My PC is giving an electrical burning type smell. I have the side off and
can't see anything wrong but should this part be hot its not comfortable to
keep my finger on it for more than 15 seconds?
http://share.ovi.com/media/Muddymike...uddymike.10805

Mike

MuddyMike wrote:

My PC is giving an electrical burning type smell.

Power supply? Unplug it and sniff out the source of the smell.

I have the side off and
can't see anything wrong but should this part be hot its not comfortable to
keep my finger on it for more than 15 seconds?
http://share.ovi.com/media/Muddymike...uddymike.10805

"This page requires an Ovi membership.
You need to sign in to access this"

There are several chips that can get uncomfortably hot on some boards,
without it normally being a problem, re-post the photo elsewhere ...

In article ,
MuddyMike wrote:
My PC is giving an electrical burning type smell. I have the side off and
can't see anything wrong but should this part be hot its not comfortable to
keep my finger on it for more than 15 seconds?
http://share.ovi.com/media/Muddymike...uddymike.10805

"This page requires an Ovi membership.
You need to sign in to access this. Not a member? Join Ovi Share now!"

But no part of your PC should be too hot to touch in normal circumstances.
Can you fix the link and then we might make better-informed comment.

Nick
--
Serendipity: http://www.leverton.org/blosxom (last update 29th March 2010)
"The Internet, a sort of ersatz counterfeit of real life"
-- Janet Street-Porter, BBC2, 19th March 1996

Nick Leverton wrote:
In article ,
MuddyMike wrote:
My PC is giving an electrical burning type smell. I have the side off and
can't see anything wrong but should this part be hot its not comfortable to
keep my finger on it for more than 15 seconds?
http://share.ovi.com/media/Muddymike...uddymike.10805

"This page requires an Ovi membership.
You need to sign in to access this. Not a member? Join Ovi Share now!"

But no part of your PC should be too hot to touch in normal circumstances.
Can you fix the link and then we might make better-informed comment.

Nick
It is not uncommon for CPU chips to run at 50C or more..

Burt burning smells take more than that. Usually a capacitor
disintegrating and one across the power rails.

On 04/06/11 19:54, MuddyMike wrote:
My PC is giving an electrical burning type smell. I have the side off and
can't see anything wrong but should this part be hot its not comfortable to
keep my finger on it for more than 15 seconds?
http://share.ovi.com/media/Muddymike...uddymike.10805


As Andy has suggested, your nose should help you locate the problem.

It is most likely to be the power supply (that's the metal box where the
power cable comes in.) In most desktop PCs this is a standard component
that you can replace for yourself if you have minimal DIY skills and a
cross-head screwdriver.

If the burning smell is not coming from the PSU then it could be some
part of the motherboard or video card overheating. This could be because
of a stalled cooling fan. Clean the cruft off of all of the fans and
check that they spin. Make sure that the fan in the PSU is running.

Changing a cooling fan is relatively easy to do unless it's the one in
the PSU or the one cooling the CPU. The PSU is a disposable part and I
wouldn't advise trying to repair it. Replacing a fan may be quite easy
but the other components of the PSU will have been thoroughly cooked and
will be likely to fail. Changing the CPU fan is also possible but quite
fiddly and you need to do some studying before attempting it.


--
Bernard Peek

"Andy Burns" wrote in message
o.uk...
MuddyMike wrote:

My PC is giving an electrical burning type smell.

Power supply? Unplug it and sniff out the source of the smell.

I have the side off and
can't see anything wrong but should this part be hot its not comfortable
to
keep my finger on it for more than 15 seconds?
http://share.ovi.com/media/Muddymike...uddymike.10805

"This page requires an Ovi membership.
You need to sign in to access this"

There are several chips that can get uncomfortably hot on some boards,
without it normally being a problem, re-post the photo elsewhere ...

Try this
http://share.ovi.com/media/Muddymike...e.10805?sort=3

That should work now I have added it to one of my public channels. PC still
smelling but still working.

Mike

The Natural Philosopher wrote:

Nick Leverton wrote:

MuddyMike wrote:

should this part be hot its not comfortable to keep my finger on
it for more than 15 seconds?

no part of your PC should be too hot to touch in normal
circumstances.

It is not uncommon for CPU chips to run at 50C or more..

Some Intel 'northbridge' chipsets are rated to run up to 100°C (that's
the chip surface, heatsink needs to be lower or it can't do its job)
I've certainly fitted extra fans to some rather than relying on passive
cooling.

In article ,
The Natural Philosopher wrote:
Nick Leverton wrote:
In article ,
MuddyMike wrote:
My PC is giving an electrical burning type smell. I have the side off and
can't see anything wrong but should this part be hot its not comfortable to
keep my finger on it for more than 15 seconds?
http://share.ovi.com/media/Muddymike...uddymike.10805

"This page requires an Ovi membership.
You need to sign in to access this. Not a member? Join Ovi Share now!"

But no part of your PC should be too hot to touch in normal circumstances.
Can you fix the link and then we might make better-informed comment.

Nick
It is not uncommon for CPU chips to run at 50C or more..

For sure, I don't find that too hot to touch for 15 seconds, but then I
am an ex chemist But if the OP can touch his CPU then something is
seriously wrong with the heatsink and fan.

I'm guessing it might be the southbridge, that's often pretty warm.
Or a fanless video card.

Burt burning smells take more than that. Usually a capacitor
disintegrating and one across the power rails.

Agreed in general. Burning smells can be just due to dust, some PC
insides are pretty rank. But they shouldn't arise suddenly and from no
apparent cause. However we are only guessing until we get a viewable
picture.

