Slight 'burning' smell coming from brand new PSU...

[ahmadka]

Hi guys.....Well, I just got my new PC about a week ago.....everything's running fine (at least so far) as far as I think ......although I might be having a bit of a problem with the OCZ OCZ520ADJSLI 520W SLI PSU:

Well, like I said, I have been using this new PC for about a week now.....only today, I noticed that there was a slight burning smell coming from the PSU...actually my mum stepped into my room and noticed the smell ....

the smell is like as if there is a wire inside the PSU that is slowly burning......I didnt notice this smell before. The smell appeared today for the first time...

What could be the cause ? And is there anything to worry about ?

I have switched off the new PC, just in case ......

Also, the specs on my new system are in my sig..

 

[Bozo Galora]

well, there normally is a "new PC" smell, but its not really a "burning"
and, women have much better smellers than guys

have you actually taken the cover off, turned the PC on its side (fumes rise) while running something intense like 3DMark and sniffed around in there?
Could be thermal paste burning in on CPU?? Or GPU?

If it is coming from PSU - I would think that would not be good, tho OCZ is fine brand

 

[ahmadka]

well I havent tried something intense like 3D mark yet....is it OK for the fumes to come when running such CPU intense programs ?

and I dont think its coming from anywhere on the motherboard, because I sniffed around the motherboard and nothing odd smelled over there....the smell, even if there is one, is definitely coming from the PSU fan on the backside of the casing....

 

[Bozo Galora]

well, the next thing I would do is pull the 24 pin molex and look for signs of burnt pins/sockets on male female plugs (mobo/PSU side) If you took the cover off PSU, that voids warranty

then I would run everest or something and watch voltages over time with some kind of video running

 

[rickn]

it's probably just soldering flux that is burning off, although one would have thought during factory testing it would have done that. maybe yours didn't get tested,ya never know with them chinese.

 

[Kromis]

Originally posted by: rickn
it's probably just soldering flux that is burning off, although one would have thought during factory testing it would have done that. maybe yours didn't get tested,ya never know with them chinese.

:shocked:

 

[Rike]

Many new electronic devices that get hot, like a PSU, can have a slight smell when they get warm for the first few times. You shouldn't be able to see any fumes and the smell shouldn't be very strong. If it doesn't go away within a few days of regular use, then further investigation is warranted.

Based on what you've said so far, I don't think you have a major problem or even a minor one.

 

[Atheus]

Originally posted by: ahmadka
is it OK for the fumes to come when running such CPU intense programs ?

No!

 

[ahmadka]

OK well I hope the smell will soon go away....

I dont think I should open it up, because that will void the warranty right ? So is there any other way to make sure the internals of the PSU are working correctly ?

 

[stevemedes]

I love that new computer smell when you first boot it up. Then you come back in the room later and it smells like a tech bench

However it should go away and no smoke or fumes should be coming from your computer.

 

[Conky]

That smell is the the dried tears and sweat of the Chinese slave laborers who assembled your power supply burning off. :laugh:

Actually, it's not unusual for a slight burning type smell at first from a power supply. If it starts actually smoking though I would unplug it immediately and remove it from your system. If I were you I would keep an eye on it and don't leave the system unattended until you are convinced it's OK. It's more than likely just some factory dirt and whatnot burning off.

 

[PianoMan]

If you want, for piece of mind, take the PSU out of your computer and "jump start" it plugged into the wall. I think someone could chime in on how to do that - it requires shorting two of the pins to fool the PSU that the computer power switch is on.

Then I'd leave it like that thru the night - or however long it take to "burn off" the stuff that's smokin'.

I'd guess it's also the gunk and what-not burning off, but I'd rather be sure than sorry.

I'd expect some smell from the PSU, but from a room away? Weird.

PM

 

[ahmadka]

well I was just examining the motherboard more closely while the PC was running, and I found something odd....the chipset fan is so running....In fact, I dont recall the chipset fan running at all since the computer was built (I didnt notice it since it is hidden underneath the PCIe card and the bunch of wires)...Also, I ran the PC for about 23 minutes and then went into the BIOS to look at the temperatures...have a look at this pic:

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/8058/temperaturesfj7.jpg

As you can see, the chipset temperature is a bit high, considering the system has only been running for about 25 minutes without too much stress...

And also because of this, the area underneath the PCIe card was warmer than the CPU area...

Can this be related to the PSU burning smell? And what should be my next step ?

 

[ahmadka]

Do you think its a good idea to try and connect the chipset fan to the Fan 2 or Fan 4/5 connectors, and try then, instead of the fan 3 one ? Note: the chipset fan by default was connected to Fan 3, as also shown on the DFI Quick Installation Guide...

 

[Leros]

Originally posted by: PianoMan
If you want, for piece of mind, take the PSU out of your computer and "jump start" it plugged into the wall. I think someone could chime in on how to do that - it requires shorting two of the pins to fool the PSU that the computer power switch is on.

