PSU burned and failed! Need help!

[Slate_Shadow]

So yesterday my PSU failed while playing some overwatch and turned off my computer completely. A strange burned plastic smell filled my room which then I located the smell coming from the PSU. When I tried turning it back on, all the lights on the motherboard and GPU lit up but would turn off immediately. The only way to get this response was to switch the PSU off and unplug it and then re-connect and turn it on. My question is if any of the other components in my PC potentially be damaged as well. If it helps my PSU has these protection installed OVP/OPP/OTP/SCP/OCP. Also I am going to buy a Seasonic Focus 550w 80+Gold to replace it. Is this a reliable PSU that will last a long time?

 

Specs

Motherboard- B350 tomahawk

CPU- Ryzen 5 1600

GPU- GTX 1070ti

PSU- Cooler Master 550w 80+ bronze certified

Ram- G. Skill Ripjaws V 8gb (2X 4 GB) 3000MHz

 

 

[myselfolli]

Check the PSU tier list on the forum for good PSUs.

There's no telling if you've damaged any parts, get the new PSU, plug it in and pray to god.

 

Also - for future reference - if your PSU fails, don't try to plug it back in/power it back up. Unplug your computer from the wall outlet, switch of the PSU (if it has a switch) and remove it from your system. But be cautious, as there are capacitors in PSUs that still hold some charge.

 

If in doubt, unplug your PC and don't touch it again and get some help.

[Spotty]

8 minutes ago, Slate_Shadow said:

A strange burned plastic smell filled my room which then I located the smell coming from the PSU. When I tried turning it back on, all the lights on the motherboard and GPU lit up but would turn off immediately. The only way to get this response was to switch the PSU off and unplug it and then re-connect and turn it on.

In future if you notice a burning smell coming from a PSU, don't try turning the system back on. Switch it off and unplug it from the wall.

[Slate_Shadow]

1 minute ago, Spotty said:

In future if you notice a burning smell coming from a PSU, don't try turning the system back on. Switch it off and unplug it from the wall.

Didn't know where the smell came form until I opened up my pc, then I removed it completely. 

[SolarNova]

If ur lucky it will only have been the PSU. however PSu failures have the unfortunate ability to fry other PC components if they fail.

 

So buy a new PSU and 'hope' ur other hardware is OK.

[Slate_Shadow]

4 minutes ago, myselfolli said:

Check the PSU tier list on the forum for good PSUs.

There's no telling if you've damaged any parts, get the new PSU, plug it in and pray to god.

 

Also - for future reference - if your PSU fails, don't try to plug it back in/power it back up. Unplug your computer from the wall outlet, switch of the PSU (if it has a switch) and remove it from your system. But be cautious, as there are capacitors in PSUs that still hold some charge.

 

If in doubt, unplug your PC and don't touch it again and get some help.

So are the protection lables that come with the PSU not protect the PC in case of this kind of fail?

[Slate_Shadow]

Just now, SolarNova said:

If ur lucky it will only have been the PSU. however PSu failures have the unfortunate ability to fry other PC components if they fail.

 

So buy a new PSU and 'hope' ur other hardware is OK.

Yeah, I'm really worried. If the new PSU happens to not work, what is the next component that is prone to damage?

[SolarNova]

1 minute ago, Slate_Shadow said:

Yeah, I'm really worried. If the new PSU happens to not work, what is the next component that is prone to damage?

 

Motherboard and GPU

 

Followed by CPU

[Blademaster91]

2 minutes ago, Slate_Shadow said:

So are the protection lables that come with the PSU not protect the PC in case of this kind of fail?

The PSU causing the PC to shut off immediately after you power it on should be protecting your PC, but there is still a chance of it damaging the CPU,board or GPU.

[Slate_Shadow]

Just now, SolarNova said:

 

Motherboard and GPU

 

Followed by CPU

Thanks for the quick response! Hopefully the PSU does work cause I saved up for this PC for two years and it broke in two months.

[myselfolli]

2 minutes ago, Slate_Shadow said:

Yeah, I'm really worried. If the new PSU happens to not work, what is the next component that is prone to damage?

Anything that's directly connected to your PSU (so mobo and GPU like @SolarNova said) and everything that is indirectly connected to your PSU after that... so everything essentially. Like I said, get a new PSU and pray to god

[Stefan Payne]

19 minutes ago, Slate_Shadow said:

So yesterday my PSU failed while playing some overwatch and turned off my computer completely. A strange burned plastic smell filled my room which then I located the smell coming from the PSU.

