Burnt IC on the motherboard. PSU problem?

[Fourstyle]

Hey guys,

Recently I had (another) problem with my PC. The PC has been on for quite a long time per day. Let's say 12 hours per day.
What happened yesterday was I turned off my PC after 15 hours, after 2 hours later, when I tried to turn it on again, I can smell something burnt inside, while the PC won't turn on (The power LED is turned off as soon as it's on).

I discovered that one of the IC on the motherboard has blister on it and the smoke is coming out from that IC when the PC is starting. (But the PC won't start at all)

I tried to remove the P4 power socket and leave the rest plugged in with the same PSU, the power seems to be running properly. (I don't believe that this is the correct way to test the PSU, please correct me if i'm wrong)

I tried using a spare PSU, I plugged everything normally, the PC still won't start. So I assume that my motherboard is completely dead.

Anyone out there can help me solve this problem?
1. Do I need to replace my motherboard? Or is it my PSU to start with?
2. I do have warranty on these parts, will they replace this burnt motherboard?

 

[redrooster]

My PC is running 24 hours a day since about 4 years, some parts like BIOS battery, the graphic card or the power supply needed to be replaced already since they simply were dead and their life time was over. Many of the internal connection wires (SATA, IDE) need to be drawn and re-inserted from time to time due to oxidazation or dust. Most important is that the PC gets enough cooling air (or whatever cooling system you have) so that nothing can overheat, means motherboard, CPU and even the HDDs. That´s the reason why I´m running my PC with an open cover permanently (3 SATA-HDDs, so an enormous amount of heat) and have 2 cooling fans installed.

I´ve seen many motherboards dying over the years, they just have a certain life time period, when blisters start to come out of electronic parts the end is near or reached.

If you are experienced enough you can buy a new motherbaord complete package including fan, memory (nowadays 4096 MB = 4 GB) and CPU (Intel or AMD). You have to re-install the OS though then. If your precious files are on the same HDD as the OS you should try to save them via USB2 case or SATA wire to another PC or HDD so that you won´t lose them as I think the new OS (or re-installation of the old one) perhaps wants to reformat the OS disc when being installed...

Or just buy a new one...

 

[navedavarro]

Generally if something has burnt out, that component would need replacing

The most basic way to test your PSU is to take the 24-pin (or 20-pin if you're using an older system) connector, and use a paperclip, copper wire or any conductive material to connect the green wire to any of the black wires. It's best to have the PSU removed from your case and not connected to any of your components when you do this. If it doesn't power up (the PSU fan would be your indicator), then the PSU needs replacing as well (assuming you did it correctly). If it does...it's still not a 100% test because there's no load on the PSU so you can't really determine if it's fully functional.

But you should definitely have the motherboard checked out. If it's under warranty and you've been using it under normal conditions then there's no reason why the manufacturer shouldn't replace it.

Like redrooster said, there really shouldn't be an issue even if you're running your PC 24 hours a day, provided there's good airflow, and I also advocate a quality power supply which can provide good stable current to your components.

Incidentally, the heat output of 3 HDDs is not really significant compared to modern CPUs and graphics cards, and I wouldn't recommend an open cover for permanent use. You never know what might find its way in there, other than dust. A well-designed case can provide more than adequate airflow over all the major heat sources (while closed) and it doesn't cost much these days.

 

[Fourstyle]

@navedavarro

Thanks for the reply mang, that's the reply that I need. I have sent my warranty claim to them for a replacement. Considering it's broken due to normal use.

Talking about good airflow or cooling system, what I have on mine are 2 medium sized fan on the chassis, both set on low speed (High speed is noisy, because it's really fast but I used it on summer, low because I need it to be quiet when I'm sleeping), top and back. PSU (Corsair) is at the bottom of my PC. Radeon HD4850 which already has its own fans (2 fans and medium-sized heatsink).
AMD Phenom X4 9850 Quad Core 2.5 GHz which has its own cooling system.

I don't have a special cooling for my motherboard. But I won't recommend an open cover as well as navedavarro.

You never know what might find its way in there, other than dust.

I agreed, especially when you have someone young staying with you, he/she may put something in there. =p True story btw. I had a small car toy inside my surround speaker.

Once again, thanks. For redrooster as well.