laptop - eGPU extreme failure. What went wrong?

07
2014-07
  • user338711

    I attempted to setup an eGPU system today using a PE4L 2.1 and GTX 650 card, and after making all of the proper connections with my laptop off, I plugged in the PSU (520 Watts) to power the 650 and PE4L. The PSU powered on and the 650 instantly fizzled and crackled and started smoking. So now I have a dead GPU and no idea of what happened.

    I also noticed afterwards that when everything is plugged in, except for the PSU to the wall, the PSU fan appears to rotate backwards as if it's receiving power from my laptop.

    Any answers or ideas are appreciated. I've seen this done multiple times, but have never heard of this happening.

    • Answers
  • slow_excellence

    My main (and most obvious) idea is that something shorted out. The juries out as to whether it was the psu or the PE4L. Were the psu and gpu confirmed working previous to attempting the eGPU setup? And are you 100% certain that the gpu is shot? I'd prefer to ask this in a comment but I can't quite yet.


    • Related Question

    power - Laptop suddenly went black and powered off
  • Darrin Kalakosky

    I have a Dell inspiron 1720. I have had no problems with this laptop, until one day I'm working on my laptop and out of nowhere the screen turns black and the only thing on is the power light but after a minute it turns itself off. So not knowing what happen I turn it back on, should I say I press the power button to turn it back on and the only thing that happens is the power button will blink the screen stays black and after a minute it powers itself back off and that is all it will do now. If someone could tell me what happened or how I might be able to fix my problem.


    • Related Answers
  • Randolf Richardson

    The battery probably isn't holding its charge.

    If your power supply was plugged in to charge the battery, then there could be a connection problem (the power connectors do wear out frequently on laptops and are a problem for some people -- they'll seem like they're working yet the battery isn't actually getting re-charged).

  • Stephen Jennings

    It sounds like you've got failed hardware, but one thing to try would be to disconnect the battery and the power cord, then hold the power button for about a minute (this part it just something I've heard for this situation; it's easy enough to do, so I've never put the effort into figuring out whether it could possibly help or if it's just voodoo someone invented).

    Then, reconnect the power supply and see if the laptop will power on. If not, then it seems that the laptop hardware is the culprit. The easiest solution would be to call Dell support or bring it to a computer repair shop.