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I just turned off my PC because I could smell burning, I opened the box up and the power supply thingy is VERY HOT, does that mean it is knackered and I need a new one or is there a way of fixing it?

Sounds like you did the right thing by unplugging it straight away.

Impossible to tell if the power supply itself is knackered without seeing it.  It might have been a clump of dust that's built-up over time and then been sucked in by the fan that's caused the burning smell.  Of course, it could be something else as well.

How often have you vacuumed the fan and the box of the computer?  I know that I've seen a fair few clogged with dust.  This stops the fan from operating effectively, and so the heat has no where to go.

I was thinking the same but I am pretty sure this box shouldnt be so hot and it was only on for 30 mins.

I will give it a good clean then try again.

Is it safe to open the power supply box and have a look inside?

what type of computer is it ?

do you know which processor it has ? A lot of the older AMD processors could get really hot.

Last time I opened a PSU up I sliced my finger on a sharp edge inside it. I then saw half of it was black and melted, which confirmed it was broken!

RB 400 ATX it says on the box, is that any help.


I dont like the sight of blood...I am thinking buying a new one might be a good idea :-(

It's not advisable to open the power supply box (it usually has stickers on it saying as much).

Yeah it has which is why I was reluctant to open it.

Are they all the same because I have an old tower that I could maybe take the power supply out of?

Cleaned it out, switched it on and it blinked for a second then died.

Ok so plan B

The power supply in there is called RB 400 ATX, the other one I have is called QTec ADT 300, can I use this one or is it too out of date?

I guess the 400 and the 300 stands for the power they supply.  Your computer might require the 400W and the 300 might be insufficient.

Looking at 400W ATX power units, it looks as though they aren't expensive to replace:

http://www.google.co.uk/products?q=400+ATX&btnG=Search+Products&hl=en&show=dd&scoring=p

Hopefully someone who builds PCs will be able to advise on what you need to look out for with these.

Yeah but I want it fixed NOW!!! Otherwise I will have to do the ironing tonight  :D

Maplin sell a range of them. Only thing to be careful of is the mainboard connector - it will either be 20 pins or 24 pins - if your computer is oldish it will probably be 20 pin. Try and get the same or you'll need a converter cable (or cut 4 pins off - but not particularly advisable as you may get the wrong end :) ). Also, if you've got SATA hard discs, the power connector is a slim thing, and not all PSUs come with them. Again, you can buy a converter cable). Other than that, they're a pretty standard size, unless you've got a "slim" case machine, in which case it won't be, and you'll have to search for the exact replacement (as I've had to do for a Dell at work recently, sigh).

When replacing, you'll have several connectors - 1 or possibly 2 to the mainboard (secondary 4 pin one is common these days), plus 1 to each HD and CD/DVD drive. If your machine is very recent and/or with swanky graphics, it's possible you'll have a 6 pin one to the graphics card, but I suspect not if it's only 400W. Again, not all PSUs come with these 6 pin connectors, and again, you can buy converters if necessary.

There are usually 4 screws holding the PSU to the case, or some (Dell) just clip in.

And please, DO NOT open up the old one - capacitors can store enough charge to shock you if you're very unlucky.

Good luck :).

Sorry - posted this just as most Maplins close - looks like it's the ironing for you. As is right and proper of course.

Very helpful, very descriptive, but I still think you're dead.

I hide behind my robe and floppy hat of anonymity :D

PLEASE BE CAREFUL

My old power supply was for a atx type windows 98 machine

When they blow they send 240 volts through the motherboard which fry's the circuits and seizes up the hard drive

They dont fail safe like a fuse , they just burn

I was advised to get a bigger power supply 400w or greater, the shop said ,

" with old computers its the power supply that goes first". We advise changing them every 4 or 5 years

Have you added any extra drives, CD roms, drives that plug in, these draw extra power from the supply that make it hot

If your power supply is about to go , back up all your files on to a CD disc quick

I lost years of photographs when my power blew and seized the hard drive

 ;cheerleader; ;mexicanwave; ;letsparty; ;letsparty; ;mexicanwave; ;letsparty; ;mexicanwave;

Harsh but i LOL'd

I think they were just trying to sell you a bigger PSU chap ;)

Suzanne,

is your machine a "brand name " ? I am thinking specifically compaq,HP,Dell etc ?

often these have proprietory power supplies, and putting a standard ATX into it will cause problems.

If we know the actual make and model of the pc then that would help.

GRRRRRRRRR but otherwise very helpful. Thank you :-)

Well I managed to get it fixed though god only knows how. I took the power supply out of the old 98 windows machine and had no idea what plugged in where apart from the big one so I just stuck them in where ever I could. Should they be in any particular order?

I dont know if its safe and I am half expect it to explode any minute.

Should I buy a new 400 power supply anyway?

Laz, its not a "brand name", I use my sons old machine that he had built specifically as hes into gaming WoW etc

Where can I find out the info? Does this help? AMD Athlon(tm) XP 3200+ 2.20GHz 2.00 GB of RAM.

Partly true. I've done 4 Dells in the last 2 months. PSU went only (nothing else) on all of them. 3 replaced with Maplin ones, 1 with Dell part, but only because of size. Packard Bell (Dixons specials) used to be the worst for proprietary bits. Not sure about compaq/HP.

You're pretty unlucky to lose a HD. Even losing a motherboard is reasonably unusual with modern switched mode PSUs these days. They tend to fail open rather than short.

PS: You're reply: I would most definitely look for at least a 400W replacement. Those athlons take about 85-100W on their own. Graphics cards are the big eaters of power these days. 300W may be ok for a while, but wouldn't bank on it.

Ok thanks I will try and find one the same as the broken one.

At least its working for now and the ironing pile is still growing :-)