Problems with Abit KT7A

[Reafer]

My PC with the Abit KT7A mb and duron 900 cpu worked well for about 2 years, but has later started having random lock-ups. Also sometimes when I tried to open the cd-drive it stopped in the middle for a sec and then continued opening. Seems as if it had something to do with power. It quickly kept getting worse and worse, and now it won't show anything on the monitor, usually. Nothing happens when I turn it on, other than the PSU and CPU fans start spinning. Sometimes (rarely) I can get to the bios, but it will lock up after less than 30 seconds.

I've tried to swap all other parts except CPU and MB (no spare ones of those), for no effect. It's been tested without the case too.

I've also checked all the capacitors, but haven't spotted anything abnormal. The MB has jackcon capacitors, which are on the bad cap manufacturer list on this site. Could these problems be caused by bad caps, and is there any way to find out which ones could be bad if it can't be seen with eye.

[AK0R]

Re: Problems with Abit KT7A

I've also checked all the capacitors, but haven't spotted anything abnormal. The MB has jackcon capacitors, which are on the bad cap manufacturer list on this site. Could these problems be caused by bad caps, and is there any way to find out which ones could be bad if it can't be seen with eye.

Yes, the problems could be caused by bad capacitors. I have an Abit board that wouldn't POST at all until all the capacitors (Jackcon and Tayeh) were replaced. Other people have reported problems similar to yours, which have been resolved by replacement of the capacitors. Capacitors can be checked using a capacitance meter, but also need to be checked for ESR (lower is better; this function is available on better meters). The likelihood is that you'd find out the capacitors were bad. The cost of replacement capacitors (available through this site or any of several vendors) is likely to be significantly less than a new motherboard. Replacement is not difficult; however, if you are concerned about doing it yourself, there are several people on the site that can do it for you.

[MD Willington]

Re: Problems with Abit KT7A

Significantly less where?

Socket A boards are dirt cheap now in the US...