyway yeah, trying to schedule an electrician still, probably will get it looked at next Monday

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