Base unit overheating..

gabyjane

Was just typing saying how the smell on our pc was so bad it would cut out again and it did! The pc is not old and we have had one hard drive already, the base unit has now started overheating and really really stinks..it gets to an awful burning smell and then switches off and resets..nightmare when you are working but i am also concerned it is a bit oof a fire hazard.
Dh has taken it all out of the desk and cleaned the fan etc..the door of the pc is always open and wondered if it could be anything we could fix?
Thanks for any help.

RobTang

If you can smell electrical burn somthing is really really really wrong.

I wouldn't use it till you get it checked out or figure out what is burning.

Knub

Depends what the smell of burning is but I would advise to shutdown your PC straight away and take the side of the case off. This will allow more air inside.

In times of summer I have been known to take of the side panel and point a standard 12" deskfan at the motherboard to keep things cooler. Every little helps!

macman

Power supply overheating? Definitely needs fixing now if it's overheating that badly. Easy enough to change it yourself, or a quick job at an independent shop (not PCW please).
PS: what do you mean by 'the door is always open'-do you mean the side panel is off?

DatabaseError

The usual thing to 'burn out' is the power supply....these can be bought for as little as £15..while others cost £50+ for the same power rating...there is a reason for this big difference in price

As to leaving the side panel off..a well built PC should have decent airflow with the case intact...air in at the front..slight positive air pressure inside the case, and exhausted at the back..removing the side panel might 'get more air' but that air isn't being forced over the hot components..cooling them down. Think of it as a car engine..you wouldn't remove all the coolant from the system and then have the engine running outside your house with a hosepipe trained on it because the coolant (water) wouldn't be flowing where it's needed

gabyjane

Hi thanks for the replies..ok i turned it off before we went out and came back earlier and put it on..the smell was very quick again and it didn't stay on long at all..i have now turned it off and it is staying that way! (im on the laptop!)
I meant the door of the desk we have..it has one of those closeable unit areas and it sits in there, when we built the desk though the back was never put on for air reasons and as i said the front is usually open..it is now anyway!
Dh says he can't smell it at times but honestly it is now worryingly bad so im taking no risks.
Ill get him to get it checked out. Thanks again x

Strider590

Ventilation is extremely important, cool air has to get in the front to keep the hard drives cool and warm air has to come out of the rear with plenty of space for it to despell into the room.

Air flow is such that it passes through the front over the hard drive, then down onto the CPU, then out through either the case fan or the PSU fan at the rear.

Ive seen people puttng PC's into cupboards with no breathing room at all (older people are a !!!!!! for doing this), dust is a major factor and also radiators behind the PC is very bad idea.

el_gringo_3

My parents had a specially made 'computer cabinet' made of a very expensive thick wood with front doors on etc, the only hole in the hole thing was for cables to pass through. It constantly overheated in summer, as a result, but my mother refused to have it 'on display'!

colin13

when my pc overheats and cuts off,,I disconnet ,remove panel,get hair drier and blow all the dust out of it,,that may b the smell u r smelling just dust burning and not an electrial smell,,but remember to take ur hoover to room to blow dust all over so the other hald dosnae complain:)

Strider590

colin13 wrote: »

when my pc overheats and cuts off,,I disconnet ,remove panel,get hair drier and blow all the dust out of it,,that may b the smell u r smelling just dust burning and not an electrial smell,,but remember to take ur hoover to room to blow dust all over so the other hald dosnae complain:)

Disconnect and take it outside on a clear day, watch the neighbours complain instead! :rotfl:
I've still got huge chunks of PC dust all over my outdoor dining set!

macman

But the OP says in the first post that 'the fan etc' has already been cleaned 'outside the desk'-I assumed this meant that they had removed the case-but on re-reading this maybe not?