This is perhaps one of the wildest damage we have seen so far on the RTX 40 series GPUs, but the user is unsure whether MSI will honor the warranty
Redditor Reports a Massive Power Short in the VRM Section that Left the RTX 4080 Super With a Hole in the PCB
We've all seen a horrible 16-pin power connector burn on GPUs, and even a capacitor pop on GPUs, but this failure seems so insane that it literally blew a hole in the PCB. Redditor u/TwistedCollossus reports that his RTX 4080 Super card died due to a short circuit. The user reportedly installed it on a test bench, and the GPU started shooting flames almost immediately.
The user didn't share pics of his test bench, and we don't know what configuration his setup used. However, he did post a few pics of the dead GPU, which shows a severely burned PCB near the 16-pin power connector as can be seen underneath the heatsink. From the side-view, it appears to be a capacitor explosion, but when you see the images of the PCB, it's more than just a regular capacitor pop.
The short circuit was so intense that it literally burned a hole through the board. This was either caused by a capacitor failure, which caused voltage instability and MOSFET burnout, or it could be due to the MOSFET failure itself, which caused overheating due to massive current flow. Regardless of what might have been the actual cause, consumer electronic items shouldn't produce open flames under normal operating conditions.
This happened on the MSI GeForce RTX 4080 Super Ventus 3X OC card, and the user appears unsure if MSI will accept the RMA request for his card or not. As per the user, he never disassembled the GPU before the incident, and he did so only to take pics of the damage. But that could make it difficult for RMA acceptance since it will be difficult to prove whether the damage was done before or after opening the card.
News Source: Reddit
About the author: Sarfraz Khan is a hardware reporter with a focus on PC components and the builder community. With years of experience writing about PC hardware and laptops, his work has been featured on several reputable technology publications. Sarfraz's hands-on experience is demonstrated through his first-person accounts of using and comparing different hardware configurations, providing practical and relatable insights for everyday users. His technical analysis is respected by peers in the enthusiast community and has been cited by specialized hardware sites such as Germany's Igor's Lab.
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