Lightning Strike Reaches Gaming PC Through Internet Cable and Burns Motherboard

A Reddit user has shared photos of a damaged gaming PC after a lightning strike reportedly entered an apartment through the internet line and reached the system through Ethernet. The surge damaged the router and appears to have burned the motherboard around the Ethernet port, showing that unplugging only the power cable is not always enough during a storm.

According to the user, the lightning strike happened during a recent storm and traveled through the apartment complex’s coaxial cable infrastructure. From there, it damaged the router and then moved through the Ethernet cable into the PC. The shared photos show visible burn marks around the motherboard’s network port, along with damage near the wall and router.

This kind of failure is easy to underestimate because many people think only the wall power outlet matters. In reality, copper signal lines can also carry dangerous surges. That includes coaxial internet cables, Ethernet cables, and older phone lines. If any of those cables remain connected, they can provide another path into a PC, router, modem, console, TV, or network switch.

The damage focused around the Ethernet connection

The most visible PC damage appears near the motherboard’s Ethernet area. That makes sense if the surge entered through the router and then moved into the system over a network cable. Ethernet ports have protection circuitry, but a strong lightning related surge can easily exceed what consumer hardware is designed to handle.

The Reddit thread also raised questions about grounding on the outside coax connection. Some commenters suggested the visible connector should have been bonded to ground. The user said they were already discussing the issue with the service provider.

That point matters because proper grounding and bonding can help reduce risk, although they do not make electronics immune to lightning. A direct or nearby strike can still cause damage, but grounding gives the surge a safer path and may prevent some energy from traveling through connected devices.

Surge protection needs to cover more than the power outlet

A standard surge protector only helps with the power connection. It does not protect the PC from a surge coming through Ethernet, coax, or a phone line unless those lines also pass through proper surge protection hardware.

For a gaming PC, the safer storm routine is to disconnect everything that uses copper wiring. That means unplugging the power cable, Ethernet cable, coaxial modem cable, and any other connected line that can carry a surge. WiFi connected devices are not completely risk free if they are still plugged into power, but they remove one common path between the router and PC.

A UPS can help with power quality and outages, but it is not a guarantee against lightning damage. Some UPS units include surge protected network or coax passthrough, but those features vary in quality. For serious protection, the building’s grounding, service provider installation, and surge protection setup all matter.

This is especially important in apartments and shared buildings, where the cable path may run through common infrastructure before reaching individual units. A surge entering one part of the system can affect several connected devices.

The case is a reminder to disconnect network cables during storms

The story is not only a viral photo of a burned motherboard. It is a practical warning for anyone with expensive hardware. PCs are often connected to several external lines at once, and each one can become a risk during severe weather.

A previous case showed a graphics card reportedly surviving a lightning related failure after the motherboard and power supply absorbed most of the damage. This new case went differently, with the motherboard showing visible damage near the network port. That difference shows how unpredictable surge events can be.

The best protection is prevention. When a major storm is nearby, shut down the system and disconnect power and wired network connections. If the internet comes through coax or a phone line, disconnect that from the modem as well. For daily protection, use quality surge protection, check grounding where possible, and avoid assuming that a power strip alone protects the entire setup.

For people using wired Ethernet because it is faster and more stable than WiFi, this does not mean Ethernet is unsafe in normal use. It simply means Ethernet is another copper path into the PC. During a lightning storm, that path can matter.

The damaged PC shows how a surge can bypass the most obvious route and still destroy hardware. A motherboard, router, modem, and connected devices can all be vulnerable if only one cable is left attached. For anyone with a gaming PC or workstation, the safest lesson is simple: during serious storms, unplug both power and data lines.