Asus P9X79 WS Mobo got burned right next at the 1394 connector pics attached

[mcharis]

Hello, I am new here and I would appreciate any feedback.

my new rig that I made 10 days ago is:
Mobo: Asus P9X79 WS
CPU: Intel Core i7-4930K Ivy Bridge-E
VGA:GeForce 780 EVGA super clocked
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 16GB
Cooling: CORSAIR Hydro Series H100i
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 P2 80 PLUS PLATINUM Certified 1000W (im planning to sli it after awhile)
Tower Coolermaster Trooper

I think I connect the wrong cable to the 1394a port connector, the USB bracket that came with it, was looking exactly like at the image at the guide, and even though I read carefully the manual I didn't read that was the USB and not a firewire thing.
Anyway after 4 days of usage, I saw sparks, I close the system right away, I thought it was the power supply, and I had a surge protector and I open it again and again 3 rapid sparks, and then the whole thing shut down and I thought it was the end of my PC completely, I saw the burn marks on my MObo and I realize it was the motherboard and not the power supply, but I took out everything after 4 days and I test the mobo with the power supply. The power button and reset button lights up and no more sparks or anything. The power supply is perfectly fine and working.

I talk with an Asus technician and he suggested to put on the processor and graphic card to see if it works, the risk is minimum to non existent, I have a picture to where my mobo got burned.


Now, I want to RMA it, no doubt about that, because there is a chance the mobo might be defective and it wasn't my fault and that was the correct cable, which is the usb cable that shows at this picture at newegg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131798

but, if I RMA it now, I have to buy a new mobo because I live in Greece and until it ships back to the US and gets repaired and then back to me it will take 2 months. And I need to start working withmy new PC and right now im using an old laptop and I cannot do the work I was planning.
If the Mobo works, should I use it for now? or am I risking too much?
I was thinking to use it for like a month. Should I just send it back right away and buy a new MObo until this one get repaired?
I know this is money and I am working hard for that money, Im not rich by any means. But if Im risking the rest of my rig, I prefer to end up with 2 mobos than no PC at all!

any help will be appreciated!

Best Regards,
Charis

 

[ninjacore]

I don't see why they would replace it if it's user error, but I also don't think you'd be able to connect the USB cable to the 1394 post (don't they have a different pin config?).

I'm guessing the damage is limited to just that port, however, so you're likely fine to keep working with it and replace when you can. I would definitely unplug that cable, however, and keep a close eye on things.

 

[Theocnoob]

I guarantee you 100% ASUS will not RMA that board. I've read too many stories. If you sneeze on the board, scratch it, ding it, anything, they say "user error" and give you the finger...

Also just curious- why did you build on the old X79 platform when X99 was available?

 

[mcharis]

Thank you both for your replies!

hmmm, I don't know!
can I use with my processor the X99?
Intel Core i7-4930K
but my ram is this: G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-14900CL8Q-16GBZM
I doin't think I will be able to use that ram on a x99 mobo....

I know I will pay for it, I just want to make sure it was my fault and not some type of the motherboard manufacture problem.
thats why I want to send it to their repair center which unfortunately they don't accept here in Europe even if I pay for it.
They said if I bought it in the US I have to take it to the US.
That sucks for me, because it is going to take at least 2 months!

To answer to you ninjacore: I check the whole motherboard, that bracket and the cables only fit perfectly at that spot as far as I know. But then again, even though I was very very thorough and I read everything, I did the mistake and the worst part is not if they RMA it or not, I don;t have my PC to work and I got scared the other parts might get damaged! That was the worst part for me.

 

[ninjacore]

Nope, sorry. X99 is DDR4.

I'm confused though. If that cable socket doesn't fit anywhere else, it likely does go there. Can you take a picture of the male ends (on the board) and the female end (on the cable) and tell us what the side of the cable reads? We can compare that to your mobo manual online and clear up the confusion as to whether it truly was user error or if the board just malfunctioned and caught fire (as happened in this thread).

 

[mcharis]

I need vacations....im wasting my time and everybody's time with my stupidity.....yes they are 2 usb that it can go over there, I got confused because I build the rig with a local technician and he place over there other usb connectors!

I have the pics



yes, Im pretty sure it is my fault. But if the damage is limited over there, there is a chance that I can work at least the rest of the motherboard and when I can, I will replace this one.

 

[mcharis]

omg, I was so careful with everything, wearing gloves, connect everything perfect, watching videos non stop, perfect cable management the best airflow, hair and dust free environment, how to touch my processor, or better how NOT to touch my processor, calling technician to help with my rig, and it got me that little thingy over there!!!!

anyway, at least this thread might be good for others like me to know about that connector.

who ever read this:
DO NOT CONNECT THE USB BRACKET THAT CAME WITH THE ASUS P9X79 WS MOTHERBOARD BOX TO THE IEEE 1394a CONNECTOR, YOUR MOBO WILL FOR SURE GET DAMAGED!!!!! IT WILL SPARK AND IF YOU SHUT IT DOWN ON TIME, TAKE OUT THE USB AND MAY GOD HELP YOU!

thank you both for your help, I truly appreciate it!

 

[Theocnoob]

I seriously doubt this motherboard will work at this point.

My suggestion, if you are still within your return windows, is to take the loss of the mobo (sh(t happens), and return the CPU and RAM, and pick up a 5820K, X99-A, 4x4GB cheap 2133Mhz DDR4. Or, if you want the same features in your new board, get the X99 WS.

