PSU dead

**Bjorne** · August 18th, 2005, 06:12 AM

Hello.

Today when I was sitting at my PC I noticed a burning smell, I leaned down and smelled and detected it came from the PC. Horrified I put my hand on the chassis and felt that it was very hot. It appeared the PSU was smelling and the fan was not workinf in it. Could this have damaged any internal parts in my PC? Or would the mainboard have alerted me then? MY PC worked fully when it happened and I shut it off directly.

Thanks

**TechZ** · August 18th, 2005, 06:49 AM

First off, dont put that machine on again, if its under warranty, take it to the shop.

I'd suggest (if you know what you are doing) open up the case, and take a look, if you notice parts burned, or you can see damage (blown capacitors), then you know more than just the PSU has gone bad, which is usually the case.

If its just the PSU, then you can easily replace that (go for a good brand like Antec, Enermax), again if you dont know how to do it, best to take it to a shop. Good thing to invest in is a surge protector for your pc.

**Bjorne** · August 18th, 2005, 06:57 AM

I did check when I removed the PSU and the internal parts was not warmer than usual, the RAM looks good, so does the sound and graphics card. However I cant see the CPU as the fan is too big but since the CPU is covered by cooling paste I wouldnt see if it's damaged.

I also "smelled" the parts and they did not small weird. I also know my mainboard has a voltage alarm which was not triggered.

Should I go for that the internal parts are ok?

**Platypus** · August 18th, 2005, 07:38 AM

It sounds like you may have got it just in time. If the system could still shut down normally, or if it was still operating and you just switched off the power, chances are overheated components were restricted to the PSU.

As TechZ has suggested, don't try to use it again without a new PSU fitted, either by yourself or a tech. Once a new PSU is in place, there's a good chance all will be well.

**Bjorne** · August 18th, 2005, 08:07 AM

yeh Linux shut it off like normlly when I halt the system so... THe mainboard looks fine too

Thanks for your help

**jaimicook** · August 18th, 2005, 10:11 PM

I would suggest that you replace the power supply with something good, though that will kill the better part of $150.00. The Antec True Power 550 is good and is just under $150.00. The PC Power & Cooling are king of the hill, but expensive!
Jim

**TechZ** · August 19th, 2005, 03:23 AM

Checking newegg.com, you can find pretty good brands for PSU's in the US$ 100 category, and since we dont know the specs of the pc yet, its hard to recommend wattage.

Good example:

Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-450 450W Power Supply - Retail [US$ 69/-]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817103936

**Bjorne** · August 19th, 2005, 05:48 AM

I've found these that looks alright: Q-Tec PowerSupply (PSU) ATX 550w Triple Fan
Q-Tec PowerSupply (PSU) ATX 500W (Bigfan)
bZerk PowerSupply (PSU) 500W ATX Aluminium / Plexi

PC:
Athlon64 3000+ w/ Gigabit 3D Cooler
Abit KV8
Radeon 9800Pro IceQ
Audigy 4 Pro
1GB RAM
SuSE Professional Linux 9.3 and Windows XP

Thanks

**TechZ** · August 19th, 2005, 08:09 AM

Never heard of that brand. With your system, 450+watts should be sufficient. But dont go for a no-name brand, it will cost you more in the long run. You need smooth, clean power with maximum stability, this Q-Tec might have more than 1 fan, that doesnt mean its a good PSU.

That site you linked to (http://www.webhallen.com/list.php?av...l=13&genre=764) has Antec PSU's. I'd go for that brand.

**Bjorne** · August 19th, 2005, 06:31 PM

Hi, I'm going for the bZerk 500W supply. I read it's hi-qual and very stable

it got 9.7/10 and 9.5/10 in reviews. Thanks for your help

**Bjorne** · August 20th, 2005, 09:48 AM

ok, now as usual I have a problem.... I get code 8.3 when I boot (= "Save all data in stack back to CMOS") when I boot and then the mainboard starts an alert tone and nothing more happens (no fans start, no drives spin etc) What should I do? Thanks

**Platypus** · August 20th, 2005, 10:00 AM

First I'd try clearing the CMOS, sometimes the data can get corrupted. Either find a CMOS reset jumper on the motherboard & with no power on the system, move it to the clear position then back, or remove the backup battery for a while.

**Bjorne** · August 20th, 2005, 10:24 AM

I did that, however I noticed something:

the new PSU has 12x2 pins, the old only had 10x2 and the last 2 (or 2x2) is removeable from the cable, sould I remove the last 2x2 and try to boot?