Something's cooked - An emegency of sorts

fustercluck

Diamond Member
Dec 29, 2002
7,402
0
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I was playing some PS2 in my room a few minutes ago, where my computer also is. All of a sudden i hear some big sound...kind of like a lightbulb breaking, i didn't know what it was right away because i had headphones on. Then i smell that something is burning, and i turn off my computer in a heartbeat and disconnect it fully. Looked in there some, and couldn't immediately see anything wrong, all i can tell by sniffing around is that i think it's the PSU, as the burning smell seems more potent around it. It's been having trouble lately, running my new A64 system. It's an Antec 350w. Why must computers hate me :(

So i'm obviously worried...what shall i do now?
 

sandorski

No Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
70,496
6,043
126
Could very well be the PS, they usually go with a bang. Check your mobo for busted caps, if ou find none, try hooking up another power supply and see if the system works.
 

Jeff7

Lifer
Jan 4, 2001
41,596
19
81
Originally posted by: sandorski
Could very well be the PS, they usually go with a bang. Check your mobo for busted caps, if ou find none, try hooking up another power supply and see if the system works.

And if it does work, call up Antec and demand a replacement that won't blow up. If the system doesn't work, call up Antec and tell them that their PSU blew up and wrecked your computer. I don't know what their policy is on that sort of thing though.
 

fustercluck

Diamond Member
Dec 29, 2002
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0
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Well i didn't see any busted caps, then again i don't know what a busted cap looks like, but it looks normal. I don't have any spare PSUs around unfortunately, so it'll be awhile before i can see what's what.
 

Oyeve

Lifer
Oct 18, 1999
22,025
868
126
Originally posted by: jacktackle
Well i didn't see any busted caps, then again i don't know what a busted cap looks like, but it looks normal. I don't have any spare PSUs around unfortunately, so it'll be awhile before i can see what's what.

Well, until you can find a replacement PSU never leave your PC on without you being there. I have seen PSUs blow and cause fires so you want to make sure someone is home if you leave the PC on.
 

skene

Member
Oct 15, 2004
58
0
0
Yea, sounds like a cap poped. The PSU will most likely work but not regulate voltage as well. The caps are there mostly to smooth out the highly fluctuating power coming from the wall.
 

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
56,570
10,200
126
I used to leave my computer on, while away to work over the weekends. Generally, there was someone else at the house, but I did end up having two mobos fry on me, one time when the fan in the PSU failed, or maybe it was some other fan, I forget. I came back to a non-running PC one time, and HD in the bay was burning hot, etc. Amazingly, the HD still functioned fine, and the CPU + RAM, after I swapped mobos and PSUs. Guess I was lucky. Another time the mobo simply went out on me. Gotta stop using $0 mobos that I find left behind at computer shows. :p (Have to admit though, the MSI mobo based on the SiS 5571 single integrated chipset, was one heck of a screamer for a Socket7 board. Until it died, of course.)

Now if I'm going to be away the entire day, I turned off the computer. :)