When i bought a graphics card a few years ago, the power wire to the cooling fan was actually obstructing the fan blades.... When i turned the comp on, i'd get a weird buzzing noise for a few seconds as the fan blades hit the wire... then the fan would give up and i'd get a distinct burning smell.
It was pretty simple to fix, but i can't believe it made it through QA..
It was pretty simple to fix, but i can't believe it made it through QA..