I recently noticed a strange smell coming from the back of my PC that reminds me of the odor when a dentist drills your tooth. There's no smoke, just this bizarre smell. I turned the computer off immediately, and now I'm feeling uneasy about what to do since my tech-savvy brother won't be back for another four hours. My PC is relatively new, only about a year old, and it usually runs for around 10 hours a day without doing anything too intense—mostly just streaming videos. The temperatures have been normal too, around 40 degrees Celsius, peaking at 60 during heavy usage. Should I attempt to turn it back on, or do you think I should wait? What might be causing this smell?
3 Answers
You might want to check the wires coming from the power supply. Sometimes they can get damaged or loose, which might cause a smell like that. If you’re unsure how to do this, maybe look up some videos that show you how to safely inspect the cables.
It might also be a loose connection or an ozone smell, though I understand it doesn’t seem like that to you. It sounds more like burnt plastic, which could definitely indicate overheating components. Best to wait until your brother checks it out before turning it on again to avoid any further issues.
That smell could be due to a component overheating, especially if it's coming from the back. If your power supply is getting too hot, that might explain the burning smell. I've had a similar experience with a GPU that was running very hot. Just make sure to let it cool down before you think about turning it back on more.
I have no experience with hardware, so I'm not sure how to check wires. Is there a specific way to do it?