PC Just started smoking please help

Just tell them that the PSU smoked on start up, and you pulled the plug :)
ok, so i shouldnt tell them that i put my own hdd in? i had pulled the sata cable out of the cd drive and into my extra hdd
 
I hope your HDDs didn't get fried in the process? I suppose you'll only know when you get a working PSU in there.
 
If Axiz refuse to help, give the SABS a call and tell them about how a computer PSU went up in smoke. You should ask them if there is some kind of protection for the consumer, by the SABS, with such a dangerous product. SABS pulled products from the market before just because they don't have the correct plug, forget fire hazard.

I'd be surprised if there isn't because IIRC correctly the ATX specification requires that a PSU have some form of short circuit and/or overload protection. It isn't acceptable for it to go up and smoke. If you had left it, it would definitely have started an electrical fire.

If the SABS deem the product unfit, Axiz would pretty much have to reimburse you (unless they want to go to court, and lose).
 
If Axiz refuse to help, give the SABS a call and tell them about how a computer PSU went up in smoke. You should ask them if there is some kind of protection for the consumer, by the SABS, with such a dangerous product. SABS pulled products from the market before just because they don't have the correct plug, forget fire hazard.

I'd be surprised if there isn't because IIRC correctly the ATX specification requires that a PSU have some form of short circuit and/or overload protection. It isn't acceptable for it to go up and smoke. If you had left it, it would definitely have started an electrical fire.

If the SABS deem the product unfit, Axiz would pretty much have to reimburse you (unless they want to go to court, and lose).

Good luck with that one :) If they feel the end-user used the product outside of it's SABS approved specification, which the manufacturer / supplier warned him about then it's not the suppliers fault. There's a reason why Dell / HP/ IBM / Apple / etc all put stickers on that says" warranty void when broken".

We can all speculate more or less what happened, but none of us were actually there.

1. Did the OP wear anti-static wristband and used anti-static mat? Probably not
2. Did the user confirm each component's recommended max current usage, and calculate whether the PSU could handle it? Probably not?
3. Does the user have official training in building PC's. We don't know.
4. Was the PSU failing? We don't know, the end user probably doesn't know either.

I've blown many CPU's, RAM, moterboards, hard drives, etc in my lifetime due to "not doing the job properly". Who's fault it is? Not Intel or MSI or Seagate, etc's, but my own.


As matter of interest, a low voltage circuit (i.e. generally below 190V) could wear out a PSU very quickly, which in turn could lead to interesting problems in the beginning and catastrophic disaster later on if the problem isn't properly diagnosed and fixed.



@Mr Feesh, take out your drive and SATA cable, and see what they say about it tomorrow.
If that PC had a warranty sticker on, which you purposefully broke to put in the extra HDD yourself then the chances if them refunding your whole PC will be next to none. They might replace the PSU, but that's probably it. I don't know your experience, nor does anyone else here, but the type of questions you ask tells me it's not much. So, hopefully you learn something from this :)
 
If they feel the end-user used the product outside of it's SABS approved specification, which the manufacturer / supplier warned him about then it's not the suppliers fault. There's a reason why Dell / HP/ IBM / Apple / etc all put stickers on that says" warranty void when broken"

That doesn't make sense. You are confusing standards with warranties. If an importer or manufacturer sells a product that is defective, and does not meet the quality control of the SABS it is grounds for a civil suit in case of damage. You do not need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt as you would in a criminal case and the fact that the product doesn't meet SABS approval should go a long way. R1000 says that replicating that situation wouldn't take much effort. Reproducing it in a controlled environment is an open and shut case.

However going to court over this would be prohibitively expensive. I would rather call the SABS, then see what my options are from there. There must be some kind of consumer protection in cases like this.
 
I've blown many CPU's, RAM, moterboards, hard drives, etc in my lifetime due to "not doing the job properly". Who's fault it is? Not Intel or MSI or Seagate, etc's, but my own.

Eish, you admit that on a public forum :D

I must be lucky, never fried anything in my life.
 
Smoke is what makes electrical appliances work. When the smoke escapes the appliance will not work properly. This rule is good for any product that runs on electricity.

When this smoke escapes it then travels to an uncharted island where it attacks unsuspecting in-limbo spirits... save the spirits, keep the smoke imprisoned!
 
I don't know how axiz can get away with shipping a sandy bridge gaming pc alongside a no-name cheapo 450w psu. It's negligent on their part imo.
 
I don't know how axiz can get away with shipping a sandy bridge gaming pc alongside a no-name cheapo 450w psu. It's negligent on their part imo.
I'd actually say that it is the user's negligence to buy a high-end CPU and pair it up with a cheap PSU, unless Axiz sold & built it as a bundle.

The i7 2600 really doesn't use that much power (rated at 95W TDP), and neither does the HD 5770 (rated at 108W TDP).
So the PC would like use 250W max.

I really hope that you can get it swapped out (refunded).
 
I'd actually say that it is the user's negligence to buy a high-end CPU and pair it up with a cheap PSU, unless Axiz sold & built it as a bundle.

The i7 2600 really doesn't use that much power (rated at 95W TDP), and neither does the HD 5770 (rated at 108W TDP).
So the PC would like use 250W max.

I really hope that you can get it swapped out (refunded).

Yea I assumed Axiz were the ones who bundled it, but if he got the PSU himself it's definitely his fault. The PC is fairly low powered but it's still a gaming pc, and generic PSUs should never under any circumstances be used as a shortcut.
 
My 300W 'free with case' PSU recently destroyed a brand new motherboard. Turned on the machine for the first time, smoke, sizzle, sizzle. After testing the board with a new PSU and checking with a multimeter it seems that one of the CPU regulator mosfets on the motherboard has gone short circuit which usually means that other components are also involved. It seems that these cheap generic PSUs do not have proper overload protection and when they fail they can destroy anything else that might be connected to them. Don't be surprised if the claimed 450W is actually just a relabelled 250W.
 
Axiz replaced the motherboard and psu. Funny thing is that my Wireless usb keyboard isn't working properly any more. It's a Microsoft keyboard/mouse set, the mouse works fine but some keys aren't working any more and others dont show the correct letters on the screen corresponding to the buttons you pushed.
 
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