PC makes burning smell

[Armored_Golem]

So I built my first pc last month, and it started to smell like burning plastic this month. I changed the CPU cooler because I thought that was the problem, but it’s still there. It usually starts smelling after three to four hours. The last time I turned it on and the smell happened, it smelled like it was coming from the RAM. I’ve tried looking online for anyone else who had this problem, some say they switched out the motherboard or switched out the memory. I don’t know what to do yet, and I want to ask around first before I do anything.

Build
CPU: Ryzen 5 5600x
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition
Motherboard: MSI MPG x570 Gaming Edge Wi-Fi
Memory: OLOy 32GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3000 CL-16 Memory
Storage: Western Blue Digital
GPU: MSI Radeon 6600 Rx
Case: MSI Mag Forge 100R ATX Mid-Tower Case
Power Supply: Corsair RM (2019) 750 W+ Gold Certified Fully Modular Power Supply

[Bruce]

when you installed the processor heatsink onto the processor, there was no protective film still attached to the underside of the heatsink?
and there was thermal paste applied?

in the long shot it is the RAM, have you tried running the rig with only one stick for a few hours?
if the smell returns, put that stick back and remove the other.
but if the smell is from either RAM stick, they’d burn you if you touched them - so hey, try that!

lay the case on it’s side with the side cover off and see if you can try to isolate the point of origin.

it’s been running well for a month prior to this?

[Armored_Golem]

when you installed the processor heatsink onto the processor, there was no protective film still attached to the underside of the heatsink?
and there was thermal paste applied?

in the long shot it is the RAM, have you tried running the rig with only one stick for a few hours?
if the smell returns, put that stick back and remove the other.
but if the smell is from either RAM stick, they’d burn you if you touched them - so hey, try that!

lay the case on it’s side with the side cover off and see if you can try to isolate the point of origin.

it’s been running well for a month prior to this?

Sorry for the late reply, but I think that seemed to be it. I removed one of the RAM sticks and it’s back to not smelling badly. Not sure if it’s with the motherboard or with the RAM specifically. I also opened up the case, so ventilation might also be an issue, I’m not sure yet. Thank you for the advice!

[Bruce]

keep us posted.

[veeg]

Any updates?

[Armored_Golem]

Any updates?

Right, so there’s no plastic burning smell so far. I removed one of the ram sticks and I opened the glass panel on the side of the computer. It hasn’t smelled bad for a while now, so I want to say it has to do with the memory I’m using.

[Bruce]

that’s very unusual in my experience.
there isn’t much voltage passing through the RAM, 1.5v tops so a burning smell coming from a memory chip would indicate a very bad circuit on the RAM module and with the motherboard RAM slot or controller chip.

[Rustys]

Any updates

[Armored_Golem]

Any updates

Right, so I think I’ve narrowed it down to either being the RAM, or the motherboard itself. I need to try different RAM to confirm if it’s the specific ones I’m using, or if it has something to do with the motherboard itself. That might take a bit, but I have a good feeling that I’m close to fully repairing this issue.

[veeg]

Any updates?

[Rustys]

abandoned closed