cgerckert Posted August 23, 2020 Share Posted August 23, 2020 1st. Yes i tuned everything off / unplugged it from the wall so you can put down the fire extinguishers :) Here are the basics I purchased all new hardware (except the PSU because it was hard to come by). I have not gotten further than - Connecting PSU - Connecting Motherboard MSI H310-F Pro with new intel chip - Updating bios of motherboard (using built in graphics) - Connecting Kingston 120GB SSD via Sata Cable (where the trouble started) No data or OS on the drive. Once I installed the SSD and turned on the system, the SATA cable started smoking (not the power cable to the SSD). I immediately unplugged everything from the wall, wondering if I just fried my setup. I was able to boot up without the SSD connected at all after that, but subsequent boots now are the on for a few seconds (i can see the CPU fan spin) then it goes off, then goes back on again and boots to the bios. I don't have other back up equipment to isolate with other than a second SATA data cable and a second PSU SATA cable. (Side note, I noticed one of the SATA PSU cable has a "GQ" listed on it, while the other does not. Is there a difference. I also cannot find anywhere if there is a preferred placement for the 1at SATA cable in the PSU. Any thoughts on which items I should try replacing first or methods to test what is going on via the bios or another method. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevBiker Posted August 23, 2020 Share Posted August 23, 2020 Did those SATA cables come with the PSU? I don't recall any Corsair cables ever having "GQ" on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgerckert Posted August 23, 2020 Author Share Posted August 23, 2020 Did those SATA cables come with the PSU? I don't recall any Corsair cables ever having "GQ" on them. I did not get the original box with unit over eBay. 1 sata cable had the GQ on it, the other did not. Only until i had the issues did i realize how easy it is to get mixed matched cables because of how manufactures do not standardize. I also noticed the fonts were not the same which I heard is also sign they are mix match set. Would the best course of action be to eliminate cables as a point of failure and get a new set of the pro cables from Corsair? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vegan Posted August 23, 2020 Share Posted August 23, 2020 I would get new cables from corsair Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevBiker Posted August 23, 2020 Share Posted August 23, 2020 I did not get the original box with unit over eBay. 1 sata cable had the GQ on it, the other did not. Only until i had the issues did i realize how easy it is to get mixed matched cables because of how manufactures do not standardize. I also noticed the fonts were not the same which I heard is also sign they are mix match set. Would the best course of action be to eliminate cables as a point of failure and get a new set of the pro cables from Corsair? Yes. If you aren't using the correct cables, that's going to be the point of failure. We've seen it multiple times here. It looks like Corsair.com is currently out of stock unfortunately. CableMod also makes compatible cables. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsair Employees jonnyguru Posted August 23, 2020 Corsair Employees Share Posted August 23, 2020 I did not get the original box with unit over eBay. 1 sata cable had the GQ on it, the other did not. The EVGA GQ PSUs have a different pinout from Corsair's. Using an EVGA DC cable with a Corsair PSU is a sure fire way to kill hardware. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vegan Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 The EVGA GQ PSUs have a different pinout from Corsair's. Using an EVGA DC cable with a Corsair PSU is a sure fire way to kill hardware. I like that Corsair clearly marks their cables. Saves breaking out the multimeter etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgerckert Posted August 25, 2020 Author Share Posted August 25, 2020 I received confirmation from the ebay seller, that they did indeed send me the wrong cable mixed in :( While they are sending me a new one, I ordered a fresh set of corsair pro cables, as now I wonder about the rest of the cables. Thanks again for all the help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vegan Posted August 25, 2020 Share Posted August 25, 2020 I received confirmation from the ebay seller, that they did indeed send me the wrong cable mixed in :( While they are sending me a new one, I ordered a fresh set of corsair pro cables, as now I wonder about the rest of the cables. Thanks again for all the help! Hope nothing was damaged Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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