good temps but plastic smell

[valhallarising]

i got a case thats got very good temps, cpu 50 c under load, gpu about 60 c under load, motherboard temp 40 c under load still i get a plastic smell when the computer is working harder i feel the top of the case gets hot when i put my hand on it and i Think the smell is not from something getting hot in the case but from the case. could this be cheap quality smell? its a zalman case bought for 35 s. could it be bad airflow it seems like the top of the case shouldnt be that hot.

 

[valhallarising]

i Think i might found the problem , the plastic sticker on the psu with the voltage information i took it off and it got a very strong smell just like the smell that i got from the case. is this possible? i had other psus with the stickers left on and not had thatproblem

 

[tsnor]

Maybe post information about the PSU from the sticker on the PSU. Getting hot enough to scorch a sticker on the outside of the PSU is a VERY bad sign. I would not leave the PC plugged in when you are not in the room. (Turned off doesn't work, the PSU gets power even when the PC is turned off.).

If the $35 zalman case came with the PSU then the PSU is a $15 to $20 piece of junk. Even if it wasn't that hot I'd replace it with a decent $50 PSU before it fried something important like your video card or MB.

GL.

 

[Elysian890]

Maybe post information about the PSU from the sticker on the PSU. Getting hot enough to scorch a sticker on the outside of the PSU is a VERY bad sign. I would not leave the PC plugged in when you are not in the room. (Turned off doesn't work, the PSU gets power even when the PC is turned off.).

If the $35 zalman case came with the PSU then the PSU is a $15 to $20 piece of junk. Even if it wasn't that hot I'd replace it with a decent $50 PSU before it fried something important like your video card or MB.

GL.

↑ That. If PSU gets too hot there's definitely an overload there, @valhallarising you should consider getting a better PSU if you worry about the rest of your hardware.
Or it could be just excess glue on the sticker getting hot, it happens you know

 

[valhallarising]

the psu is actually not getting hot, the only part of the computer that gets hot is the top of the case , i Think if the smell comes from somewhere its probably from the caste itself the temps are very good

 

[valhallarising]

im running a xilence 500 w psu not the best but i exchanged a evga 500 White because it had Power surge warnings this one havent had any errors

 

[tsnor]

"still i get a plastic smell when the computer is working harder i feel the top of the case gets hot when i put my hand on it" Look for a short in a wire running along the top of your case,or a case light that got misplaced or something like that. I've never had the top of my case get hot on any of my PCs -- even the store bought ones had too much airflow.

You have excellent CPU and GPU temps " cpu 50 c under load, gpu about 60 c under load, motherboard temp 40 c under load ", so the top of your case should not be hot to the touch. Was that PSU a top mount or a bottom mount ? Where's the top of the case hot (near front panel, etc.?) Try to isolate the heat source. I run my PC with the side open any time I'm updatign hardware and only close it up once everything is tested good. Maybe open up you case and see if you can find the heat source. Use common sense on what you touch, if the case is hot the part might be burning hot, or might give a low voltage shock.

Update: A glass of hot water from the sink is about 120F to 130F. Is your case top hotter than a glass of hot water ? 130F (55C) is not going to make a hot plastic smell....

 

[valhallarising]

yeah this is very strange since temps are so good, i just turned computer on now and there is no smell it seems randomly when it gets hot sometimes not but yesterday it was . i Think the airflow could be a problem . it has no intake front fan, just cpu fan and rear fan and a side panel with vent so maybe the air isnt being pushed out properly but travels around in case? the psu is mounted bottom
its hard to say how hot it is i would say maybe something like a glass of warm water in that range

 

[valhallarising]

i forgot to mention this computer is new a few weeks but used only a few times according to some people they had the same problem and it just goes away after a few weeks using it but im not sure

 

[valhallarising]

my temps now after just turning it on is , cpu 37, motherboard 30, gpu 28, core 18 i mean if there was a serious problem wouldnt it be heating up all the time?

 

[valhallarising]

i stressed the cpu for a while and turned it off then i felt on all parts and no of the parts where hot , psu was almost the coolest, Graphics card alos felt cool. cpu was normally hot after using it under load. the only part i could feel hot was the top of the case should i take this at the air is going up to the top of the case and not out?

 

[tsnor]

Hi, I think you are OK. Some of the parts on the MB, video card and PSU are designed to get HOT, and are rated to run at 90C or higher. There is no thermocouple on these parts, so you never see these temps. When new some of these will have a "hot electronics" smell for a few days.

I would (seriously) unplug your PC at the wall for the next 2 weeks when you are not in the room. If the smell stays you need to find it. If it goes away (most likely) you are OK.

I'd also see if the case temp on top was uniform across the top, or had a hot spot. If a hot spot then I'd find out what hot part was causing it.

Your temps are really good at idle. What are they after gaming for a while (hour plus) ? HWMONITOR (free, google it) records max temps for CPU, GPU, disk, MB. Knowing those temps will get you comfortable with airflow in your case. If the max temps are near your load temps then your case has great airflow, no need to change " cpu 50 c under load, gpu about 60 c under load, motherboard temp 40 c under load ".

 

[valhallarising]

yeah the temps are very good after installing a coolermaster hyper tx3 cooler, between 50-55 c under load, gpu 50-60 c under load, core 40-45, motherboard 48 c
i had a few cables running along the side that is the top maybe they can transfer the heat? i pulled them in in the empty 5.25 slot now and the case top dont seem to get as hot.
its kind of hard to describe the smell its not burnt but quite intensive plastic smell but right now im hardly smelling it so maybe it will go away

 

[valhallarising]

after wiping my case off i also Think it smells less maybe it is the case that smells and not one of the parts im not sure

 

[Elysian890]

yeah the temps are very good after installing a coolermaster hyper tx3 cooler, between 50-55 c under load, gpu 50-60 c under load, core 40-45, motherboard 48 c
i had a few cables running along the side that is the top maybe they can transfer the heat? i pulled them in in the empty 5.25 slot now and the case top dont seem to get as hot.
its kind of hard to describe the smell its not burnt but quite intensive plastic smell but right now im hardly smelling it so maybe it will go away

it's normal if your case has a lot of plastic, hot air exhaust makes it smell like that, btw 48° on the mobo is quite high, how many fans do you have?

 

[valhallarising]

48 is under heavy load . idle is 32 for motherboard . i only got two fans right now cpu fan and rear fan i want to install front fan to but this case seems very hard to get the front off to install the front fan there is also option for sidedan but front fan would be better maybe i could use side as intake to? the case is plastic so i should concider this smell normal when it gets hot? maybe if i get some better airflow going it will help

 

[valhallarising]

i just manged to get the front panel of to install a 120 mm fan and found a small bag with them things that made for smell that said cut off after cutting them off and installing a 120 mm fan i Think the smell is almost gone im not sure but i Think smelling might been coming from them