Hi Soar,
Buggered, when used in this context, is a rather coarse English term for when something is broken .
Originally it referred to the act of homosexual anal intercourse and was a criminal offence in the UK until the late 1960's. There you go, you have learnt something new today that I bet you hadn't even considered learning.
I have to say that you have achieved something that I have never done in managing to blow a motherboard, nice one, if that is what you have actually done !!
Without knowing exactly what happened and what you did, it is hard to say why this has occurred. As the only thing you seem to have done is add the 460 then the finger of suspicion must point to that being faulty and creating the problem and if I were you, I would be looking to RMA both the motherboard and the graphics card. The reason I say this is because you don't have the necessary equipment to do any proper testing and just sticking the 460 into another motherboard could, potentially, create further problems for you.
Another thing to consider is, has there been any damage to your other components as you could well have fried your RAM and CPU along the way.
When you examined the motherboard did you notice any damage? Did the GPU socket on the motherboard have any scorch marks? Does the back of the motherboard look OK?
Thanks for the definition of the word "Buggered." I think it should still be a criminal offense...esp. when it refers to my nice conservation computer breaking down!
Changes on the motherboard:
1. Not sure if it is a change, but I did notice the Northbridge Heat Sink rocks back and forth fairly easily [not in accord with Absic's music, but if you physically move it gently with your fingers].
2. I did discover a slight discoloration/irregularity on the backside of the MB directly under a spot 1 centimeter away from the edge of the PCI1 and PCI2 slots [on the SATA [port side].
Other than these two things, I can't see anything else.
BTW-I did hook up the XFX PSU. At first try, the PSU fan came on two times. After that, it would not work too.
Ok, does anyone know exactly how and what PCI-E PSU plugs I was to use on this GTX 460? There are two sets of six-pin PCI-E sockets in the GTX 460 card. I simply plugged in [i.e buggered] two sets of male PCI-E plugs, two male plugs into two female receptacles [sounds like an orgy]. Did I do something wrong here?
Is there a different way to power up the GTX 460? The diagram on the instructions were a bit strange. It appeared as if on of the plugs should be a little different than the other!
This sure is looking more and more confusing. The diagram shows two very different PCI-E plugs:
One plug is an 8 prong plug [what is that]?
The other plug is a 6 prong plug with the top center wire missing [what is that]?
The card obviously only receives two 6-pin male plugs
Ok, hoping to find some answers...
Soar