Replace caps on ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe?

[Wester547]

Re: Replace caps on ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe?

Wait... you mean even hardware as old as the GeForce 256 is affected by the bumpgate issue!? That would be a shame... I mean, I at least respected nVidia for producing what I thought to be quality products in their very old generation of cards, but I guess even that does not hold so. So what you are saying is that everything GeForce 2 and up is affected? I am particularly referencing the desktop versions. If so, it would adequately explain why nVidia made the mistake they did - "old habits" really do "die hard"... at least ATI (AMD) never had this issue, to my knowledge.

(And yes, KZG are that bad. Something is definitely wrong with the formula for them to vent on the shelf when no voltage is applied to the capacitors with no ripple current.)

Particularly worrying for me is the GeForce 3 GPU in the original Xbox. That has the underfill defect too? Since those GPUs, especially being passively cooled in the later versions of the system, easily reach 60*C+ temperatures... I am amazed they even last as long as they do. I've been out of the loop when it comes to modern GPUs for a while. Did nVidia at least eventually fix this with GPUs post-9xxx series (after the 9xxx series)?

[djmukilteo]

Re: Replace caps on ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe?

Most likely yes. KZG are crap caps anyway and you should replace them whenever you see them, as a matter of course. I've had several (formerly) good KZG i harvested from dead boards bulge and leak just sitting in a bag unused.

Yeah that's the plan, just waiting for the parts to show up!

I just looked at my A8NE-FM motherboard that I got as a replacement for this ASUS board and it has (6) 1000uf 16V KZG's and (1) 3300uf 6.3V KZG.
The only other cap that is that brown color is a small single KMA, but can't read the value. (7) are CFJ (1500uf 6.3V) and the rest are CFJS. Not sure what brand or values. I've been running that board with the AMD FX-60 with Ubuntu64bit and the preview version of Win10.
Do you think I should replace the KZG's on that board?

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Replace caps on ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe?

Particularly worrying for me is the GeForce 3 GPU in the original Xbox. That has the underfill defect too? Since those GPUs, especially being passively cooled in the later versions of the system, easily reach 60*C+ temperatures... I am amazed they even last as long as they do. I've been out of the loop when it comes to modern GPUs for a while. Did nVidia at least eventually fix this with GPUs post-9xxx series (after the 9xxx series)?

I don't think i've heard reports of GPU failure on the original Xbox.

And yes, nVidia engineers did pull their heads out of their asses after the whole Bumpgate scandal cost the company a total of ~$200 Million. And they're still making a lot of money selling fixed revisions of the affected chipsets to repair shops because there's still lots of them out there.

There are some reports of the 9300M and the G105M failing, but i believe those are due to design issues of some notebooks, as they only affected certain models. So generally, the 9000 series and up no longer have this problem and the chips will live many years.

Do you think I should replace the KZG's on that board?

You should at least replace the 3300uF one, they are the first to go bad.

[djmukilteo]

Re: Replace caps on ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe?

You should at least replace the 3300uF one, they are the first to go bad.

I think I'll wait and see how my recap goes with the A8N32-SLI Deluxe board, plus I have a Biostar TForce 6100-939 with a AMD 3800+ to look at, so maybe more recap's in my future fun....we'll see how it all goes!
This will be my first motherboard recap job, so I can learn on this one.

I hope my PS3 isn't going to start having issues!!
I may have to open it up!...LOL
Doesn't it have nVidia graphics chips?

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Replace caps on ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe?

Yes, the PS3 has a graphics chip from nVidia, known as the "RSX". It is roughly equivalent to the GeForce 7950 GT. They are known to fail too, but not in large numbers, and only if the system has been abused.

If you use the PS3 just for occasional gaming and ensure adequate ventilation of the system, there is no reason to worry.

[djmukilteo]

Re: Replace caps on ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe?

Good to know, my use is pretty much as you said....light use.
Keeping these things well ventilated, cool and clean of dust bunnies is a huge deal with all this stuff.
I just put a small fan on the heatsink of this Fuji A8NE-FM controller chip (which I believe is the nVidia nforce4) which was always very hot to the touch and now stays much cooler...

[djmukilteo]

Re: Replace caps on ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe?