Nick
--
Serendipity: http://www.leverton.org/blosxom (last update 29th March 2010)
"The Internet, a sort of ersatz counterfeit of real life"
-- Janet Street-Porter, BBC2, 19th March 1996

On 04/06/11 20:13, MuddyMike wrote:


Try this
http://share.ovi.com/media/Muddymike...e.10805?sort=3

That's one of the motherboard coolers which may get hot but shouldn't be
too hot to touch. There's probably a fault somewhere else that results
in more power dissipation in the chip that's under that cooler. That
doesn't really help to pin it down much.

See if the burning smell is in the PSU. If it is then replace it
immediately before it wrecks the motherboard. Hold you hand near various
parts of the motherboard and see whether you can feel where the heat is
coming from. Look at the mobo in a bright light and see whether you can
see any burnt areas.

But before you do any of this, back up your data.


--
Bernard Peek

MuddyMike wrote:

Try this
http://share.ovi.com/media/Muddymike...e.10805?sort=3

That's better.

That should work now I have added it to one of my public channels. PC still
smelling but still working.

I'd turn it off sharpish!

Those heatsinks look like the north/southbridge chips, they can get
uncomfortably hot, but there looks to be plenty of dust on the circular
heatsink(?) in the background, what is the type of motherboard (probably
the sicker that ends with "...E/S" in your photo.

I'd give it a blow-out with compressed air, hoovering it is not a
brilliant idea because it can generate static.

"MuddyMike" wrote in message
om...

"Andy Burns" wrote in message
o.uk...
MuddyMike wrote:

My PC is giving an electrical burning type smell.

Power supply? Unplug it and sniff out the source of the smell.

I have the side off and
can't see anything wrong but should this part be hot its not
comfortable
to
keep my finger on it for more than 15 seconds?
http://share.ovi.com/media/Muddymike...uddymike.10805

"This page requires an Ovi membership.
You need to sign in to access this"

There are several chips that can get uncomfortably hot on some boards,
without it normally being a problem, re-post the photo elsewhere ...

Try this

http://share.ovi.com/media/Muddymike...e.10805?sort=3

That should work now I have added it to one of my public channels. PC
still
smelling but still working.

Mike



Perhaps the current warm weather is revealing cooling problems that were not
apparent during cooler weather?
My PCs are currently spinning their fans more noisily than usual due to the
temperatures.
Also, some PCs have cases and ducting designed to direct cooling air over
the components that need the most cooling, so operating a PC with its case
open might worsen existing problems.

"Bernard Peek" wrote in message
...
On 04/06/11 19:54, MuddyMike wrote:
My PC is giving an electrical burning type smell. I have the side off and
can't see anything wrong but should this part be hot its not comfortable
to
keep my finger on it for more than 15 seconds?
http://share.ovi.com/media/Muddymike...uddymike.10805


As Andy has suggested, your nose should help you locate the problem.

It is most likely to be the power supply (that's the metal box where the
power cable comes in.) In most desktop PCs this is a standard component
that you can replace for yourself if you have minimal DIY skills and a
cross-head screwdriver.

If the burning smell is not coming from the PSU then it could be some
part of the motherboard or video card overheating. This could be because
of a stalled cooling fan. Clean the cruft off of all of the fans and
check that they spin. Make sure that the fan in the PSU is running.

Changing a cooling fan is relatively easy to do unless it's the one in
the PSU or the one cooling the CPU. The PSU is a disposable part and I
wouldn't advise trying to repair it. Replacing a fan may be quite easy
but the other components of the PSU will have been thoroughly cooked and
will be likely to fail. Changing the CPU fan is also possible but quite
fiddly and you need to do some studying before attempting it.


I have given it a good clean out, I only noticed all the dust build up next
to the hot thing when I looked at the picture I posted! That was all from/on
the video card. All four fans are working normally, and the smell das died
down, certainly can't pinpoint where it is coming from.

Mike

On Jun 4, 9:18*pm, "MuddyMike" wrote:
"Bernard Peek" wrote in message

...



On 04/06/11 19:54, MuddyMike wrote:
My PC is giving an electrical burning type smell. I have the side off and
can't see anything wrong but should this part be hot its not comfortable
to
keep my finger on it for more than 15 seconds?
http://share.ovi.com/media/Muddymike...uddymike.10805

As Andy has suggested, your nose should help you locate the problem.

It is most likely to be the power supply (that's the metal box where the
power cable comes in.) In most desktop PCs this is a standard component
that you can replace for yourself if you have minimal DIY skills and a
cross-head screwdriver.

If the burning smell is not coming from the PSU then it could be some
part of the motherboard or video card overheating. This could be because
of a stalled cooling fan. Clean the cruft off of all of the fans and
check that they spin. Make sure that the fan in the PSU is running.

Changing a cooling fan is relatively easy to do unless it's the one in
the PSU or the one cooling the CPU. The PSU is a disposable part and I
wouldn't advise trying to repair it. Replacing a fan may be quite easy
but the other components of the PSU will have been thoroughly cooked and
will be likely to fail. Changing the CPU fan is also possible but quite
fiddly and you need to do some studying before attempting it.

I have given it a good clean out, I only noticed all the dust build up next
to the hot thing when I looked at the picture I posted! That was all from/on
the video card. All four fans are working normally, and the smell das died
down, certainly can't pinpoint where it is coming from.

Mike

Hopefully your data's backed up, if not thats the first thing to do.
Pointing a deskfan up close at the mobo should help it last long
enough to do the backup. Probably.

Some chips/heatsinks do run that hot, 15 second touch is around the
60-65C mark. That's not enough to burn anything.


NT

Andy Burns wrote:

Those heatsinks look like the north/southbridge chips, they can get
uncomfortably hot, but there looks to be plenty of dust on the circular
heatsink(?) in the background,

I agree - take it outside and blast it with an airline. You won't believe
how much dust and fluff will explode from every corner.