# PSU smelling like burnt but still operating



## cyannben (Jan 22, 2005)

I've just bought a pentium4 3.4, psu450W, 512MB, HD120GB,dvd, dvd-rw.
I intend to add an ATI radeon 9250 128MB.

While running a scan, the psu started smelling like burnt. It stopped as soon as i canceled the scanning process.
Few days later, there was more of this funny smell, only this time the floppy failed as well. 

I always thought that the system fails to operate once the psu gets burnt. Since it still did operate, I took it back from where i bought it to deal with the problem.

They told me the psu is fine (there was no smell when they tested it), they will only replace the floppy.
They insisted I should use a UPS.

They also said the smell was probably due to the material on the surface of the wires or the psu (i didnt quite get that part) being freshly used. Is this a reasonable explanation?
I cant help but being alarmed by my psu smelling like burnt. Do you think a UPS will solve this problem?


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## Sarkast (Sep 12, 2004)

The tests some stores do are useless. Just a while back i helped someone in here whos PSU was tested "fine" but his problems didnt disappear untill he followed my suggestion to buy a new and brand name PSU and toss his old one.
They just check the voltages - which can be totally diffrent once you put heavy loads on the PSU.

I admit that sometimes new electronics can smell "burnt". However - if the smell is really strong and your other components are worth anything to you - i would go and buy a brand name (Antec, TT, Enermax etc) PSU asap. That would be 50$ well spent.

And that advice to buy a UPS is total BS. Now where is putting a "battery" in line thats supposed to give you a few extra minutes to power your system down incase the power goes out solve your PSU problem ??? Whatever store that was - i wouldnt go there again - the people dont seem knowledgeable.


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## cyannben (Jan 22, 2005)

I was told that problems with the psu are due to unsteady power supply and that a ups will fix this. If this is not the case then i wouldnt like to throw my money over buying a useless thing. Is it really useless?

I just bought the pc, and everything is under guarantee, that's why I took it back to them, to replace anything damaged.


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## quizme1220 (Sep 21, 2004)

Like Sarkast suggested I would get another PSU. If your P4 3.4 is a Prescott it can get awfully hot and with a generic psu it's probably not getting enough amps. It's better to be safe than sorry, you never did tell us want brand psu you're using. Take a look at this list:

Good:
Antec
Astec
AOpen
Channel Well
Enermax
Enlight
Fortron Source (Sparkle)
HEC
Hi-Power
Jeantech
NSpire
PC Power & Cooling
PowerMan
Seasonic
SilenX
Tagan
Thermaltake
TTGI/SuperFlower
Vantec
Verax
Zalman

Bad:
Achieve
Allied
Aspire
CoolMax
DEER
EYE-T
KingStar
L&C
Linkworld
PowerMagic
PowerUp
Powmax
Q-Tec
Raidmax
Skyhawk
Star
Turbolink

Not Enough Info:
AGPB
Aerocool
Ahanix
Codegen
Cooler Master
Dynapower USA
Kinwin
Silverstone
Soyo

You don't want a fried mobo or cpu :4-thatsba . Hope this helps you out. :wave:


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## cyannben (Jan 22, 2005)

I dont know the brand and I dont have the pc here to check it out.
I've been a client to this store for years now and I had never had any problems before, that's why I kind of trusted them...

Thanks for the suggestions, they're really helpful.
I definitely don't want a fried mobo or cpu! 
How would i know that all this is not already harmed by the psu in use? The floppy failed. What about the rest?


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

if you live in an area that receives power surges or lightning strikes then use an ups but as was said previously it will not fix a faulty or inadequate generic power supply


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## Sarkast (Sep 12, 2004)

Its pretty much impossible to tell if the PSU harmed any of the other components. Some electronic components survive wrong voltages for a while - but their livespan is drastically reduced. So for now you can just hope the best and get a good PSU asap - especially seeing that your floppy failed already.


