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burning smell from PC

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  • Hardware Issue
  • Power Supplies
  • Components
  • Systems
Last response: in Components
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February 25, 2014 11:44:42 AM

One day when i was gaming on my CPU i smelled a very strong burning smell so i turned off my PC the second day there was nothing but today i smelt a burning smell but it wasn't as strong as the first time
My system is
Intel Core2Duo E7500 @ 3.3GHz (50C under load)
MSI N6402GD3/V3 GT 640 (1050MHz core and 900MHz memory)(45C under load)
2X2GB DDR3 1333MHz 1.5V memory @ 1200MHz
Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 7200RPM
HP DVD1260
1X120mm non quality fan
1X80mm non quality fan
non quality 500W PSU (20A on 12V rail)
non quality Case
Gigabyte G41MT-S2PT motherboard
but even with that smell it kept working for half an hour and then i turned it off
note : this smell appears while gaming and web browsing after about 15 minutes)

More about : burning smell

a b ) Power supply
February 25, 2014 11:46:45 AM

probably burning some dust, clean your pc. normally if you smell something burning, it's dust, and your pc still works. if it were anything else, your pc would likely stop working or at least some part of it would
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February 25, 2014 11:49:00 AM

A burning smell is never a good thing, it means that something is seriously overheated or shorted. Do not use this computer until you determine the source and have repaired it. Further use raises the risk of fire or shock.
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February 25, 2014 11:51:28 AM

Off the top of my head, I would say when you start to smell the burning odor, try to locate approximately what part of the PC it is coming from. Often time a small like that can come from a failing/failed capacitor or battery (less likely) such as the CMOS.

I would inspect the capacitors on the motherboard, video card, etc. and see if any of them are distended, meaning they have burst or swelled. http://www.asti-usa.com/support/appnotes/65/2.jpg

NOTE: If the smell is coming from the power supply, DO NOT take it apart unless you have adequate experience doing so. Even after the PSU has been unplugged it can store enough power in its capacitors to kill you. It would be prudent to try a different PSU if you suspect that is the issue.

Let us know what you discover.
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February 25, 2014 11:52:34 AM

i cleaned the PC and still the smell exists and i nothing is overheating form CPU, GPU, Motherboard and HDD but the PSU fan is getting out hot air when gaming and web surfing
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a b ) Power supply
February 25, 2014 11:55:02 AM

did you dust out the specific parts? like blow compressed air into the power supply and gpu to blow out the dust? could be the psu heating up and burning dust, or burning the transistors themselves
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February 25, 2014 11:57:45 AM

ahmedkhalifa1999 said:
i cleaned the PC and still the smell exists and i nothing is overheating form CPU, GPU, Motherboard and HDD but the PSU fan is getting out hot air when gaming and web surfing


Just curious, did you check the temperatures via the BIOS or some other temperature reporting utility? Or did you go off of just feeling the general area around the component?

Thanks.
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February 25, 2014 11:58:46 AM

yes cleaned every part of it and the capacitors are looking very well like new (my motherboard and card are 6 months old) my old motherboard chipset melt down due to much heat because of running demanding games on integrated graphics card xD
i already unplugged PSU, opened it and checked it and there are no burn signs but i suspect the transistor
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February 25, 2014 11:59:48 AM

cPU temp form Bios about 30-35C and GPU from MSI afterburner 45C
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February 25, 2014 12:03:29 PM

ahmedkhalifa1999 said:
cPU temp form Bios about 30-35C and GPU from MSI afterburner 45C


Thanks for confirming, well it seems like you've covered your bases. Could it possibly be something connect to the same outlet/power strip that your computer is? Trying to think outside of the box a bit.

Also, from your initial post you didn't mention any unusual behavior though correct? You just shut it down yourself because you were worried about the smell.

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a b ) Power supply
February 25, 2014 12:04:49 PM

Smelling burning things is also a sign of a stroke ;D but in all seriousness, try moving the computer to a different room, or just running it without the side panel on so you can SEE where the smell is coming from if any smoke arises
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a b ) Power supply
February 25, 2014 12:07:04 PM

I would just try to do what nullifier said earlier about trying to locate where the smell is coming from, it will give you a good sense of what might be the issue.
Also try to ask someone else to see if they smell it, it might just be you lol
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February 25, 2014 12:08:19 PM

yes the screen, speakers and case only to the same socket but the second day the screen went black for 5 seconds and then 10 seconds of very very low fps(1-5 fps) while playing TMNT : out of the shadows (i normally play with 60 FPS V-sync) and then the PC continued running and also today ii noticed some artifacts (black parts missing from some frames) while playing Far Cry 3 and while web surfing the PC sometimes stops for a few seconds and then continues running (this started about a month ago)
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February 25, 2014 12:10:03 PM

Brantyn Gerik said:
Smelling burning things is also a sign of a stroke ;D but in all seriousness, try moving the computer to a different room, or just running it without the side panel on so you can SEE where the smell is coming from if any smoke arises


i couldn't locate where it is coming from the top so i think the PSU and there is no smoke
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a b ) Power supply
February 25, 2014 12:19:58 PM

I think you should swap a spare PSU if you have one,
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a b ) Power supply
February 25, 2014 12:35:56 PM

Their server isn't responding, mind if you tell us the exact budget? and bear in mind that there's no guarantee that PSU is the issue unless tests have been done.
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February 25, 2014 12:48:22 PM

i think it is the PSU because the smell came from top and my PSU is top mounted and my budget shall not exceed 200EGP (I live in egypt) and here they are the only available in this budget
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a b ) Power supply
February 25, 2014 1:23:59 PM

I apologize for my unfamiliarity with Egyptian stores, but I was looking at egprices.com and yeah.....I would go with the Gigabyte ones instead of HEC since it's more well known and more than likely to be better quality.
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February 25, 2014 1:47:51 PM

IDontUnderstand said:
I apologize for my unfamiliarity with Egyptian stores, but I was looking at egprices.com and yeah.....I would go with the Gigabyte ones instead of HEC since it's more well known and more than likely to be better quality.


the only problem is that they are out of stock (I really wanted them)
note : egprices is the only PC Hardware stores collection in egypt (it is not an online store but a collection of prices from stores)
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a b ) Power supply
February 25, 2014 2:09:39 PM

I guess if that's your only option then it will have to do, it's just a lot harder since it's very difficult to buy PC component for you.
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February 26, 2014 3:51:53 AM

today i tried to power on the pc and no signal on screen and all fans are spinning
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a b ) Power supply
February 26, 2014 9:42:36 AM

Make sure every plug is secure, tight, and on, then use the VGA port in the rear panel to see if anything comes up.
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February 26, 2014 11:42:48 AM

i tried this and everything is well connected and the screen is now showing black but there is a signal
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a b ) Power supply
February 26, 2014 11:45:26 AM

Is your keyboard lit up? Are you able to press num-lock and see a response?
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February 26, 2014 12:23:19 PM

IDontUnderstand said:
Is your keyboard lit up? Are you able to press num-lock and see a response?

i really didn't notice but i know that the PC doesn't post because it shuts down by holding the power button only 2 seconds not for 7 seconds like windows
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a b ) Power supply
February 26, 2014 12:33:48 PM

Remove all your RAMs and see if there's beeping, and then put a stick back to try booting up again
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!