Smelly PSU, What are they feeding you? [1200W ODIN PRO]

[Di7]

Hey..
I bought my PC few weeks ago:

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CPU model and rated speed:-i7 965 Extreme 3.2
Memory: 12GB (6x2GB OCZ 1600Mhz @ 1066Mhz default).
Motherboard and revision:-EX58-Extreme rev.1
Video card:- Two 4870X2
Operating System:-Vista x64

Power supply:-
1st: COOLMAX GreenPower 950Watt
2nd: COOLMAX GreenPower 1200Watt
3rd: Thermaltake Tough Power 1500W
4th (Currently): Gigabyte ODIN Pro 1200W
**************************************************

As you see I had problems with many PSUs. The first was not enough for 2 4870X2. The second was smelly. They third has strange problem (when turning power off it will not work except after 10-15 mins?!).

And the smell problem appeared with this new PSU also!!
As if something burning but no smoke..

The first time I plugged it in I left it at the highest load with GTA IV game for 23 Hours.
When I return to the PC room it was working perfectly (and still) but here was a high burning smell..

Is it normal as the sweet smell of a new car or just a warning before everything blow up?

 

[Guest]

i assume you've kept it clean inside the case. you aren't just smelling burning dust, are you?

 

[Di7]

It's clean new PSU as well as the pc.. I don't see dust and the smell is like a burning plastic cable..

when I reduce the load the burning smell disappears in few hours..
there is also a new thing.. lite whistle form the PSU.. I'm not sure if it was there from the beginning or I just realize it recently..

Input power is 220V should it be 230V exactly?

 

[Di7]

I think I should not use any PSU except those which certified by ATi.. sadly i found none in my area.

 

[Kill@dor]

Maybe you should find out how much power is going through your house... And one more thing...those power supplies are unsafe...look at 850W and you won't be dissapponted.

 

[fullmetall]

Might want to look at something thats sli or ati crossfire ready. every one of those is sli certified/ready.

Where do you live?

Would probably look at the Corsair Products if you can, Corsair 1000hx

 

[macabre215]

Why in the world were you buying Coolmax psu's........... never do that again.

 

[xthekidx]

Return the gigabyte and for once get a high quality part. Get this PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703012

 

[fullmetall]

Nice psu but, IMO, split rails are best for higher wattage,

corsair's 1000w has 2 split rails. Each rail is most likely going to be max'd out or close.

 

[kubes]

This one doesn't have as many amps on the 12v rail as thekid's recommendation but about half the price and one of the best and most solid psu's you can buy at its price range. Antec 850 signature series It has enough power on the split 12volt rails to power your dual cards.

 

[Di7]

I'm in UAE right now gays.. Don't ask me to buy from new egg.. It takes weeks..

The first thing I'll do if I can is buying an Ati certified PSU..

For now, I'm using my PC with normal load and no smell from the PSU..

 

[kubes]

Sorry I was just trying to give you a point of refference of what the PSU is.

I disagree with the above poster that your number one concern when buying a psu is that it's ati certified. I disagree with that comment. ATI doesn't make psu's they make graphics cards.

Its more important to make sure of the quality and grade of the psu. PC Power & Cooling, Antec, and Crosair are the three psu manufactors I recommend to most people that come here. Some of the psu's you've tried I'd deffaintly questoin the quality and grade of (even if they are ati certified). Its important to also note that the amount of wattage a psu puts out does not ussualy tell an acuarate story of what the psu can do.

 

[Kill@dor]

I have a CoolMax PSU and it hasent given me a single problem. Had it for a while now too ^_^ 700W

 

[xthekidx]

I didn't mean buy from newegg, I was just showing you the product I would buy, look around for it, or better yet provide us with links to stores you would buy from so we know what is available and we can make a good suggestion.

I agree with kubes about Crossfire/SLI certification. IMO, that is mostly marketing anyways, manufacturers pay money to ATI and Nvidia to get that certification. Just because a PSU has that certification doesn't mean it will do any better than a PSU that does not have that certification.

And Fullmetal, A single 12v rail is preferable so you don't accidentally overload one of your rails and blow the PSU, especially running two powerhungry GPU's a single massive 12v rail is better than split rails. The PC Power & Cooling 1200w Turbo Cool is probably one of the Best PSU's you can buy anywhere for a high end system.

 

[fullmetall]

Yea well everyone has there opinions( believe we picked hairs with this before ) on how well a split rail performs against a single rail, some agree and some disagree against both, i do agree with single rails on lower end wattage psu's, and disagree on really high end high wattage psu's.

 

[Kill@dor]

I have a split...and i have to say it stays very cool...no problems at all. The last single rail i had was a low end PSU...but died on me within 6 months twice, after i bought the same kind...but new. But then again, i didn't know about single and split then...

 

[fullmetall]

I have a split rail on my gtx 285 now, had it on a dual 3870 and never got over 40c full load on cod4, prime95 never got over 50c. 2+ years so far on my 800w

I think it performs better in games against a single honeslty. IMO xthekid, just IMO.

 

[xthekidx]

You are entitled to your opinion, but your reasoning doesn't make sense to me. It is a known issue that with split rails you run the risk of overloading one of your rails if you put too much hardware on it. With a single large rail you don't have that problem. Only reason a PSU would have an effect on gaming is if the PSU was underpowering the GPU, which again is not a problem using a single rail, but can be on a split rail PSU. Split rail PSU's can not always offer all of their rated amperage because some will be tied up in a rail that is not being used to its full potentil, when it could be used elsewhere. With a single 12v rail all of your amperage is available where ever you need it. As long as the PSU is built well, heat isn't an issue.

 

[Kill@dor]

This will clear things up like kid said. One or two rails is good enough...and i have 2 YAY!!!

http://www.maximumpc.com/article/single_rail_versus_multi_rail_power_supplies

 

[kubes]

I feel this argument is starting to split hairs but my two cents....

Single Rail:
Cons:
*A single rail psu that has a lot of current (amps) running through it ideally means you want a larger (diameter) copper cable. This of course means a cable that is stiffer and harder to bend around.
*usually not modular

Pros:
*PSU can handle varying power draw from components much better since the draw will all be handled by a single source. Which is much more common from high end machines going from idol to large loads.

Multi-Rail:
Cons:
*With a multi-rail system its much easier for components to draw more power than there expose to (due to things like capacitor aging ect..) which will overload the rail. This can lead to bigger problems.
*Doesn't necessarily use the full PSU. If everything is loaded on the first rail the second rail won't be used meaning your "short-arming" your psu.

Pros:
*Usually modular
*Smaller copper cables since they have less of a load flowing through it meaning easier to bend cables.
*If one rail goes bad then you can use another rail. (i would only use this as a temp fix however).

PS: I use a multi rail psu...Personally though I don't have a preference unless cable management becomes an issue.

 

[Kill@dor]

If i had hair to pull out, i probably would ^_^