PSU- Cooler Master 550w 80+ bronze certified

Its not a bad PSU, sadly it has a Semi Fanless mode wich ruins it entirely.

Without that (and a bit lower price), I'd say its a good lower mid-range PSU...

 

19 minutes ago, Slate_Shadow said:

When I tried turning it back on, all the lights on the motherboard and GPU lit up but would turn off immediately.

Yes, because maybe it got a bit warm and/or there was an issue with the GPU Port on the PSU Side.

You should maybe have waited a bit to try that. In many cases, when its switching off, there is a reason for it to switch off...

 

19 minutes ago, Slate_Shadow said:

The only way to get this response was to switch the PSU off and unplug it and then re-connect and turn it on.

...wich means that a protection latched and you resetted it...

 

19 minutes ago, Slate_Shadow said:

My question is if any of the other components in my PC potentially be damaged as well.

Potential is there but not that likely, I think.

 

19 minutes ago, Slate_Shadow said:

If it helps my PSU has these protection installed OVP/OPP/OTP/SCP/OCP.

Yes and one of those things did trip and switched off the PSU.

Since you mentioned the smell, probably OTP.

 

19 minutes ago, Slate_Shadow said:

Also I am going to buy a Seasonic Focus 550w 80+Gold to replace it. Is this a reliable PSU that will last a long time?

Why?!
You have Warranty on the PSU. Why not use it?!

Why buy a new PSU and waste money on that when you already have a somewhat OKish PSU, that even works with VEGA, though it doesn't sound that nice...

 

[Slate_Shadow]

2 minutes ago, Stefan Payne said:

Its not a bad PSU, sadly it has a Semi Fanless mode wich ruins it entirely.

Without that (and a bit lower price), I'd say its a good lower mid-range PSU...

 

Yes, because maybe it got a bit warm and/or there was an issue with the GPU Port on the PSU Side.

You should maybe have waited a bit to try that. In many cases, when its switching off, there is a reason for it to switch off...

 

...wich means that a protection latched and you resetted it...

 

Potential is there but not that likely, I think.

 

Yes and one of those things did trip and switched off the PSU.

Since you mentioned the smell, probably OTP.

 

Why?!
You have Warranty on the PSU. Why not use it?!

Why buy a new PSU and waste money on that when you already have a somewhat OKish PSU, that even works with VEGA, though it doesn't sound that nice...

 

I'm am using the warranty, but instead of having them replace it and deal with there long RMA process (what I read from other owners of the product) I am going to just ask for a refund and buy a better PSU.

[aezakmi]

37 minutes ago, Slate_Shadow said:

burned plastic smell filled my room which then I located the smell coming from the PSU.

 

I tried turning it back on

If a microwave catched fire or smoke came out of it would you plug it back in? common sense says no but users say yes, and that's why guys like me have jobs lmao

 

If you smell burnt plastic from an electrical device the last thing you should do is turn it back on "just to see if it works" because you could damage other components.

After visual inspection of the internal components tests are done in a controlled environment with dummy components.

[Spotty]

7 minutes ago, aezakmi said:

and that's why guys like me have jobs lmao

You're a Firefighter?

[RejZoR]

49 minutes ago, SolarNova said:

If ur lucky it will only have been the PSU. however PSu failures have the unfortunate ability to fry other PC components if they fail.

 

So buy a new PSU and 'hope' ur other hardware is OK.

Depends on how they fail. If it fails by not delivering high enough voltages or no voltage on some parts, that's usually not an issue. The issue is if some of regulation goes bad and it pumps 12V or even more on 3.3V and 5V rails. Then you're monumentally screwed.

[Slate_Shadow]

2 minutes ago, RejZoR said:

Depends on how they fail. If it fails by not delivering high enough voltages or no voltage on some parts, that's usually not an issue. The issue is if some of regulation goes bad and it pumps 12V or even more on 3.3V and 5V rails. Then you're monumentally screwed.

How can I pin point what the issue was? Are there any signs visually that will hint this?

[bowrilla]

3 minutes ago, Slate_Shadow said:

How can I pin point what the issue was? Are there any signs visually that will hint this?