Well I'm currently replacing the caps on the ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe board, I've got all replacements and taking my time.
While looking at this Biostar Tforce 6100-939 board I noticed it has KZG caps on it as well. This board works fine but wondering if anyone thinks it's a good candidate for a recap too? Again this is not an important mobo, so may not be that neccessary?
I noticed where the Asus board used a lot of 820uf/6.3V, the Biostar 6100-939 used 1000uf/6.3V. Would that size difference make a difference in the KZG lifespan?

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Replace caps on ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe?

I noticed where the Asus board used a lot of 820uf/6.3V, the Biostar 6100-939 used 1000uf/6.3V. Would that size difference make a difference in the KZG lifespan?

Not likely. All of them are just as bad. Asus just likes to use less capacitance - they call it "optimal".

[djmukilteo]

Re: Replace caps on ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe?

Not likely. All of them are just as bad. Asus just likes to use less capacitance - they call it "optimal".

LOL...no matter what....if they're KZG's they are bad!!
I'll have to do that TForce 6100-939 board next and replace those KZG's.

I finished the recap on my Asus board and it wen't very well....only one injury to my finger...I was holding something and slipped and my fingertip touched the iron!....ouch

One odd quirky thing that I came across and I have no idea what was going on there...???
One 820uf/6.3V cap located between the PCIEX16_2 (black) card slot and the PCI_2 (white) card slot was installed with the "negative" side of the cap going to the white silkscreen locater. The white half silkscreen indicates the "positive" side of all the caps on this board!
When I removed it I noticed it was reversed and the rubber base seal was bulged and pooched out!
No way anyone would have noticed that!
It was the only cap on the entire board reversed that way!!!!!!
Every other cap on that board had "positive" going to the white silkscreen pad.

So I was really weirded out by that and couldn't figure out for sure if that was installed at the factory that way incorrectly or it was some bodge revision or what!!?!? I even tried to figure out the trace path to confirm it was wrong but to no avail I just couldn't really decide. I did manage to get continuity from the negative side of an adjacent cap, but was really unsure.
I decided to install the new cap the right way like all the others (positive to the white silkscreen). I left it a little high on the board temporarily so if it did blow I could easily get it back out (just in case)....so far all seems fine and the board booted up and has been running perfectly....
My only conclusion so far is it must have been installed incorrectly at the factory and that would explain the blown base seal. The funny thing is I had never used that second PCIEX16_2 slot because I had never installed a dual SLI graphic card setup. Always used one card in the PCIEX16_1 slot.
So that reversed cap if it was part of that card slot circuit may have never shown any indication or glitch and it just went undiscovered all these years...who knows???
Anyway maybe I'll try that slot now as a test and move my graphic card (7600GT) there and see if it all works right...
Attached are some photos of the removed KZG's and the location of the new "perched" replacement installed with the positive to the white silkscreen like everyone else!.
If anyone knows anything about that little quirk or some explanation please let me know so I can go ahead and push it back down onto the board securely and call that cap good to go........
So far so good with it working....not sure if there is something I can do to really confidence test this thing out fully....maybe someone has some tests they could recommend....

Time to make a list of the Tforce caps!!

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Replace caps on ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe?

Asus has the habit of having the capacitor silkscreen backwards from every other manufacturer. Normally the white half marks the negative terminal, on Asus boards it is positive, and they have a tiny + symbol next to it (which if you're used to other boards you're definitely going to miss and solder the caps in reverse). It's happened to every tech at least once.

Looks like they got bit by their own backwards choice there. Yes it is very well possible that it was like that from the factory, mistakes happen.

[djmukilteo]

Re: Replace caps on ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe?