User error was definitely a factor in what happened to your X79 MOBO. There is no sense trying to get it to ASUS RMA. Assure you 100% they will not replace. Any time there is physical damage they do not replace.

 

[ninjacore]

Yikes! Cut your nails, Dracula!

Yep, you did USB to 1394a. I imagine you also had a USB device plugged into that hub?

 

[mcharis]

ha ha! I need to cut my nails especially now that I will start learning guitar!
I didn;t had any usb device connect over there.

im not in my return window whatsoever. I wish I had ask before I bought my rig on this forum, I ask on toms hardware and nobody told me about the new X99 mobos.
Until everything was shipped to me and until I had my tower, a whole month passed. But its ok, next year I will upgrade if my business goes well! Im a graphic designer and my work is simple, but I like gaming and have a very fast PC so Im happy with my rig for now, I did pay good money and I might have been able to get something even batter for that money, but at least I learn. I haven't upgraded for 6 years and I made some mistakes along the way.

I will test tomorrow the rest of the parts if they work and I will update you guys. If this mobo doesn't work, I will buy a new one.

 

[ninjacore]

Good luck with the guitar and the PC.

If you do replace the motherboard, I would just look for a used X79 board. I'm sure there are others in your area trying to get rid of theirs to upgrade to X99.

 

[mcharis]

It works, everything works, bios opens, it started where I left it with everything running perfectly fine with a couple of issues that im not sure if its the mobo or my installation.

the only problem is that after the second installation my water cooling system Corsair h100i the fans don't spin, and the temp before never went above 40C but now they reached 50C without even doing anything.

now I have to check everything again and see if is the mobo problem.
also is it shows AE, other than that at the bios it doesn't show any problem, I purposely change the fan pin and right away it showed that the CPU fan is missing, i put back at the correct fan pin and when the PC open it showed no warning of any kind.
Why my PCU temps are higher now?

the temp of the MOBO is around 33-35C

 

[ninjacore]

You unmounted and mounted the CPU cooler? If so, I would just try to remount. Could be misaligned or loose or something. Or did you mean that one of the radiator fans isn't spinning? That could also contribute to the temps being higher.

 

[mcharis]

I took pictures before I uninstall everything and I saw my mistake, but I will do it tomorrow and I think it will work.
I had to unmount it, I was very scared the mobo might harm it if it was still sparking or something, when I test it out of the tower case.

yeah just the fans don't spin under the radiator. The corsair lights at its regular color, which is white so far, the mem ok is blue, all the little lights are working and it boot up like nothing happen ever before. Just me getting a heart attack and be in depression mode for 5 days now.....

but im very happy that it works in general, the tower, the lights, all the fans, my ssd, everything is just perfect and the windows open with everything i had before.

I also figure out what exactly happen, I did the mistke to place the USB to the 1394 port, but nothing will happen unless you connect something, so it was working for 4-5 days with no issues, and then I bought new monitors and I was testing various usb positions and even though I put it on and then I took it out it was enough to damage the soldering thing right next to the 1394a port. The port itself is fine, the mobo at the backside is not burned at all, only that soldering thingy which I don;t know how to properly name it like you all saw at the picture.

I read about that on other forums and some people said that if I was to pay for a repair Asus would ask around 150 usd, why would I pay and loose 2 months of work? I might as well buy a new mobo or like you said a used one.

I think since the temps are around 35C on my mobo this is good right? also the bios and everything that seem to work perfectly fine. And the power supply is also perfect.

thank God, Im very thankful for this.....

 

[ninjacore]

Are you able to boot to Windows (past BIOS)?

Are the fans for the H100 connected? They'll definitely need to be spinning for that cooler to work effectively. It'll still cool the chip, but maybe not under load.

Definitely DO NOT use that 1394a port ever again. The capacitor that burned out next to it likely got overloaded from the USB device you plugged into it. Anymore juice going to that capacitor will just cause sparks/fire.

I'm honestly hesitant to tell you to just keep using the system as if nothing ever happened. It could work, but it also could end up causing more components to fail than just the motherboard. From the other threads I've seen online dealing with this issue (USB plugged into 1394a), you were pretty fortunate that you didn't lose any other components.

It'll be your decision whether it's worth the risk. I would think that if there's no power being routed through that capacitor to a device plugged into that port, that it shouldn't be an issue, but I don't know how the circuitry is routed on that board (or any board for that matter). Even if you start using it now and it's fine, I would start looking for a replacement immediately. As soon as you find a cheap one, pick it up and swap it in, that way you have no down time for work.

 

[mcharis]

YES!!!!!!

the temperatures are just perfect, I fixed the fan as well, the CPU is always at 20s, the mobo is at high 20s low 30s, my GPU is at high 20s but when I did the valley benchmark test it went up to 65c......I need to reinstall my case fans to hit the card....I have trooper coolermaster, but at the window I want to put the big fan, Im not sure how I will do this.
the temp was good at my mobo and cpu at the test.....

the windows runs fast and really good.

I talk with 4 Asus technicians to make sure they know what they are talking about, they told me as long I don;t try to put over there any cable at that port, it will be fine, I guess the circuits don;t interact with the rest of the motherboard and since at the back there is no burn mark, it will be fine.
Of course I will buy a new one soon just to be on the safe side, but so far there is absolutely no problems.

 

[NiHaoMike]

Based on the standard pinouts, plugging the USB into the 1394 shorts the 12V to ground. Most likely that blew a ferrite bead, with the orange stuff looking like iron oxide from the arcing. Use a bit of moist toilet paper to clean that part of the board (power off!). If there's no further damage, it should be OK to continue using it.