What part should I replace? INSIDE OF COMPUTER CAUGHT FIRE

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wwwr9

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Jun 16, 2014
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Some part of my PC caught on fire! Don't know what caused it!
Today when i turned on my pc, it was fine for 5 min then I heard a loud POP noise, monitor screen went black and then i smelled smoke! so i hit the switch on the PSU to shut everything off, then I unplugged the pc. I took everything out to see if there was visible damage, there were none. So after everything was put back together, I hit the PSU power switch then FOOM! a FIRE ignited inside the PC (I have a clear panel in my case that I can see inside)! I immediately hit the PSU power switch and then the fire went away. Opening up my case, I see a burnt spot below my 3rd(and main) HDD and a burnt SATA power cable.



So my question is, what needs replacing? The PSU? Motherboard?
I know I need a new sata power cable now too.

Is my hard drive dead too? There's some black spots on the gold pins (see last image in link)
I don't want to turn it on out of fear that something worse will happen. I also don't have replacements or a PC on hand to test and swap, I'm typing this off my friend's laptop.



My PC specs:
Antec PSU Neo HE550 550W
WD 500GB 7200RPM Data HDD
Seagate 2TB 5400RPM data HDD
WD 500GB 7200RPM HDD
Phenom II x4 945 3.0GHZ CPU
Asrock 880G Extreme3 motherboard
4GB Kingston HyperX & 4GB PNY DDR3 RAM
No graphics card

There are 6 case fans installed, excluding the CPU cooler.

I've attached a link to show my computer re-assembled after the pop, and to show the burnt spot at the bottom right
IMGUR- PC CAUGHT ON FIRE
I WILL FOLLOW UP WITH IMAGE OF HOW PSU LOOKS INSIDE WHEN I'M AT HOME
 
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looks like your motherboard is toast............. look at the battery. bet that's not all that's bad. I'd toss the entire machine. put something good in it and that will be toast................ HOLD THAT THOUGHT..............

is that a reflection on the battery or is it fried?

HD is shot.......... wouldn't trust the PS............. pull stuff apart ans physically smell each part.......

the memory ( ballistix ) is that dust on the clips or did it get hot and those are bubble marks?

I'd pull everything out and disassemble. check processor pins too.
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swifty_morgan

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Feb 10, 2006
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looks like your motherboard is toast............. look at the battery. bet that's not all that's bad. I'd toss the entire machine. put something good in it and that will be toast................ HOLD THAT THOUGHT..............

is that a reflection on the battery or is it fried?

HD is shot.......... wouldn't trust the PS............. pull stuff apart ans physically smell each part.......

the memory ( ballistix ) is that dust on the clips or did it get hot and those are bubble marks?

I'd pull everything out and disassemble. check processor pins too.
 
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wwwr9

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Jun 16, 2014
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Thanks for the suggestions guys. I'm late on this reply, but I've opened up the PSU, here are the images:

http://imgur.com/a/0dcnk

The only things I noticed inside the PSU that looked damage were crooked capacitors.

I checked the motherboard battery, there's no visible damage on the battery.
I looked over the RAM sticks, just dust on them.
I bought a new EVGA 600 watt PSU to use on the computer, but now I'm thinking the PSU is defective, the motherboard is shot and/or some of the cable connections have gone bad.
I switched on the PSU and the PC only turned on for around 3 seconds before it shut back down again.

Any tips or suggestions of what to do next? Looking forward to your replies!
 
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swifty_morgan

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Feb 10, 2006
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what's the PS smell like?.......sniff components. what do they smell like?..................... suggestions........ keep the new power supply, keep the case...check the front panel wiring.............. junk the rest. how do you know the cpu is still good? that quick shut down could be a sign it get's really hot really quick.
 
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wwwr9

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Jun 16, 2014
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I smelled the PSU a little after the fire incident and there was only a very slight hint of burnt. Checking again, the smell is still there. Sniffing near the motherboard, individual RAM sticks, CPU cooler, and the unburnt HDDs, I don't detect any burnt scent.

I'll reseat the CPU, reapply the TIM and check the front panel wiring. I'm just hoping the CPU is alright.

Thanks for the suggestions, swifty_morgan! I might have to trash the MB and maybe the cpu if it still doesn't start up correctly.
 
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anbello262

anbello262

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Sep 27, 2013
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Clearly the PSU should be switched, but I don't think the MOBO was affected. The HDD may even get saved, if you can clean the connector and can still plug a sata cable.
I've had that happen (2 times, at work always, different PCs, crappy PSUs with crappy wall-plug power), and in both cases I was able to save the affected drive just by cleaning it. I jsut replaced the PSU, cleaned the drive (removed little pieces of burnt plastic that got stuck), and just plugged everything back in, and no problem. Just be careful there are no bent pins on the HDD, correct them if there are.
In your case, I don't know if you can save the HDD (because of the problem you're still having), but I don't think other parts are damaged. Remove the Rams and HDDs, and try to power it up. Does it beep?
 
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