PC made a loud pop and smelled like burning plastic, but it still kept going.
PC made a loud pop and smelled like burning plastic, but it still kept going.
I was playing Hitman WOA on an old PC with an RTX 3060 graphics card and a Corsair RM 550X power supply when I heard a loud pop and smelled something burnt. The game kept going, but then the computer shut down on its own and cut the power from the wall. The mainboard caps look okay except for two spots that are hard to see near the GPU. Even though the graphics card and power supply caps aren't totally visible, I need help figuring out which parts are probably broken so they can be fixed or replaced. The RTX 3060 is an old used one bought in 2022, but the Corsair RM 550X power supply is from 2019, which feels way too old for this setup.
All of them, even all those caps inside the PSU... unless you can clearly see exactly which one exploded, then you'll have to swap just that one and double-check it didn't pop from something else. Also make sure that popped cap isn't breaking up other things. Basically, either hire a pro for a pricey job, or figure out what broke and only replace the specific part and hope things work fine.
I am going to file a return for my power supply because I found my receipt and still have the box ready to ship it. The graphics card won't be easy to fix or send back, so I don't need to worry about that right now. It was better than nothing if it didn't catch fire or blow up while unwatched, which would let a random part fail somewhere else. On top of everything else, I think I bought this new Corsair power supply just to take the place of my old Seasonic one for similar reasons.
I switched on my office PC by pressing a button and heard a loud bang plus flash with flames briefly coming out of the power supply fan. It looked cool at first! Then everything worked fine that whole day, but after I shut it down, it wouldn't turn back on anymore tomorrow. A big primary capacitor inside the PSU had leaked a little bit, but there was still enough liquid in it to keep going until it got totally dry. I swapped out the cap and the power supply is working great today. I say this because if your power supply stops working completely, then getting an official repair is super easy under their ten-year warranty.
Yeah, I just hope it was the power supply unit (PSU) because replacing that is the cheapest option. The problem started when fans got spinning too high on the GPUs while gaming, which showed signs of overheating or failing. Now I'm wondering if it was a Seasonic PSU that had popped earlier in its life, or if it's just another one that broke later. Even though I still have this box full of Seasonics in my garage, I'd think I'd throw the old bad one away if it ever got another chance to fail again. I went with Corsair for the power supply because their name sounds better here and they seem more reliable than Seasonic, especially since we're looking at a 10-year warranty or lifetime support.
Nothing is perfect and every model has some parts that break. If the computer kept working it's probably just the power supply unit (PSU) taking over as the limiting factor for how much power the GPU can get. Putting a cap there means no filter in the circuit, so the fan might not spin at all when starting or move really slowly and jumpy because the capacitor makes things smooth instead of keeping up with high needs.
I just found out that the Corsair RM 550 X has special capacitors in the cable to stop electrical wiggles (read a forum thread over techpowerup which ended up being confusing but still useful). Do they explode? Also, before I shut down the computer, I could see the GPU fans through the window and they were working fine. But I didn't or couldn't see any other PC fans either, and I didn't check the CPU fan because there was no strange whirring or shaking sound right after it popped out.
When you hear a loud pop and smell burning while gaming, your power supply unit (Corsair RM 550X) is probably the problem. It's from 2019, so old capacitors inside can wear out over time. Even though the motherboard cap looks okay and the GPU cap isn't seen, usually other symptoms show up first if the graphics card fails. Stop using your computer right away to prevent more damage. Test the PSU alone or swap it out first because power supplies are very common trouble spots that can hurt other parts of the system. Look closely at the GPU if you can; if there is no visible damage but things don't get better after fixing the PSU, maybe test the graphics card or replace it. Check the motherboard for any small signs of wear or burnt marks near where the GPU is plugged in. The Corsair RM550X is usually dependable, but after four plus years, old capacitors can age suddenly and break down. It's best to fix the power supply first so your whole setup stays safe.