Burning smell - power supply???

M

midleman81

New Member
I just finished with a custom computer build. I made sure to check over everything before I continued to plug in the power cord and boot the system. Everything seemed fine so I went ahead and plugged in the power cord and then I flipped the power switch on the PSU. All of a sudden, there was a burning smell. Any ideas??? I got pretty close and it seemed to be coming from around the PSU but I could be wrong. *I never even powered on the computer, just flipped the power switch on the PSU.*
 
The only possibilities really are the PSU and the motherboard, as those are the only things that would receive power with the PSU switch on, but the power switch on the computer off. It's most likely the PSU...what brand/model is it?
 
Power supplies do typically have somewhat of a burning smell when they are new for the first few days/weeks. However, I think it's more from the heat and new components. Can you pinpoint if the smell was in fact from the PSU?
 
The_Other_One - Not necessarily pinpoint it but I can say with much certainty that the smell is much greater at the PSU location than anywhere else.

TEKKA - My unit does not come with a switch.

ONE OTHER THING... my motherboard (ASUS A8N32-SLI DELUXE) came with "Stack Cool 2" solution on the bottom of it. It looks like a sticky pad on the bottom of the board. I'm assuming that I'm supposed to leave it there.
 
Mine smelt a little 'smokey' when I powered it on, kind of a 'new' smell accompanied it. Bust out a multi-meter and check the voltages leaving the PSU and see if it is working.
 
Last edited:
Does anyone know about this... my motherboard (ASUS A8N32-SLI DELUXE) came with "Stack Cool 2" solution on the bottom of it. It looks like a sticky pad on the bottom of the board. Am I supposed to leave that there or pull it off before mounting the board?
 
ETSA - I just finished testing my PSU with a multi-meter and I can only get 2 positive readouts from the main CPU/Motherboard cable. 1 readout for 5v and the other for 3v. So I'm assuming that the PSU is bad...??? Would this be a correct assumption?
 
Well I would assume (I am not being a smart ass) that power should be coming out of all connections. So, return it and get a different one, or try to test and see if that is the problem. You could always bring it somewhere also, someone who knows what they are doing could tell you rather quickly what the problem is, especially if it is a bad PSU.

Let us know what you do and hwat was wrong when/if you find out.
 
does it work?
if so, who cares about burning smells? im sure you've got house insurance :D
just leave expensive things that you broke around it just in case
 
I contacted Thermaltake about my problem and they have told me that it sounds like my PSU is dead. They have offered to pay for me to ship the dead one back to them and they will immediately ship out a new PSU! Can't beat Thermaltake!
 
most new computer stuff will have a burningsmell the first time it is run. and all power supplies have a red switch in the back to switchfrom 115v to 220v whichis usa/europe
 
way2evil said:
most new computer stuff will have a burningsmell the first time it is run. and all power supplies have a red switch in the back to switchfrom 115v to 220v whichis usa/europe
Click to expand...

Most computer components don't have a burning smell...at least, nothing I've ever had. And his PSU doesn't have a voltage switch on the back:

17-153-043-02.jpg
 
Thanks for the posts guys. Yes, it does NOT have a voltage switch. I checked everywhere! Thermaltake shipped out a new PSU to me already. I will have it on Thursday. Thanks for the help!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top