Can failed chokes damage a PSU?

[imported_Sabresiberian]

I recently had my computer die. No boot, no beeps, though case fans and a couple of lights on the mainboard came on. Smell of burned electronics.

I traced the smell to the PSU, so it is obviously "toast", heh. I didn't inspect the MB until after I installed a new PSU and it failed again. The first time I tried to start it after replacing the PSU, it immediately shut down. I checked all connections and tried again, and got the same start up with fans and a couple of lights but nothing else. Tried w/o video card, memory to one stick, w/o CPU, all same results.

I pulled the MB so I could inspect it closely. I eventually found a cracked choke (inductor), and another one along a different bank of inductors that shows discoloration. (MB is Asus Rampage II Extreme).

So, my main question here is - did the failed MB components damage the PSU, or the bad PSU damage the chokes (or maybe something else that I haven't found)? Is my new PSU now likely to be damaged? (I would hope not since it is an expensive PSU with all kinds of protection circuitry, but I don't know if a power supply can protect itself against this kind of MB failure.)

Thanks in advance for your knowledgeable input.

 

[bryanl]

I believe the motherboard simply drew too much power, but a quality power supply should not have been damaged by that and instead should have shut down on before damage occurred. Some expensive power supplies are not quality. Any chokes that cracked must definitely be replaced, and chokes can be ruined merely from overheating.

 

[imported_Sabresiberian]

Thanks for the reply bryanl.

So, it sounds to me like you are saying the PSU damaged the MB, not the other way around. Or, how else would it draw too much power? The only change I made recently was to install a new video card, and while I messed with overclocking it a month ago, it was running stock when it failed - and that shouldn't be a source of problem anyway, unless the PSU or MB is defective. My CPU was overclocked, but had been for over 3 1/2 years, and an i7 920 @ 3.8 GHz shouldn't be a problem for an Asus ROG MB.

The new PSU is an Enermax Platimax 1350W. I believe it's one of the best PSUs that can be purchased. (Some would say I should have gone Seasonic, and I'm not going to argue against that; let's just say I'm fond of Enermax. )

I never really had 100% confidence in the PSU that failed. It had a minor problem when I bought it and I sent it in to the maker to have it fixed and checked out, and by the time I got it back, long story short I went ahead and use it. (I should have returned it to Newegg and got a different one, but, well, lesson learned.) It was a 1200W unit, so no amount of overclocking or video cards installed should have stressed it. (It only had the one GTX 680, and the PSU has one 12V rail.) It was only 3 1/2 years old, which isn't old for a PSU (assuming it's a good one to begin with). So, yes, it was an expensive PSU that wasn't a good quality unit, in my opinion.