Radeon 8500 bulging capacitors

  • Thread starter Thread starter Darren
  • Start date Start date
D

Darren

Hi

I was putting a new heatsink on my video card which worked incredibly well
BUT

I noticed that two of the capacitors were bulged and had a slight yellow
discharge.

Should I replace this card immediately before it goes 'nuclear'?

As an aside, the Zalman ZM80D-HP heatsink and heatpipes and fan, worked
incredibly well at reducing the temps on this card by 10+ degrees on full
load.
Pity I won't need them anymore...

Thanks

Darren
 
Darren said:
Hi

I was putting a new heatsink on my video card which worked incredibly well
BUT

I noticed that two of the capacitors were bulged and had a slight yellow
discharge.

Should I replace this card immediately before it goes 'nuclear'?
Click to expand...

ring the manufacturer and let it repair free of charge...
The card wont go nuclear but can kill the mobo once it dies..
 
SteveK said:
ring the manufacturer and let it repair free of charge...
The card wont go nuclear but can kill the mobo once it dies..
Click to expand...

Note that even if it is out of warranty they _might_ repair the capacitors.
Doesn't hurt to ask.
 
If you can't get a replacement card, try replacing the capacitors at a
electronics shop. Should be a quick job.

BTW, all Abit motherboards use branded Rubycon and Nichicon capacitors, made
in Japan. I guess the company has been burned once by shoddy capacitors.
 
Thanks guys.

The video card is ready for the repair shop tomorrow (after heatsinks/fan
come off)

The old video card I had came in handy.

The info was very useful. I heard about those shoddy capacitors over the
past 2 years too.

Darren

"First of One" wrote in message news:[email protected]...
 
If you can't get a replacement card, try replacing the capacitors at a
electronics shop. Should be a quick job.

BTW, all Abit motherboards use branded Rubycon and Nichicon capacitors, made
in Japan. I guess the company has been burned once by shoddy capacitors.
Click to expand...

Actually there was a little scandal the other year, during a bit of
industrial espionage a formula for capacitor electrolyte (that's the
fluid inside them) was stolen, and obviously got sold on.
Unfortunately the formula wasn't finished and started breaking down
after a few year. Quite a few motherboard manufacturers got caught
out, although Abit was one of the first to confess.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/02/06/stolen_formula_torpedos_big_brand/

Only recently my old SV25 shuttle gave up the ghost, and after a quick
inspection I found 2 capacitors had dumped their guts on the
motherboard, and another 3 were on the way (same as the OP's, bulging
and yellow discharge on the top).

I new motherboard was £70+, or 5 capacitors from maplin approx
£1.50... Didn't take much thinking about... And it even worked! Just
be careful not to use a huge soldering iron or you can boil the tracks
off the board. I used a 17watt iron and a solder sucker. I had to take
a bit of emery paper to the legs of the larger capacitor to get them
through the holes in the motherboard, they were a bit on the tight
side.

D0d6y.
 
Yep, and some mfrs never confessed. Gainward, for example, denied the
problem ever existed. The company still accepted RMAs if its video card
failed in the warranty period, but the replacement carried the same shoddy
capacitors...
 
Hi

I was putting a new heatsink on my video card which worked incredibly well
BUT

I noticed that two of the capacitors were bulged and had a slight yellow
discharge.

Should I replace this card immediately before it goes 'nuclear'?
Click to expand...
Capacitors cost pennies. Go find someone handy with a soldering iron to
change them for you.
 
Thanks guys. The video card is off to the repair man today.

I hope that only his name is Serge.


"Conor" wrote in message
 
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