Corsair RM650x power supply popping noise when being powered on

Hello there

I purchased a Corsair RMx Series RM650x - 650W power supply back in 2016, and the PC has been working fine. I have not made any additional hardware changes since then.

When ever i finish using the PC (Windows 10) I choose "shut down" and pc shuts down. I then turn off the power strip button with pc/monitor etc plugged into it (i never touch the on/off switch on the actual power supply itself at the back of PC case) i leave it like this over night and then next morning turn power stip on, press the pc case power button and then windows 10 boots up fine as normal.

For 3 years this has never been a issue but since a few weeks ago, when ever i turn on the power strip i hear a "popping" noise. The pc turns on fine still and works ok, if shortly after i turn strip off and back on again etc then its fine, this noise seems to happen when PC power off overnight.

I have tried...

-swapping over to a different power strip
-swapping over to a different power cable
-opening up PC giving it a good dusting inside around the power supply
-taking power supply cables out of motherboard and putting back in

None of these have made a difference. Googling i found a thread (which i can not post due to needing minimum of 5 posts) where the title is "RM650X MAKES A POPPING NOISE" but rather than advise of sending back the power supply people there question why turn off power strip etc and that these newer power supplies can act in this way and they say.... "It's not a failure. It's normal. The main caps are completely drained and the large inrush is causing an arcing and popping noise"

I suppose i have always switched off power strip so nothing is in standby from a cost saving perspective.

Should I...

1) Leave PC on a separate strip or direct into wall power so that even while PC is turned off the power supply is on standby (how much power would this use overnight when not using?)

2) Admit something could be wrong with the power supply it never used to make this noise for first 3 years, it has a 7 year guarantee, it still works but if i RMA it i will not have a working PC (Do corsair send a replacement before you send yours in to them?)

Any help/advise gratefully received. Thanks.

In addition to the above, I have now noticed that this RM650x is giving out some really weird kind chemical smell which gets really bad the more the system is under load. The smell is bad when gaming, after some time can smell it in other rooms of our apartment.

The fan on the PSU acts as stated in reviews/reports. It spins when you first start PC but then it soon stops and remains off. This apparently is normal when googling, and only comes on under a very big load. When i run a OCCT power based test the smell gets unbearable and the fan still does not move. All tests pass fine and my build appears rock solid stable in general.
B
ased on these 2 problems would you recommend a RMA to Corsair?
Generally do you find RMA's with Corsair are pretty quick? - just going to be tough to be without a working PC while this is going on (unless i purchase an additional PSU)

Thanks in advance for any recommendations.

As for the popping itself, any idea where exactly it's coming from? I've observed something similar from power strip switches and I concur with the other posts you've found in that it's probably just inrush current causing it. The bit that's unusual is if it's never happened before (as opposed to you not noticing it perhaps?).

The second post adds some more important details though - combined with this popping perhaps being a newer thing, a new 'hot' smell from a few year old PSU is cause for concern IMO. Certainly if it's unbearable as you describe it. Given it's fanless at low loads it's less likely, but is there excessive dust inside the PSU? If not then I would see what Corsair say and would personally be treating it with suspicion, and e.g. for peace of mind switching it off when not using it, etc. It could be nothing, but it doesn't hurt to play safe, and 'hot' smells from electronics are generally not a good thing.

I wouldn't take any chances. Could be nothing. Could cook your computer or burn down the whole house. If it's an rm I think you have a 10 year warranty, I think I would make a claim

help.corsair.com/hc/en-us/articles/360033067832-Corsair-Limited-Warranty#h_f1c227ce-d769-479e-a268-48e7d9575e95