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## cyannben (Jan 22, 2005)

I seem to have major problem with the store i bought it from...
I'm really fed up and i wish there was a way to just give them the damn pc and get my money back.
I dont want to deal with these people anymore. I doubt if this is going to happen though.
Well, lesson learnt.

another issue: the motherboard is foxconn and it gets AGP cards only. I was told this is a disadvantage, since all new cards are designed as PCI-e. Do you think they would be positive to a replacement?


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## Flatliner (Dec 5, 2004)

if you have a receipt, it's under warranty, and things are going bad, then you have every right to get your money back, granted you didn't sign a contract. If there is no contract and if a regular salesperson tells you "no refund" then speak with a manager, or regional manager if needed. If they STILL refuse refund, threaten BBB and lawsuit. you'll get your money back.


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## Sarkast (Sep 12, 2004)

Right now you can get most gfx cards as AGP and PCI-e versions and there is no real diffrence in performance. I am sure thats gonna change sometime down the road but so far it doesnt matter if all you have is an AGP slot.
You said you wanted to add an 9250 so i would assume you are not that much of a hardcore gamer and need the most powerful graphics cards. Even if you stick with your AGP there is still plenty of headroom to upgrade to a card that is 10-20 as powerful as the 9250 for example.


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## cyannben (Jan 22, 2005)

latest news on my case:

pentium4 550 3.4 (this is not a prescott, is it?)
GA-915
psu 350w
512
hd 120gb
dvdrw
dvd
floppy

+ nvidia geforce 6600 PCI-e 128mb (instead of ati radeon 9250)

is my psu enough for this system?

Also i am confused on the different code names of the 6600 video cards.
I was thinking of getting one by gigabyte to match the motherboard, and still i get lots of different codes and really dont know if they differ or not.


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## elf (Jul 19, 2002)

Get the 6600gt (it comes PCI-e). It's the best 6600 card, and the next step up is a 6800 (even though the 6600gt is almost on the same level)


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

check your power requirements here
http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/
add 30% to the figure it comes up with and it is based on a quality supply


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## cyannben (Jan 22, 2005)

Great site, thank u.
My result is 350watt. So I'm at the minimum...

About the video card. 6600GT is a bit of expensive for me right now. I'll probably get the 6600 256Mb.


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

if it says you require 350w and you have a 350w then you are overloading it and are under powered
http://forum.msi.com.tw/thread.php?threadid=31880&sid=087b3b7f6446dda3aefe25bab14ddb5c


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## cyannben (Jan 22, 2005)

The link is very enlightening, thank u.

I've already ordered for a 460watt psu, i'm expecting to hear from the people at the store to let me know what brand names are available and how much they cost.
I live in Greece, some things are just not so easy to get here.

At least the system wont be under powered anymore.


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

i know the feeling we get very few quality supplies available here,and some parts not at all,i look at whats available in the usa and have found fry's outpost the easiest to deal with
a lot of companies and business won't ship internationally the only trouble is postage and insurance triple the cost


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## cyannben (Jan 22, 2005)

The guy i deal with at the store is not at all in favour of brand names (probably because he is not using any to build a pc).

He's also told me that when a psu misfunctions or gets burnt, no other component can be damaged. He insists that the psu locks up somehow for safety so that no further harm is done.
Is this a fact? It looks like he's just trying to sell me crap.


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

if you lose the p/s,you can find it can take with it any or all of the following
ram
video
cpu
m/b 
floppy
h/d
cd dvd drives
that why when you build a computer you do not scrimp on the power supply,it can end up very expensive saving of a few dollars


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## cyannben (Jan 22, 2005)

Yep, that's what i thought.
It's very irritating when you cant trust the guy you deal with.
Thanks for your help!


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## cyannben (Jan 22, 2005)

*Ups*

What UPS would you recommend? 
Having its own battery is not a necessity to me.

What other options do I have? I was looking at the Line-R APC 600V... (mostly driven by its low price in comparison to the rest of the ups)

Apart from the battery issue, is the LIne-R as reliable as a custom UPS?


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