Difference in these 2 motherboard capacitors? 1

[lordgalla]

Hello; Does anyone know which one of these motherboard capacitors is the best one to use on a motherboard??

currently the motherboard has KZG 3300uF 6.3v capacitors on it.

can I replace with Nichicon 3300uF 6.3v HM(M) 105*C H0434 capacitors?

Anyone know the difference in these 2,and what one is better to use on a older Gigabyte Motherboard? Thankyou.

 

[lordgalla]

the second one there the Nichicon 3300uF 6.3v they don't say KZG on them,like the other one's.Just wondering if one is better than the other.Thankyou.

 

[rclarke250]

electrically they are the same. as to which is better, no idea. just make sure they are the same diameter, because some of the larger diameter caps can be hard to fit. I have used Nichicon caps before with good results.

 

[lordgalla]

ok,these look the same diameter,and the same height.Was wondering if these where better than the KZG one's cause I ordered the KZG ones,I have coming.But I found these. The board is still working fine at the moment,but 2 of these are swollen at the top's,no leakage I can see yet.Thats why I was asking about the 2 different ones,The KZG one's won't be here for 7-14 days,maybe I should stop using the computer and take it apart and wait for the KZG's cause that's whats on there now.

 

[rclarke250]

It won't make a difference, the KZG is just a different manufacturer. There is a lot of misconception about an electrolytic capacitor isn't bad unless it's leaking. That isn't true. Nor does it have to be bulging to be bad. They can look like they were just installed and they could still be bad. But a leaking and bulging capacitor have changed in there electrical properties, and now that circuit could be running out of tolerance and stressing other components. The only way to tell if a capacitor is bad is with an O-scope,and test it in a live circuit, or with a capacitance tester.

 

[lordgalla]

ok,thankyou. I have 1 bulging in a group of 5.Would you replace just the 1 or all 5?. Motherboard is running fine at this point,just don't trust that 1 that is bulging.It's the only one on the entire motherboard.I have changed capacitors on other motherboards before,with success,just half to be carefull.Thankyou for all the info.

 

[rclarke250]

Yep, I have also repaired a few boards. The cap. that is starting to bulge in a group of 5 is most likely in the voltage regulator area close to the CPU socket. If it were me, and I was going to replace the 1, I would replace the 5. the caps are cheap enough. A lot of the time the caps are effected by age,heat,and poor regulation from the power supply. Thanks for the star

 

[lordgalla]

np, thankyou for all the help full info.Just what I needed.I will replace all 5.Removing motherboard now,cpu,and battery,getting ready,when capacitors come in ,hopefully next week sometime.Well see how it goes,Patience is a plus here.I hope I still have it in me ,and don't ruin the board.Well let ya know.how it goes.ty.

 

[lordgalla]

well Rclarke250,I only got 4 of the 6.3v 3300uF KZG one's and I needed 7 to replace them all,Is it ok to use both different ones,as long as they are 3300uF 6.3v,ok to mix them up? the ones I listed above,and these KZG ones?? that would be 4 of these KZG ones and 3 of the other ones above? Thanks

 

[rclarke250]

Yep, no problems there, as long as the volts and capacitance are the same.

 

[lordgalla]

what did you use to hold your motherboard steady,while you where working on it? did you have it grounded with the battery out of the motherboard? the one's I have done where with a 35w pencil tip solder iron,solder wick,light duty Rosin Core Solder,and a safety pin,to put through the hole hot.Solder in the new one's,replace battery,and all worked out great.

 

[rclarke250]

I use a material called chip quick designed for replacing SMDs. It lowers the temperature that the solder needs to remain molten, and therefore easier to remove with wick and a hand pump. I just lay the board on an anti static mat on my work bench, remove the battery,cpu,memory. heat the chip wick into the joints, and use solder wick to remove everything I can, remove the caps, give them a wiggle before removing the solder and they almost fall right out. I then clean any residue left behind with a can of flux remover, put in the new caps, and I use a 3% silver solder,again to reduce temps. put everything back together, and hope for the best.

 

[lordgalla]

ok,thanks for everything.

 

[Stringbender]

I do a bit of vacuum tube work as a hobby. I agree with everyone else about the capacitor choices. If your replacement capacitor is rated the same, it will be fine.

Also, there is another way to test a capacitor with a volt meter. You would set the VM to the highest ohm resistance and the reading should go to infinite resistance. That is usually an indication of a good cap, otherwise, its suspect. NOTE: larger value caps take some time to climb to an infinite resistance. Lower values read rather quickly.