Then I'd leave it like that thru the night - or however long it take to "burn off" the stuff that's smokin'.

I'd guess it's also the gunk and what-not burning off, but I'd rather be sure than sorry.

I'd expect some smell from the PSU, but from a room away? Weird.

PM

To jump a power supply, you need to look at the 20/24 pin plug. Notice there is one green wire and a bunch of black wires. While the PSU is turned off (unplugged wouldn't hurt too), connect the green wire to one of the black wires. I usually stick a bent paper clip into the end of the plug to achieve this. This will trick the PSU into thinking that it is plugged in to a motherboard and it will turn on.

 

[Leros]

Originally posted by: ahmadka
well I was just examining the motherboard more closely while the PC was running, and I found something odd....the chipset fan is so running....In fact, I dont recall the chipset fan running at all since the computer was built (I didnt notice it since it is hidden underneath the PCIe card and the bunch of wires)...Also, I ran the PC for about 23 minutes and then went into the BIOS to look at the temperatures...have a look at this pic:

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/8058/temperaturesfj7.jpg

As you can see, the chipset temperature is a bit high, considering the system has only been running for about 25 minutes without too much stress...

And also because of this, the area underneath the PCIe card was warmer than the CPU area...

Can this be related to the PSU burning smell? And what should be my next step ?

I wouldn't worry about it. My chipset is also running at 57 C, however the chipset fan is running at 7400rpms.

chipset.JPG

 

[ahmadka]

yes but your system might have been running for a longer period of time, after which it went up to 57 *C....my chipset is at 57*C just 5 minutes after system boot !! So, I think, it will go even higher than that !! And the funny thing is, I ran this computer for like 7 hours continuous at times...I think I am very lucky the chipset didnt turn into an overburnt toast..

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: ahmadka
yes but your system might have been running for a longer period of time, after which it went up to 57 *C....my chipset is at 57*C just 5 minutes after system boot !! So, I think, it will go even higher than that !! And the funny thing is, I ran this computer for like 7 hours continuous at times...I think I am very lucky the chipset didnt turn into an overburnt toast..

Chipset HS/F's have very little mass so it doesn't take long at all for them to heat up and reach a stable temp. Odds are as long as the fan is working order that 57c is probably about as high as it's going to get regardless of how long it runs.

 

[Leros]

Originally posted by: Operandi

Originally posted by: ahmadka
yes but your system might have been running for a longer period of time, after which it went up to 57 *C....my chipset is at 57*C just 5 minutes after system boot !! So, I think, it will go even higher than that !! And the funny thing is, I ran this computer for like 7 hours continuous at times...I think I am very lucky the chipset didnt turn into an overburnt toast..

Chipset HS/F's have very little mass so it doesn't take long at all for them to heat up and reach a stable temp. Odds are as long as the fan is working order that 57c is probably about as high as it's going to get regardless of how long it runs.

This is correct. Computer chips heat up and cool down very fast.

 

[Zepper]

Some PSU makers have gone back to the phenolic circuit boards (instead of the more expensive fiberglass) and they can stink when turned on for a good while. They are also more brittle than fiberglass so you may want to peer around inside the case to see if any of the mount points have cracked or broken off - don't want a potential short situation in there.

.bh.

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: Operandi

Originally posted by: ahmadka
yes but your system might have been running for a longer period of time, after which it went up to 57 *C....my chipset is at 57*C just 5 minutes after system boot !! So, I think, it will go even higher than that !! And the funny thing is, I ran this computer for like 7 hours continuous at times...I think I am very lucky the chipset didnt turn into an overburnt toast..

Chipset HS/F's have very little mass so it doesn't take long at all for them to heat up and reach a stable temp. Odds are as long as the fan is working order that 57c is probably about as high as it's going to get regardless of how long it runs.

he is saying his chipset fan is not working, also confirmed by the bios shot, or whatever is plugged into the chipset header is not working.

op - plug the fan into another header and see if it fires up

 

[ahmadka]

OK well, I investigated the problem with a technician who helped me out a lot, and here are the results:

Well, I went out to a computer repair shop, and found a HSF for the chipset, that fits on the motherboard exactly like the original one.....but this HSF was taken off from an old AGP card I think ...but still it fits on top of the chipset nicely ...Here are the pictures of this HSF in action:

http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/9489/newfan1to2.jpg

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/4268/newfan2ff9.jpg

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/527/newfan3vq3.jpg

And now, the temperatures seem to be more stable....the chipset temperature is now around the 39-40*C range....this pic was taken about 30 minutes after system startup:

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/3279/stabletempoo1.jpg

 

[ColKurtz]

Just replying so I can easily search for this thread in the future. Useful info on jumping a PSU.

 

[bob4432]

good deal and glad it works. imo i would set the bios to not boot up if the cpu or nb fan don't turn on if that is available in the bios. i have just gotten into practice of doing that since my rig is windowless and next to the floor.