Power supply issues

I am currently using a Corsair RM450 power supply, and earlier today, I detected a faint, rather concerning scent of something burning emanating from the unit. Upon opening it up to investigate, I discovered that the internal fan simply refuses to spin; I even attempted to nudge it manually with a small stick just to see if it had perhaps seized up, but while it moves slightly, it seems quite sluggish. When I tried restarting the system, I noticed once again that the fan remains completely stationary—though, I must ask myself, is it actually designed to remain idle until certain thermal thresholds are met? I am somewhat unfamiliar with how these smart fan controllers function. Beneath this specific power supply, I have an additional fan installed at the rear of the case that is functioning perfectly, and my Scythe Katana CPU cooler is also spinning without issue. Does this particular model feature a temperature-dependent fan curve that might explain the inactivity, or should I be more worried? Is it possible the fan motor has finally given out, or could the presence of those two other fans providing airflow somehow prevent it from engaging? Furthermore, is there any specialized software or diagnostic tool available that would allow me to stress-test the component to see if it is truly failing?

The system specifications are as follows: an Intel Core i5 running at 2.67 GHz, an AMD Radeon HD 6800 graphics card, and 8GB of RAM.

I would truly appreciate some assistance. 🙂

These extra fans don't have anything to do with the PSU fan; that fan needs to be spinning at all times. A burning smell coming from the power supply is definitely not a good sign.

Ryan Grant12 said:I'm running a Corsair RM450, and today I caught this faint smell of burning coming from inside the case—definitely coming from the PSU. When I popped it open to check, I noticed the fan isn't spinning at all. I even tried nudging it manually with a little stick just to see if it was stuck, but it spins okay when I force it... then I tried rebooting, and the fan didn't kick on during startup (though I'm not entirely sure if it's supposed to). I have an extra fan mounted right behind the PSU that's working fine, and my Scythe Katana CPU cooler is spinning too. Does this power supply have some kind of "smart" feature where the fan stays off unless things get hot? I can't remember what that's called. Should I just leave it be and wait to see if it starts up, or do you guys suggest something else? Is it possible the fan is just dead... or maybe it's staying off because those two other fans are keeping everything cool enough? Also, is there any software out there I can use to run a test on it or something?

The build is an i5 @ 2.67GHz, AMD Radeon HD 6800, and 8GB of RAM.

Help! 🙂

Look, honestly, it's not worth trying to fix that unit—not even a little bit. Once you start smelling something burning, something has already failed internally. Even if the PC seems to be running fine right now, you're basically just waiting for a total meltdown. My sincere advice? Just grab a new one. Something like this should work: http://www.amazon.com/example-psu-link

That specific model is actually quite solid and carries an 80+ Silver certification, so it’ll give you peace of mind for a long time—and it might even be good enough to carry over to your next build down the road.

Timothy Fisher79 said:http://www.amazon.com/cart

It keeps telling me my cart is empty.

Joshua Garcia3 said:It keeps telling me my shopping cart is empty.

Anyway, I was actually referring to this power supply unit: Fortron Raider 550W, 80+