[SOLVED] Desktop gave out the magic smoke...now what.

[smediumdude]

Ok...moved my computer to another room. Plugged desktop and one monitor into brand new power strip. Plugged 2nd monitor into another outlet and the desktop sparked and pushed out smoke.

Case fans and CPU cooler fan spins. Hard drive light flashes on the case by power button. Already pulled and put memory back in. The fact the CPU cooler fan spins makes me think mobo is good, but I know something else could be wrong with the mobo. I also wonder if the CPU is fried. Already pulled CPU and pins look fine, but again could be something I can't see.

Could it be the power supply is fired and not pushing enough to power the whole system? I just don't know what to change first.

System:
500W Thermaltake 80+ silver
AMD Ryzen 5 3600
GTX 1660 6G Gigabyte
Biostar B450
Random DDR4 3000 memory( sigh it is a rebuilt so the mobo and memory is where they took a short cut)

Any and all suggestions will be appreciated!!!

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

smell and look around for indicators of burnt surfaces.
if smoke was visible it should be fairly easy to find the culprit.

 

[smediumdude]

smell and look around for indicators of burnt surfaces.
if smoke was visible it should be fairly easy to find the culprit.

I am thinking the PSU. The smoke was visible from the back of the desktop. Reading other posts it could be the PSU not pushing enough voltage to the mobo. Case lights and fans do not require that much to work.

 

[DSzymborski]

What is the exact PSU. I'm unaware of any Thermaltake 80 Plus Silver-rated at precisely 500W.

 

[smediumdude]

What is the exact PSU. I'm unaware of any Thermaltake 80 Plus Silver-rated at precisely 500W.

My bad..it is not silver. It is just a 80 plus(white logo, not silver). It is a "Smart Series" PSU.

 

[DSzymborski]

My bad..it is not silver. It is just a 80 plus(white logo, not silver). It is a "Smart Series" PSU.

Oof. Well, there's suspect number one then. That's an extremely low-quality PSU and if that was in the prebuilt, that's another way the company ill-served you. Check for the burnt parts, but this PSU shouldn't have been used with this PC before the so-called magic smoke, so it certainly shouldn't be used after.

 

[Karadjgne]

Random DDR4 3000 memory( sigh it is a rebuilt so the mobo and memory is where they took a short cut)

Nope. Ram is ram. If it's DDR4 3000, it's just what it says it is, you can use Typhoon Burner (free) to find out exactly what it is, but generally there's little realistic difference between value sticks and 'heatsinked' name brand, other than possibly the timings.

500W Thermaltake 80+ silver

This is the real shortcut. But neither have I ever seen or heard of a TT Silver, the older TR2 are all N(Nil) , the purepower/toughpower were White, the new designs of the toughpower are usually Gold and smartpower usually White or Bronze.
Silver is an odd duck because Bronze is 82-85%, Gold is 86+, so Silver requires most of the stuff from a Gold, realistically to be at 85%. Kinda not worth the cost/effort to be lacking that 1% and totally out of the "Gold" market. Silver just ends up being the best possible Bronze unit, that's a hair not good enough for Gold, and that makes it hard to market.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

when was the system purchased?
if it's within their short coverage period, contact support for a repair or replacement.

 

[smediumdude]

Oof. Well, there's suspect number one then. That's an extremely low-quality PSU and if that was in the prebuilt, that's another way the company ill-served you. Check for the burnt parts, but this PSU shouldn't have been used with this PC before the so-called magic smoke, so it certainly shouldn't be used after.

Lololol!!!! Gold will be the minimum I buy to replace it. I know pre-built is not the best way to go, but with supply shortages it was at the time best thing to do...lesson learned.

 

[DSzymborski]

Lololol!!!! Gold will be the minimum I buy to replace it. I know pre-built is not the best way to go, but with supply shortages it was at the time best thing to do...lesson learned.

Yeah, it's unfortunate, but system integrators -- at least at the bargain end -- tend to really get you with some real non-junk parts. And since people who buy prebuilts are more likely than not people who have little intention to build a rig, companies get away with cheap PSUs since the buyer frequently will not know any better (and for warranty reasons, the PC only needs to survive a year or two).

Generally speaking, unless you're dealing with one of the higher-end boutiques (like Falcon NW or Puget) or specifically chose the PSU, the first you should do with any prebuilt you get is to scrutinize the PSU like your PC's life depends on it. Because it does!

 

[Karadjgne]

Smart series are for office use. Toughpower for gaming use. And it's 80plus (that's what White means now) just 80% across the board. Nothing Smart about that at all, and 6 States so far agree with California energy commission about that, especially concerning prebuilts. The new standards make prebuilts basically All use at least certified and verified Gold. There's a huge market segment where Dell and HP and others can't even Give away a White psu anymore.

 

[Krotow]

Avada Kedavra to your PSU then. If your system is still under warranty, RMA it. Otherwise buy proper Tier B/C PSU and dispose your "white" cinder piece.