We're demonstrating how NZXT's H1 case (or BLD prebuilt) can catch fire, diagnosing the electrical problem, and discussing whether it remains unsafe even with the new screws.
Sponsor: Buy Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut on Amazon (geni.us/1D8Eeq) or Hydronaut paste (geni.us/Fsray)
NZXT RESPONDS: trvision.net/detail/video-ZnDWxiFvUtE.html
Watch part 2: trvision.net/detail/video-fjUscSRLwks.html
Please consider buying one of GN's Wireframe Mouse Mats, a high-quality desk-size mousing surface with custom blue rubber underside, blue stitched borders, and a high-quality print with PC component design. This is the best way to support our expensive, in-depth research pieces like this one. IN STOCK & SHIPPING NOW! store.gamersnexus.net/products/gn-wireframe-mouse-mat
Like our content? Please consider becoming our Patron to support us: www.patreon.com/gamersnexus
In this content, we'll feature Steve trying to initially trigger the fire problem described by NZXT in its H1 case, followed by Patrick Stone diagnosing the issue, then Patrick Lathan mapping the PCIe slot electrical wiring. In short, we believe that NZXT is shorting 12V to ground, which can turn the trace at fault into a tiny heating element that ignites a fire. If you have not yet replaced the screws in the riser, please do it immediately -- but we're also concerned that the riser itself remains problematic since we believe there may be an exposed trace in the PCB.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 | "Oh Sh..."
02:02 | Recapping the Fire Issue
04:15 | Trying to Recreate the Issue Without the Case
06:27 | Patrick Explains the NZXT Current Loop Causing Fires
10:59 | NZXT Shorting 12V to Ground (PCIe Cable is the Problem)
15:00 | Motherboard Tray & Round 2 of Fire Testing
16:15 | Short-Circuit & Over-Current Protections Won't Help
17:13 | Building in the NZXT H1 Case
19:50 | Eureka - We Have Found It
22:46 | FIRE!
24:36 | You Should Replace This Cable
27:38 | 240 Degrees Celsius
27:50 | High Severity, Low Frequency
29:26 | Post-Mortem & Explanation
32:20 | Additional Concerns for NZXT H1 Riser
33:52 | Final Thoughts
** Please like, comment, and subscribe for more! **
Links to Amazon and Newegg are typically monetized on our channel (affiliate links) and may return a commission of sales to us from the retailer. This is unrelated to the product manufacturer. Any advertisements or sponsorships are disclosed within the video ("this video is brought to you by") and above the fold in the description. We do not ever produce paid content or "sponsored content" (meaning that the content is our idea and is not funded externally aside from whatever ad placement is in the beginning) and we do not ever charge manufacturers for coverage.
Follow us in these locations for more gaming and hardware updates:
t: twitter.com/gamersnexus
f: facebook.com/gamersnexus
w: www.gamersnexus.net/
Hosts (order of appearance): Steve Burke, Patrick Stone, Patrick Lathan
Video: Keegan Gallick, Andrew Coleman
NZXT RESPONDS: trvision.net/detail/video-ZnDWxiFvUtE.html Part 2 is up: trvision.net/detail/video-fjUscSRLwks.html If you have one of these computers or cases, even if you have not experienced fire, please replace both screws immediately with something non-conductive. We would also personally advise replacing the PCIe riser in its entirety and getting rid of the included one in a way that it can't accidentally be used with a metal screw in the future. Please consider buying one of GN's Wireframe Mouse Mats to support us: IN STOCK & SHIPPING NOW! store.gamersnexus.net/products/gn-wireframe-mouse-mat - this is a high-quality desk-size mousing surface with custom blue rubber underside, blue stitched borders, and a high-quality print with PC component design. This is the best way to support our expensive, in-depth research pieces like this one.
Steve the fire in the other guy's video didn't put itself out. He unplugged the computer quickly and that's what put it out.
@Player Slot Available You are be good if that picture is what yours looks like. The plastic screws can't conduct electricity so the electrical short as shown isn't possible. Well, as long as the plastic screws are used. Who knows in 10 years if someone doesn't replace those with steel screws. Or whatever.
