I recently experienced a loud pop from my 10-year-old Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 power supply while gaming, and my PC shut down immediately. There's a strong burning smell coming from the PSU, but I've checked the motherboard and GPU, and they seem fine—no smells or visible damage. Based on this, how likely is it that the PSU just 'sacrificed itself' to save my other components? Has anyone gone through something similar with their Cooler Master PSUs? Here are my specs for reference: CPU: Intel i3 14100f, Motherboard: MSI PRO B760M A, GPU: RX 5700 XT, PSU: COOLER MASTER SILENT PRO M2 620W.
5 Answers
Honestly, the PSU usually fails to protect other parts. I had my old one go kaboom on me, and everything else worked just fine. Just get a new PSU and test it out!
I looked up that PSU, and it had decent surge protection, especially for a model from 2012. Typically, a capacitor pop likes this means your other components are likely safe. I've had similar experiences, and everything turned out fine after replacing the PSU.
It's really a 50/50 situation here. You can't be sure until you replace the PSU and see if everything turns on. Just inspect for burn marks and give everything a sniff test. If it smells fine, you might be in the clear!
That pop was probably just a capacitor failing. Most likely your other components are just fine. I've had older PSUs blow up, and only the PSU needed replacing without any collateral damage.
Chances are pretty good for you! Generally, power supplies are designed to fail safely and mostly take themselves out, leaving other parts unharmed. I wouldn't power on that PSU again, though; it's definitely a loss at this point. Don't worry too much about the motherboard and GPU, they probably made it out okay.
Related Questions
Lenovo Thinkpad Stuck In Update Loop Install FilterDriverU2_Reload