New PSU odor and AUXTIN temperature increase observed
New PSU odor and AUXTIN temperature increase observed
Hello. At the beginning of this month, I unintentionally destroyed an old power supply unit while connecting it and it suddenly activated with a pop. I brought my PC in for a check-up and discovered I had also damaged capacitors on the motherboard. After getting the board fixed, I bought a much more powerful PSU to replace it.
Upon returning the PC, I told everyone it was functioning properly, but they overlooked installing updates or drivers, as well as performing a CPU heat sync clean. The most noticeable issue was a strong, metallic/chemical odor. It lingered throughout the entire case—easy to detect even when the PC was off, or from the side panel with my nose just a foot away. At that time, I didn’t think much of it because I trusted the repair shop and assumed they used a chemical cleaner (they didn’t mention solvents).
I remember seeing a spike in AUXTIN readings from 44-67°C to 87-96°C several times before shutting down the PC. One spike triggered an external fan, which cooled quickly. After returning the PC due to malfunctions like hang-ups and freezing (likely because of missing updates/drivers), it was given back with a reduced smell. Within about 16 hours of use afterward, I experienced two system freezes shortly after startup, requiring a manual restart via power button. The second time, the Windows 10 update was installed as promised. Since then, I haven’t noticed anything unusual, but I’ve used it for another ~16 hours.
I traced the smell to the RM750x PSU. It seems to be decreasing over time—no longer described as cooked or fried, but more metallic/chemical. It no longer fills the entire case; it’s only noticeable about 4 inches from the back of the PSU. Initially, the odor was very strong (9/10), detectable throughout the PC, now around 2.5/10, mostly from behind the PSU.
After a recent update at home after locking up the system, the AUXTIN reading is more stable at 43-46°C, though spikes to 65-71°C have occurred twice. I checked once when leaving and returning, noticing a non-responsive chrome window alert. The top of the PSU is at room temperature, while the back near the cable port feels warm and emits heat.
Regarding the smell, I reached out to Corsair, the repair shop, and local Corsair sellers. They all agreed the odor is unusual but possibly due to a new part—should fade over time. The repair shop suggested it might be a temporary issue and advised contacting them if it persists or worsens.
They also mentioned that the smell could indicate a problem with the new part, which should be reported to the seller. The shop didn’t confirm smelling the smell themselves. Concern was raised about temperature spikes, which they attributed to a stress test performed hours earlier before returning the unit. They noted that the RM750x doesn’t have a direct temperature sensor, and many users report normal AUXTIN readings despite high values. Corsair found their explanation for the spikes questionable.
While I trust the shop owner, I’ve learned that technicians can be careless. From what I see, there’s nothing seriously wrong with the PSU or its cables—though poor cleaning left the power cable in dust. I tried unplugging it to check underneath, but it was tightly secured and I didn’t connect any PSU cables, so I backed out of fear of damage.
I’m curious if anyone has experience with AUXTIN spikes or PSU odors from this model or others. I feel reassured the smell is decreasing, but given the sequence of events, I want to be fully informed in case there’s a serious issue with the PSU—something that could be costly or dangerous.
Thanks for reading.
So, SID is right about the fact that sometimes a PSU can handle this. It's not unusual, and usually the unit works fine. The smell should lessen over the first week or two. If you've been using it regularly for more than two weeks, especially with heavy gaming or other demanding tasks, and it's still noticeable, it might not be normal. You should consider returning it or discussing it further with Corsair. Corsair typically provides good customer service and handles issues well.
Did you buy the RM750x through the repair shop? As far as the AUXTIN, this. AUXTIN High temp So i was looking into my temps in my pc, i have a asus iv black edition and it stands on about a 100C in temp at the AUXTIN, i thought that was very high. But the more i looked into it the more people said it was dependent on the mother board, my question is. Is this normal? or is there... forums.
Hey
I purchased it new from a licensed store in town.
I also read that post on AUXTIN before I shared this, but I only considered it important because of the spiking variance and how it reacts to external cooling. Still not completely sure about the sensor placement.
So, SID is right about the fact that sometimes a PSU can handle this situation. It’s not an unusual occurrence and usually the unit works fine, with the smell fading over the first week or two. If you’ve been using it regularly for more than two weeks, especially with heavy gaming or other demanding tasks, and it still smells strongly, it’s probably not normal. In that case, I’d recommend returning it or having a further discussion with Corsair about it. Corsair generally provides good customer service and usually handles matters well.
If the Memory express store where you bought it is nearby, you might want to contact them directly to see if they can exchange it for another unit, particularly if it’s been more than two weeks and it still smells.
While it’s not rare, it’s not extremely common either, so the outcome could vary. Basically, any new electronic part can have this issue, including receivers and amplifiers. My main concern is whether the motherboard was actually repaired. Who performed the repair? What did they claim to have done? It would be highly unusual for a computer shop to be able to fix a motherboard properly. Even experienced technicians usually avoid attempting repairs on motherboards unless it’s very simple. There are very few, if any, situations where a modern motherboard can be easily fixed. Manufacturers rarely repair faulty boards they’ve received for warranty, often opting to recycle them instead due to the complexity involved. If the shop says they “fixed” it and charged you, I’d think they might have misled you or charged for something that never happened.
I wouldn’t label them outright as dishonest, but it’s possible they replaced a component like a capacitor, transistor, or diode. However, that seems unlikely and would be harder than fixing a TV power board. I’d be somewhat skeptical about that scenario.
Jon Gerow, also known as JonnyGuru, leads the power supply division at Corsair. His personal site is the one referenced earlier about the smells. He emphasizes that only HXi or AXi Corsair models can be monitored for temperature, while other models lack this feature and their reported data comes from somewhere else, making it unreliable.
The local corsair seller I dealt with recently mentioned the unusual smell inside the case, which was quite noticeable. When asked to bring it in for inspection, they suggested checking if the odor was acceptable. Now the smell has significantly decreased. They advised against an exchange since such issues can be normal and harmless, and since I haven’t installed a PSU myself, they recommended having it repaired at a repair shop.
Regarding the motherboard repair, the same repair shop diagnosed and fixed the problem. They informed me that a capacitor had likely failed in the PSU. They also offered a discount on the motherboard repair if I chose to have the PSU installed as well. I didn’t ask for specifics about which component or where it came from, so I could have asked whenever I wanted. I didn’t see any signs that the capacitor was damaged.
This device is an ASROCK B75 pro3, which is quite an old motherboard—does that make repairs easier?
After removing the old PSU, my computer still booted up, but a stress test caused it to crash. It would then freeze when launching games or opening multiple browsers, eventually failing to send a signal to the monitor and displaying a black screen.
I observed this during today’s PC cleaning session.
It might be connected to the odor.
Or it could be an issue on its own.
Yellow/brown greasy stains appear on the top of the capacitor.
QC mark?
Leak from the side?
Streamable Video
Watch this video on Streamable.
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Corsair confirmed that this yellow is a QC mark they’ve encountered before.
Anyone experiencing similar smells should note that typically it clears within about two weeks. Mine has been less noticeable, only detected at the PSU rear exhaust and not on case fans or interior components.