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Something Burning?!

Tags:
  • Heatsinks
  • Computer
  • Burner
  • CPUs
  • Overclocking
Last response: in Overclocking
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June 13, 2002 8:46:24 AM

Recently I've had some problems with my CPU fan. It starts up loudly but after awhile it warms up and all seems good. I was told that it is a "cold fan" problem. I'm going to take it in a get a new one anyways though. But a very scary thing happened just last night. I was working on my computer and all of a sudden I smelled a burning odor. It wasn't quite a burning oder though, but it at least reminded me of one. I looked all around for anything electrical that might be getting too hot but I couldn't find anything else that would be emitting that kind of smell except for my computer. It still runs and everything though which leads me to believe that it is ok but is that just wishfull thinking on my part? I'v monitored the temp of the p4 I have as well as the rpms of the cpu fan and it all looks pretty normal. The temp of the p4 never gets to high and the fan runs at about 4300 rpms consistently. Has anyone else ever had a similar experience or smelled something strange coming from their computer? Could it be the CPU overheating and burning or maybe something else like the power supply or anything? I don't know what's going on and I'm hoping to troubleshoot this problem. Thanks for any help

More about : burning

June 13, 2002 11:11:21 AM

Maybe it's your monitor? Monitors give off burning smells because of their high heat and energy output.

Censorship makes us so much more creative.
June 13, 2002 12:00:25 PM

power supply stuffing up?
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June 13, 2002 2:10:40 PM

i don't think this could be some dust because dust doesn't smell anything.
maybe you have opened your case and forgotten something in as a short bag, a ruban or a sticker?
but this could be also due to a power supply overheating fraught of dust.
in that case you have to give it a clean.
<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by corsair3200 on 06/13/02 10:22 AM.</EM></FONT></P>
June 13, 2002 3:33:23 PM

We're you baking cookies or anything else that would involve burning...toast maybe...happens to me all the time!

"If there's grass on the field...play ball!!"
June 13, 2002 6:39:02 PM

Check all of the wire sheathing inside the case. Melting plastic sheathing can create quite a smell at even the slightest of burning, and losing this protective covering will not cause an immediate catastrophic system crash. The degradation of this protective sheath can, however, produce system shorts and reduces the corrosion protection for these connections. It's very easy to miss this, so just check next to all of the system hot spots and see if you notice any discolorations.

Good luck with that, by the way.
June 14, 2002 8:58:22 AM

One thing to do is also to recreate the environment in which you smelled this burning (if your computer was just starting then do that, if it was in full load then do that) and then feel different places in your case and different components. Find out which are the hottest.

Censorship makes us so much more creative.
June 14, 2002 9:49:17 PM

Well, i have had this happen to me...
at first, i panicked and thought it was my cpu...quickly opened the case, and everything looked fine.
started to sniff around inside the case, and figured it was the psu...
apparently, i had turned off the intake fans i have, and the case temp was rising, as it was QUITE warm in my room.
the psu started to get warm...and it was dusty in the psu...so, i shut off the computer, cleaned the psu out, turned the intake fans on, and everything was fine.
also, one time there was something burning in the oven, and i thought it was my computer...
made my heart race...
lol
i thought that thing was going up inflames!
but turned out something had dripped in the oven, and was smoking up the house.
but yeah, smell around to the different components, and see which part is giving you that smell.
also, it is highly unlikely that the p4 is burning up...they have the built in thermal protection logic...so they throttle themselves when they overheat...and as THG proved in their video, with no heatsink, they throttle themselves so that they dont get over 34 i think it was? and that was with no heatsink...
although the thing was running slow! but didnt fry.
most likely in this situation it is the PSU.
what is your psu rated at? and what brand?

-DAvid

-Live, Learn, then build your own computer!-
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June 16, 2002 8:06:01 AM

Reminds me of one time I had the fan fail on an Athlon system. There were a couple power wires in the system touching the heatsink, the insulation cought on fire. The computer had a plastic case which also caught on fire. It sat near a window and the curtains caught fire. Nylon curtains, they dripped down on the carpet and soon the room was on fire. I had about 30 systems waiting for delivery, they all got destroyed in the fire. The building got so hot it set my car, 15 feet away, on fire. I was sued by my landlord, and have a court order now to pay him $1000 a month towards his $20,000 insurance deductable. I had ridden my bicycle to class that day, when I got home it was all I owned. Oh, those power wires, they actually triped the power supply before the core melted, so the CPU was OK.

Worst part, my wife was taking a nap upstairs, she died.

What's the frequency, Kenneth?
June 17, 2002 7:39:52 AM

lol
June 17, 2002 8:18:18 PM

if your serious, sorry dude that sucks, if not, lol.
only problem with your story is, how did the cpu survive if the building burned down?

how do you shoot the devil in the back? what happens if you miss? -verbal
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June 17, 2002 9:17:53 PM

The system shorted out before the core melted. It was the old Ceramic pin grid array processor. The computer itself never got hot enough to melt the silicon durring the fire.

Oh, did I mention I was joking?

What's the frequency, Kenneth?
!