Yes, I was careful to check that white half was positive on Asus boards (unconventional).
Each time I removed a cap I double checked....that's why this one stood out!
I did install my graphic card in that second PCIEx16 slot.....and no go on boot up!....repetitive beeps, no video? long beep 3 short beeps which is a video issue.
I don't think I had ever tried that slot before either so now I don't know what to think.
The Asus manual says either slot can be used either or both but I will check the BIOS to see if there might be a setting amiss for that slot?? (PS..checked for a setting and nothing there)
The cap even though the base had popped out still read ~780uf on my meter....but then the 1800uf that obviously leaked out the top and had the base seal fail and they still read ~1380uf on the meter!?!?....so who knows?!
I don't even know if that cap has anything to do with the PCIEx16 slot #2 problem or not?....or it was just coincidence and this is a completely separate problem..
Any suggestions?.....should I try putting that cap back in the reversed direction like I found it and try the graphic card again?
I could just leave it as is?
I don't need that second PCIe slot but after testing and getting everything on this board working 100% this is the only snag/failure...

[djmukilteo]

Re: Replace caps on ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe?

Well I traced out the white side silkscreen of that reversed cap and it went to a regulator and pin Vout (APL1085) for the 3.3V rail and then to pin 11 on that second PCIe slot. So I'm convinced that cap was installed backwards at the factory now. It still didn't work even after I replaced it in the correct orientation. I measured +3.43V and +11.94V on the appropriate connector pin contacts. So it's getting correct power now but maybe it's a problem with the nVidia Southbridge??...or the data lines or the SMD caps were damaged because of the reversed cap. Or perhaps some other component around that slot connector was damaged...
I really can't remember ever using it and I never used dual cards on this board, so this might have always been defective.
The only other thing I was going to try is to add +12V power to the "EZ Plug connector" on the ASUS mobo that can be used for additional power to the graphic cards if you used two graphic cards and they did not have their own onboard power connectors.
I'll give that a try just on the off chance that is what is keeping it from being recognized at bootup....
Any other thoughts, ideas or suggestions would be more than welcome!!!

Cheers

Tried adding in that EZ Plug power but no go there either.....long beep and a couple short beeps no video at all

[momaka]

Re: Replace caps on ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe?

Wait, are you still using that EVGA 7600GT video card? If yes, BEWARE that those have bad caps as well. And not just bad caps you can ignore either - Sacon FZ (silver sleevles caps with blue "FZxx" text on top and commonly mistaken for polymers), the worst or the worst bad caps. They usually give no signs that they will fail and do so violently (usually you will hear a loud pop).

Although I do think EVGA had a revision or two without those Sacon FZ caps, most EVGA 7600GT cards do. And when the FZ caps go (not if!), there's also a considerable chance they will take the RAM chips with them - especially if the two on the RAM Vdd fail. I have two 7600GTs done in like that. Still couldn't get them to work properly even after replacing the RAM chips.

So check yours now, before it's too late.

I'll have to do that TForce 6100-939 board next and replace those KZG's.

That should be an easy board. I bought a Biostar GeForce 6100-M9 a while back. Piece of cake to recap. The TForce 6100-939 is the same exact board, but built less cheaply (at least from what I've seen from eBay pictures). If your CPU VRM doesn't have polymer caps on there already, you can swap them all for 4V 820 uF polies.

[djmukilteo]

Re: Replace caps on ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe?

Well this is an original EVGA GeForce 7600GT card that I used with this Asus A8N32-SLI board and it has been working fine (both DVI outputs work).
Maybe you can identify the caps from my photos. I saw Sanyo on one of the electrolytics and Uni-Con but no "FZ's" that I can see. There is a mix of silver metallic cap (polymers??) and some typical aluminum electrolytic's.
Electrolytics:
(2) blue/gold Uni-Con's 330uf 16V
(1) black/silver Sanyo's 330uf 16V
(2) Rubycon 100uf 10V
Polymers?
(3) silver/blue top C 626 330 16V I'm assuming that is 330uf 16V
(2) silver/purple top 612 SVP 1200 4 Not sure what these are??
(1) silver/black little one 61 47 6a not sure what this is??

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Replace caps on ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe?

The caps on your GPU are good. Those "Uni-Con" caps look a bit dodgy but everything else is good quality.

[djmukilteo]

Re: Replace caps on ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe?

The caps on your GPU are good. Those "Uni-Con" caps look a bit dodgy but everything else is good quality.

Good to know, I wasn't looking to do a recap on that card just yet, but I'm sure all those electrolytic's could be refreshed with some newer parts at some point.
Any idea why they used 3 different manufacturers in those locations?
The Uni-Cons are the same value as the one Sanyo and then the Rubyicons?
Could I replace all of them with the same series like Panasonic FR or Nichicon HZ, HN etc.