@XVBD lol with 12v? That's ELV man. I have never in my life witnessed anyone do that. You'd have to be absolutely dripping in sweat(like Salty sweat not plain water) to even feel the slightest tingle off 12vdc.
@AtotehZ why would titanium improve it, that's metal, metal is conductive. You do understand the issue right??
@glenn doiron oo
Interesting
1:22 is it ok to use cotton swab to spread thermal paste? wont that leave fibers behind?
Looks like it would be bad for thermals.
As a fellow Patrick, I am proud that the Patrick Industrial Complex is working nominally. Continue on.
4:35 and the entirety of the next 10 seconds were great
I think they should recall all of those pcie risers and destroy them so they can never be reused. That is a definite accident waiting to happen.
"you tell me camera guy" sounded like "wouldn't you like to know weather boy"
This prob is much serious than I thought. -h1 user-
Press "F" to pay respect for that motherboard being sacrificed for the sake of greater good.
with this much effort they can start a fire in any case
I’ll never buy NZXT case
I can smell this video X_X
The burly verdict anecdotally share because alphabet lilly empty absent a hospitable feature. prickly, hungry particle
Oh the smell would have been hideous
It's nice to see more of the people making Gamers Nexus awesome! :D "House fires have actual real world consequences", says who? Austin? I appreciate that you guys not only showed that you tried to make it happen (the part in the beginning) but actually mentions it afterwards in the vid when you're not sure if it's been edited into the clip yet (28:50)!
Please review the XPG Gammix S70
Lets see, the riser is grounding out, yet their answer is to use a plastic screw, to secure the metal riser, to the metal case, that has a metal cased power source attached, yep, that'll stop the loop, like replacing the bolt in the ground clamp on your car with a plastic one.
A review site is explaining a big company what they did wrong on engineering level.
Look at that PCB at 26:26. That's not a fire yet; the real fire doesn't start until 26:50. It looks like the PCB 12V plane is glowing red-hot like a lightbulb. You need to be well over 500 degrees C to get it to glow that bright. Which makes sense after a little napkin math. Ohm's Law says a Current in a circuit will equal the Voltage divided by Resistance, or I=V/R. I heard someone call out 'point-three' before the fire, so I'll use that for resistance. 12V/0.3Ohms = 40 Amps. 40 Amps is A LOT of current. Most household circuit breakers will trip at 15. The reason for this is that Current makes things REALLY hot. The Power dissipated in a circuit equals Current SQUARED times Resistance. So 40 Amps Squared times 0.3 Ohms is 480 Watts of power, all going right through that PCB with no heatsink and no thermal throttling. No wonder that shit lit up.
Can't wait for 2021 disappointment build! If we're starting out with cases that catch fire, I wonder what else we'll see happen!
21:00 EPIPHANY, EUREKA!!
putting a plastic screw isn't a fix, its still a fault that should be properly fixed so there isn't traces exposed to the screw holes.
its all good as long as you have your cable tweezers and your anti-static wristband it wont catch fire. I bought mine from *looks at logo* "rivvstrong?" hmmm must be a typo...
must be the most famous pc case company. cant buy that for money
What the hell is that thing? An alien made gpu slot? Why doesn't the gpu go into the motherboard? I've never been so confused, I've build my own pcs since 2009... a gpu slot in a wall or other floor of the case, or what is that?
Patrick Patrick Patrick Patrick
Please check the cable if it writes on it "designed and build by Samsung" 😂😂😂😂
sounds like NZXT didnt think this one out.
Using a heat camera might have helped pinpoint where the fire started by seeing the hottest spot beforehand... at the very least, it would have looked neat :-)
pen and paper?! I thought it was mandatory to do an over-the-top 3D simulation to explain things nowadays. Great job!
23:27 FIRE!!!!!!
0:07 CHIDORIIIII
Even me as an hobby PCB designer knows that there should be at least 1mm of free space around screwholes. Ofc on top and bottom of the pcb apropiat groundplanes or plating around the screwholes. I imagine someone just didnt check the pcb design right can happen but shouldnt.
OHMYGAWHHH STEFAN ETIENNE WAS RIGHT BWAHAHAHA
That short circuit that has enough resistance to keep the circuit energized is simply called a high resistance short and as you just demonstrated are dangerous as hell.
i was getting shocks off my NZXT...shorted out my thumb drive SD card adapter....thought it was just me....
