So I just built a new desktop computer and when I play some games I hear a slight electrical squeal noise for a minute while the game loads then the sound goes away. I noticed this sound over the last couple days only right now its followed by an odd dullish, headache inducing smell. This isnt the first time I've smelt this smell from a computer and I'm curious if this is actually a symptom of a bad or blown cap. I haven't inspected yet but soon will. Any thoughts on this?
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Do bad capacitors stink?
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Re: Do bad capacitors stink?
I’ve had caps new in the sealed bag smell like rotting fish. They were samples I was supposed to evaluate, but the stench made that unnecessary.PeteS in CA
Power Supplies should be boring: No loud noises, no bright flashes, and no bad smells.
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Re: Do bad capacitors stink?
Yes, bad (leaked / vented) electrolytic capacitors can (and usually do) stink... and at least not in any good way I can think of. It's not like "burned/toasty electronics" type of smell, though. More organic.
As to the relation of that and the new desktop PC you build... I doubt you'd be having new caps leaking/venting this soon, even if they are cheapo brands... but I guess it is still possible. Without knowing more details about the hardware (particularly PSU brand, model, and production date) and age of the hardware (if motherboard or GPU is anything from the last 5-8 years or so, chances are it uses solid polymer capacitors, and those won't leak or vent, so they won't smell... unless they failed - which you would notice because they would produce a ton of smoke and/or short-circuit), I can't tell you more if that's what you're experiencing or not... but probably not, unless you're running a really cheap no-name PSU. With those, you never know what kind of surprises could be inside.
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Re: Do bad capacitors stink?
Originally posted by 66DarkMatter99 View PostI noticed this sound over the last couple days only right now its followed by an odd dullish, headache inducing smell. This isnt the first time I've smelt this smell from a computer and I'm curious if this is actually a symptom of a bad or blown cap. I haven't inspected yet but soon will. Any thoughts on this?
I have yet to see a house centipede at the current house, as I'm outside of downtown Springfield, but still in Springfield. On Main St. in Springfield, OTOH, I regularly saw them.
But the dreaded earwigs are a common sight, right when I hoped that I wouldn't even see those tiny bastards! I'm outside of downtown enough to have earwig issues.
Earwigs are the bugs that are associated with wetter-than-normal weather. (like the years 2006 and 2011 in New England)Last edited by RJARRRPCGP; 11-02-2021, 04:29 PM.ASRock B550 PG Velocita
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"¡Me encanta "Me Encanta o Enlistarlo con Hilary Farr!" -Mí mismo
"There's nothing more unattractive than a chick smoking a cigarette" -Topcat
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Re: Do bad capacitors stink?
I came home to electrolytic capacitor stink for months, then it went away, then it came back. Gutted all my equipment to find it and eventually it was the ZyXEL DSL modem supplied by my ISP.
Inside is two huge 3,300uF caps and one had popped, so I exchanged it for a newer modem.
On another occasion it was an LED nightlight that popped a capacitor and made that dreaded stink.
For a new PC build, they off-gas all kinds of stink for a month or so. The power supply is the worst, fiberglass resins, glue curing etc.Last edited by redwire; 11-02-2021, 05:02 PM.
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Re: Do bad capacitors stink?
Originally posted by redwire View PostI came home to electrolytic capacitor stink for months, then it went away, then it came back. Gutted all my equipment to find it and eventually it was the ZyXEL DSL modem supplied by my ISP.
Inside is two huge 3,300uF caps and one had popped, so I exchanged it for a newer modem.
On another occasion it was an LED nightlight that popped a capacitor and made that dreaded stink.
For a new PC build, they off-gas all kinds of stink for a month or so. The power supply is the worst, fiberglass resins, glue curing etc.
Noticed that scent, when I was opening the motherboard package! (and afterwards)
It's not like fried electronics, which the smell of that, if believed to be from my PC, would make me panic!Last edited by RJARRRPCGP; 11-02-2021, 06:40 PM.ASRock B550 PG Velocita
Ryzen 9 "Vermeer" 5900X
16 GB AData XPG Spectrix D41
Sapphire Nitro+ Radeon RX 6750 XT
eVGA Supernova G3 750W
Western Digital Black SN850 1TB NVMe SSD
Alienware AW3423DWF OLED
"¡Me encanta "Me Encanta o Enlistarlo con Hilary Farr!" -Mí mismo
"There's nothing more unattractive than a chick smoking a cigarette" -Topcat
"Today's lesson in pissivity comes in the form of a ziplock baggie full of GPU extension brackets & hardware that for the last ~3 years have been on my bench, always in my way, getting moved around constantly....and yesterday I found myself in need of them....and the bastards are now nowhere to be found! Motherfracker!!" -Topcat
"did I see a chair fly? I think I did! Time for popcorn!" -ratdude747
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