Also can you tell me how to read these polymer cap codes?
The ones with C 626 330 16V I'm guessing these are 330uf 16V, but what does the C and 626 indicate?
The silver/purple ones 612 SVP 1200 4.....is that 1200uf 4V?
What does the 612 and SVP mean?
And the little lone one 61 47 6a....is that 47uf 6V or 6.3V?
What does the 61 and the 6a mean?
Thanks for the help and all the info!

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Replace caps on ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe?

Any idea why they used 3 different manufacturers in those locations?

Cheapness.

The Uni-Cons are the same value as the one Sanyo and then the Rubyicons?

The location where the inferior caps (Uni-Con) are placed, is likely less critical than the others. So they decided they can cheap out on the caps there and still ensure a reasonably long life of the card. It seems like they did it right (this time).

Could I replace all of them with the same series like Panasonic FR or Nichicon HZ, HN etc.

Most likely yes.

Also can you tell me how to read these polymer cap codes?
The ones with C 626 330 16V I'm guessing these are 330uf 16V, but what does the C and 626 indicate?
The silver/purple ones 612 SVP 1200 4.....is that 1200uf 4V?
What does the 612 and SVP mean?
And the little lone one 61 47 6a....is that 47uf 6V or 6.3V?
What does the 61 and the 6a mean?
Thanks for the help and all the info!

Yes, 1200 4 stands for 1200uF 4v, and the other one is likely 47uF 6.3v. Either way, from 6v to 6.3v there is a very small difference, it doesn't matter which is which. Either are going to be used for 5v or under anyway.

The other numbers and letters represent manufacturing datecode or lot #s. These are specific to each manufacturer.

There is also another type of code like on SMD caps where you would have for example 821 2.5, that would stand for 820uF 2.5v. Quite common on LGA775 motherboards.

[djmukilteo]

Re: Replace caps on ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe?

Thanks for that Th3_uN1Qu3, good to know.....just for shits and googles I may replace the ecaps on that thing when I order caps for the other mobos I'm mucking around with....so far things are working well on this Asus board with the exception of that second PCIe card slot....not a problem though...
I think I'll move on to the Biostar TForce 6100-939 now!

[momaka]

Re: Replace caps on ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe?

Looks like that EVGA 7600 video card of yours is one of those with the good caps. Lucky you

Also can you tell me how to read these polymer cap codes?

There really isn't much in the way of a "standard convention" the way polymers are labeled. *Usually* it is:
line1: date code or series (or both)
line2: capacitance
line3: voltage or voltage code (sometimes the voltage code can be weird with numbers and letters

The ones with C 626 330 16V I'm guessing these are 330uf 16V, but what does the C and 626 indicate?

That's correct, they are 330 uF 16V indeed. The C in this case means these are made by United Chemicon, and they are their PSC series. You can tell it is United Chemicon by that little tiny square above the C (and while we are on that topic, I should mention that Nichicon uses a small elipse with arrows for their sleevless caps). Some other popular series they have is PSA, PSE, and probably a whole lot more that I can't remember right now.

The silver/purple ones 612 SVP 1200 4.....is that 1200uf 4V?
What does the 612 and SVP mean?

612 is probably some date code (made in 2006, week or month 12 possibly?)
SVP is the series. I think those belong to Sanyo capacitors.

And the little lone one 61 47 6a....is that 47uf 6V or 6.3V?
What does the 61 and the 6a mean?

Probably 6.3V and 47 uF. I don't think 6V caps even exist. Not sure what the 61 means. Could be a date code or something else. On motherboard and graphics cards, when I get to caps below 100 uF, I usually don't bother paying too much attention to them (except for the audio output, where I sometimes up them to 220 uF).

[djmukilteo]

Re: Replace caps on ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe?

Thanks momaka, I guess I wasn't tooooo far off!
It's funny how caps over the years have certain coding standards but then things change like the technology, footprints, case styles etc and then you need to learn a new set of rules.
What they should do is use those QR code blocks, then we could just scan them....hehe!
Smart caps!