Newbie question on recapping

KidD01 · 04-02-2012, 01:16 AM

Hello,

A quick question regarding recapping on motherboards. Is recapping means changing all electrolytic caps on the board?

Thanks in advance.

shovenose · 04-02-2012, 04:54 AM

Not necceassrily. Oftentimes you only have to replace the obviously failed and/or all the ones of junk brands. Sometimes there are good caps mixed in with the bad ones that don't need to be replaced.

mariushm · 04-02-2012, 08:07 AM

No. Usually the capacitors are grouped by functionality... a set of capacitors near the cpu handles the processor power, a group takes care of the memory power, others take care of pci express slot, others handle the chipset and auxiliary functions.

The capacitors near the processor may go bad or go weaker sooner due to heat or simply the fact that they're "stressed" more throughout the computer's use. So for these, it's safer to replace the whole set, not just the ones that look bad, because you can't tell how much life the others have.
The capacitors taking care of other functions may be just fine for longer time.

KidD01 · 04-02-2012, 12:16 PM

Thanks for the replies. I got 4 socket 478 motherboards which are problematic in stability. after careful inspection they may require recap. At first those boards use "non branded" PSUs which also got cap problem. It took me a week to figure out capacitor problem, the caps not bulging so at first I thought it's safe *face palm*

Time to do some cap shopping now

mariushm · 04-02-2012, 02:23 PM

Just be careful you can't buy just any kind of capacitor that has the same uF value and voltage rating.

On motherboards in particular, the replacement capacitors need to have low ESR and high ripple values, so if you don't know how to determine those do yourself a favor and show here the boards and maybe we can suggest where to buy and what to buy to be sure the replacements will work.

KidD01 · 04-03-2012, 07:06 PM

thanks, marisuhm. I found LXZ and KZH seller on my local area. No idea if it's the real thing or notthough. On the bad side the PSU I recapped can not start up. Will post with photo on new thread to ask advise on it. It's china made non branded type

04-02-2012, 01:16 AM	#1
KidD01 New Member Join Date: Sep 2010 City & State: Jakarta My Country: Indonesia Line Voltage: 220VAC 50Hz I'm a: Hardcore Geek Posts: 3	Newbie question on recapping Hello, A quick question regarding recapping on motherboards. Is recapping means changing all electrolytic caps on the board? Thanks in advance.

04-02-2012, 04:54 AM	#2
shovenose Spoiled Asshole Join Date: Aug 2010 City & State: Fairfax, California My Country: USA Line Voltage: 120VAC 60Hz I'm a: Forum Junkie Posts: 3,659	Re: Newbie question on recapping Not necceassrily. Oftentimes you only have to replace the obviously failed and/or all the ones of junk brands. Sometimes there are good caps mixed in with the bad ones that don't need to be replaced. __________________ New computer! Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz, 16GB DDR3-1600 RAM, Geforce GTX 670 2GB, 2x 120GB Intel 520 Series SSD in RAID0 for OS and programs, 1TB WD Caviar Black for downloads and data, 800W Power Supply, Silverstone PS07B case, Windows 8 Pro

04-02-2012, 08:07 AM	#3
mariushm Badcaps Veteran Join Date: May 2011 City & State: Romania Line Voltage: 230VAC 50Hz I'm a: Hobbyist Tech Posts: 2,216	Re: Newbie question on recapping No. Usually the capacitors are grouped by functionality... a set of capacitors near the cpu handles the processor power, a group takes care of the memory power, others take care of pci express slot, others handle the chipset and auxiliary functions. The capacitors near the processor may go bad or go weaker sooner due to heat or simply the fact that they're "stressed" more throughout the computer's use. So for these, it's safer to replace the whole set, not just the ones that look bad, because you can't tell how much life the others have. The capacitors taking care of other functions may be just fine for longer time.

04-02-2012, 12:16 PM	#4
KidD01 New Member Join Date: Sep 2010 City & State: Jakarta My Country: Indonesia Line Voltage: 220VAC 50Hz I'm a: Hardcore Geek Posts: 3	Re: Newbie question on recapping Thanks for the replies. I got 4 socket 478 motherboards which are problematic in stability. after careful inspection they may require recap. At first those boards use "non branded" PSUs which also got cap problem. It took me a week to figure out capacitor problem, the caps not bulging so at first I thought it's safe face palm Time to do some cap shopping now

04-02-2012, 02:23 PM	#5
mariushm Badcaps Veteran Join Date: May 2011 City & State: Romania Line Voltage: 230VAC 50Hz I'm a: Hobbyist Tech Posts: 2,216	Re: Newbie question on recapping Just be careful you can't buy just any kind of capacitor that has the same uF value and voltage rating. On motherboards in particular, the replacement capacitors need to have low ESR and high ripple values, so if you don't know how to determine those do yourself a favor and show here the boards and maybe we can suggest where to buy and what to buy to be sure the replacements will work.

04-03-2012, 07:06 PM	#6
KidD01 New Member Join Date: Sep 2010 City & State: Jakarta My Country: Indonesia Line Voltage: 220VAC 50Hz I'm a: Hardcore Geek Posts: 3	Re: Newbie question on recapping thanks, marisuhm. I found LXZ and KZH seller on my local area. No idea if it's the real thing or notthough. On the bad side the PSU I recapped can not start up. Will post with photo on new thread to ask advise on it. It's china made non branded type

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