If you can spot something burned on any of the PCBs it's a pretty clear sign that there was power spike frying something. Other than that … not much you can do other than measuring the output of your psu but since it directly shuts off it's hard to measure with cheaper tools. I'd test the PSU outside of the system with nothing connected to it before attaching anything to it again. Maybe it just overheated and it's okay again or maybe it's just the fan.

[Slate_Shadow]

5 minutes ago, bowrilla said:

If you can spot something burned on any of the PCBs it's a pretty clear sign that there was power spike frying something. Other than that … not much you can do other than measuring the output of your psu but since it directly shuts off it's hard to measure with cheaper tools. I'd test the PSU outside of the system with nothing connected to it before attaching anything to it again. Maybe it just overheated and it's okay again or maybe it's just the fan.

I tried to jump the PSU itself by connecting the green and black wire with a paperclip and I got no response. I thought this confirmed that the PSU is dead. (or am I wrong I'm not sure I preformed it correctly lol)

[bowrilla]

36 minutes ago, Slate_Shadow said:

I tried to jump the PSU itself by connecting the green and black wire with a paperclip and I got no response. I thought this confirmed that the PSU is dead. (or am I wrong I'm not sure I preformed it correctly lol)

Well, pin 16 is ps_on and next to it are common ground pins. If you bridge those (and keep them bridged) the PSU turns on. If it doesn't (even after a while) something broke. Could be a small fuse, a resistor or any other form of safety mechanism. 

 

I would probably plug in a molex fan to test the output - or a multimeter to measure each pin's output to ground. Takes a couple of minutes to go through all of the pins but after that you're sure that the ouput is okay. Just did that or the custom ATX power cord I made. If nothing works I'd rma it. Don't open it up yourself unless you really know what you're doing

[Slate_Shadow]

44 minutes ago, bowrilla said:

Well, pin 16 is ps_on and next to it are common ground pins. If you bridge those (and keep them bridged) the PSU turns on. If it doesn't (even after a while) something broke. Could be a small fuse, a resistor or any other form of safety mechanism. 

 

I would probably plug in a molex fan to test the output - or a multimeter to measure each pin's output to ground. Takes a couple of minutes to go through all of the pins but after that you're sure that the ouput is okay. Just did that or the custom ATX power cord I made. If nothing works I'd rma it. Don't open it up yourself unless you really know what you're doing

Great tip thank you! Just got the response on amazon and they are giving me a full refund for the product. Now I just have to wait and see if the Seasonic Focus 550w 80+ gold turns on the pc. If not then something else got fried which would be my worst nightmare.

 

[Slate_Shadow]

My pc stopped working when I stepped away from it for five minutes. When I entered the room I smelled a burn coming from the pc and it was off. When I pressed the power button all the lights came on from the motherboard and gpu but turned off not even a second later. When I opened my pc I isolated the smel from the PSU. Keep in mind that the pc isn’t even two months old. I was wondering if my Cooler Masterwatt 550w 80+ bronze certified be reliable enough to have properly working protection. Also what are the chances of my PSU frying orther components? All help is much appreciated, thank you all in advance!

 

specs

Motherboard: MSI B350 Tomahawk

GPU: MSI GTX 1070ti

CPU: Ryzen 5 1600

RAM: G. Skill Ripjaws V series ddr4 3000MHz 8gb (2X 4) 

PSU: Cooler Masterwatt 550w 80+ bronze certified - Protections (OCP / OVP / UVP / OPP / OTP / SCP)

 

P.S.- I have already ordered a new psu using RMA refund. The new PSU is the Seasonic Focus Gold 550w 80+ gold any thought on if it’s a good PSU with a long lifespan?

[WereCatf]

4 minutes ago, Slate_Shadow said:

Also what are the chances of my PSU frying orther components?

There's no way of giving you any specific number.

 

The PSU can fry other stuff when it goes, but it also may not -- it all depends on both your PSU and your luck. I have had a PSU malfunction and the cables going to the mobo beginning to melt and, yet, nothing else broke, but I've also had a PSU literally catch fire and it destroyed several HDDs due to a voltage-spike.

[Spotty]

<removed>

We don't know if it took hardware or not. You'll just have to swap in the new PSU and see if it boots.

 

 

Edited March 5, 2019 by SansVarnic

[SansVarnic]

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