The H510 has one fan slot on the top, does this surprise you?
Where’s @ElectroBOOM at?
Getting some Samsung vibes here
The NZXT note 7! Sorry, Samsung will never live that down!
Hey NZXT, your fired!
The animation at 21:10 of the screw going in and the threads rotating to contact the 12v trace is not correct. The threads will make contact at the same depth no matter how the screw is turned. The animation shows it operating like a drill bit Imagine the pcb has female threads. The screw going into it is going to follow those. What may be happening is that the screw can move side to side enough to contact the trace, or when screwed in very tight, it's squishing the 12v trace into the ground path. Beyond the defect pcie riser, I'd consider this a bigger failure of the power supply overcurrent protection. This is exactly why that feature exists. The traces are very small and overheat with very little current but the overcurrent should be sensitive enough to detect on the ground plane.
Even one fire is one TOO MANY! The risers should be recalled...PERIOD!
In theory if the top screw were to bite into a PCI data lane and the bottom into a 12v plane, you could fry both the cpu and the gpu aswell as burning down your home
So...I'm looking for a good NZXT case with a new riser...;)
No more free review cases for you Steve.
Holy shit NZXT needs to cow bell this hard to make sure nobody gets hurt
In December I received an email stating there was an issue and to provide an address so they can ship replacement screws, to this day I have still never received these, this makes me very concerned that I have been using this PC everyday since...
When moving a screw ends up looking like an electro boom video, something is wrong
if you look at all the predrilled holes, the hole they used for mounting is larger then the rest. I assume somewhere in they blue printing speciation's of the case a engineer used the wrong size hole and screws when designing the case and I believe that is where you get your short from the screws cutting into the pcb. Something to look into when the new case comes. i would also look and ask did someone drill to oversize the hole they use for mounting the pcb to the case to fit a larges screw who know just putting it out there
Some time ago my NZXT Hue+ control box also caught fire, also my user account got banned from their forum for complaining.
kto od zmaslo xd
Very high quality video, thank you!
Well i guess we all know what's going to be on this year's dissapointment build...
Answering: "Is Fire Hot?" lol I love it.
I have warned about NZXT multiple times on TRvision and the GN site but it is good to see GN is starting to have caught on. NZTX is known to sell faulty and dangerous products. Their normal way of doing business is how they did with the CAM software (to this day still not working as advertised and the forum they shut down after massive complaints is still down). I like GN but as long as any NZXT product review isn't started with a HUGE caveat I can't take anything said as neutral reporting. If 90% of products are crap or moneygraps then a test of the 10% without a warning is clearly very biased journalism.
Imagine, you are gaming, then your mom calls you, you leave the pc while the game is on, you come back and your desk is on fire
NZXT garbage quality check.
This was kinda old news since December, right? Optimum Tech mentioned it in his last video of the NZXT H1.
The Verge PC build instructor has proven you all wrong. Never forget to insulate your PSU:)
Sounds like the pcb board trace and the diameter of the screw is the issue. If the pcb hole diameter was larger than the screw there would be no contact. NZXT was using a counter sunk screw anyways so why not have a larger hole in the PCB.
your analysis is silly, and overcomplicated. The real problem is not that silly screw, and that "explanation" about the "loop" is nowhere near accurate. The real problem is the PCB design. No way should a +12 trace be close enough to that hole to contact that screw. There was no reason for any trace to be within 1/2" of that hole. Three videos and I covered it in seconds. That oversized screw only brought the real problem to the fore....
I'm watching this with a H1 : /
Kind of an iffy design to not have any separation between the trace and screw hole, in such a way that the ridges on the screw would cause a short to occur if arranges in the right way. Also I would be checking if they used the same riser cable/board in other cases aside from in this specific model as well. Check the board and revision no and see if any matches.
Anyone else get a lockpicking lawyer vibe from the pin testing section of the video?
Your animation betrays that you don't understand how screws move.
Now I want to know what was on his beanie that you had to hide.
Instead of going with low end graphics card, you can try rtx 3090 for better fireworks.
keep up the good work. 😉