Question capacitor near Ram slots

.valkyrie.

Honorable
Nov 29, 2018
456
7
10,795
hi,
there are two ram slots on my motherboard,
the one near cpu works fine but the other one wont detect the ram. (No beep after starting pc if i put my ram there. also NOt like continues beep if i use No ram at all )
right now i have just one ram.
i was looking closely to the board, then i saw a capacitor near 24pin is somehow abnormal. like the top is not the same and it seems broken.
could the faulty ram slot be because of this?


(please check 3rd post for updates)
 
Last edited:

.valkyrie.

Honorable
Nov 29, 2018
456
7
10,795
Yes.

Update your post to include full system hardware specs and OS information.

If possible take a couple of clear, close-up photographs of the capacitor and RAM slot.

Post the photographs here via imgur (www.imgur.com).
View: https://imgur.com/a/JmxS2gc


this is the system and motherboard model is there. the broken capacitor is the one near 24pin. just look at the black dot on top of it. i believe thats faulty.

the board is an ancient one, but the psu is a decent brand new 450w that use to be on my 12th gen pc. i took it out for an upgrade and used it here.

also i wonder if i can use 2X2Gb (4in total) on this board or not. its a p945 chipset.

Cpu: e2140 working on 225 FSB OC mode.
ram is a 512 MB -533mhz. which is OC according to FSB. which i believe its 600mhz.
 

punkncat

Polypheme
Ambassador
It is not unusual for capacitors to swell, pop, leak as they age. If you are familiar with how to use the tools to desolder and replace that with the same part it very well could work just fine afterward. This shouldn't be a hard "do" for a PC repair shop either, but where it comes to hardware this old fixing it will likely go beyond its worth. Might be able to source a good mobo for less than repairs.
 
  • Like
Reactions: .valkyrie.

.valkyrie.

Honorable
Nov 29, 2018
456
7
10,795
It is not unusual for capacitors to swell, pop, leak as they age. If you are familiar with how to use the tools to desolder and replace that with the same part it very well could work just fine afterward. This shouldn't be a hard "do" for a PC repair shop either, but where it comes to hardware this old fixing it will likely go beyond its worth. Might be able to source a good mobo for less than repairs.
this pc is a temporary system for a specific task only.
yes i am familiar with that, yet i have to buy a capacitor. only i wish i knew the information of that thing. there is no manuals on internet.
also the information on this capacitor is not clear , like kinda washed out
 

Misgar

Respectable
Mar 2, 2023
1,553
409
2,090
there is no manuals on internet.
If you know where to look, there's plenty of information about "re-capping" old motherboards:
https://www.badcaps.net/recapping_overview/

If you have any practical aptitude with a soldering iron, I can recommend this guy's Youtube video series:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaK38BzEpkM


yet i have to buy a capacitor. only i wish i knew the information of that thing
It's easy. Just look at the side of the bulging capacitor, or an identical capacitor nearby. Read off the information printed on the label.

You don't need to worry about the manufacturer's name. That's not important.

What you do need is the capacitor's value, measured in microFarads (abbreviated to 'uF') and the working Voltage (abbreviated to 'V').

Capacitors come in a range of standard values and voltages. Price is usually a few dollars at most.

Looking at your photo, the dead capacitor might be 100uF 16V, or 47uF 25V, or 220V 10V. It could be something entirely different.

The critical point is to identify the capacitance (uF) and the Voltage (V). Once you've found this information, head over to eBay, Amazon, CraigsList, AliExpress, or your favourite online market place.

Type in "100uF 16V electrolytic capacitor" (substitute your values if different) and see what comes up.

Measure the diameter and height of your dead capacitor and try to match them with the capacitors on sale. Get your credit card out and buy the capacitor(s).

If you have any doubts about identical capacitors fitted nearby, its worth buying enough capacitors to replace them all. When one capacitor dries out and bursts, the others may not be far behind. You don't have to replace every single capacitor on the motherboard.

Take several photos of the bad capacitor from different angles and make a note of the side marked with a stripe (indicating polarity). It's very important to fit the new capacitor the correct way round. Failure to observe correct polarity will result in the new capacitor going fizz bang.

If the stripe on the side of the capacitor has several '-' (minus) symbols printed on it, this marks the negative lead. If the stripe has several '+' symbols on it, this is the positive side. The motherboard may also be marked with useful '+' and '-' symbols to aid correct fitting of the capacitor.

Now comes the tricky part. You need a powerful (minimum 30W) soldering iron with a small tip, a reel of Solder Wick, some old fashioned 60/40 lead/tin solder (not higher melting point lead-free solder) and a bit of luck. I use a 50W temperature controlled workstation with a selection of soldering iron tips.

https://diystadium.com/how-to-use-solder-wick/
iu


Counter-intuitively, apply a small amount of 60/40 solder to each leg of the bad capacitor. This helps to soak up higher melting point lead-free solder with the Solder Wick.

Follow the web guide above and remove as much solder as possible around each leg of the capacitor. Do not overheat the underlying copper tracks/pads, otherwise they will lift off the printed circuit board (not good). As a rule of thumb, anything over 15 seconds direct heat is too long.

Hold the tip of the soldering iron against one of the wire legs of the capacitor until the remaining solder melts (5 to 10 seconds), then "rock" the capacitor body sideways from the opposite side of the motherboard. It should be possible to gently lever up one side of the capacitor by 1mm. Do not apply too much force. Remove the soldering iron tip.

Repeat the procedure, but heat the other leg and "rock" the capacitor in the opposite direction. Both legs of the capacitor should now be slightly shorter on the track side and the capacitor should have risen 1mm above the motherboard.

Repeat these steps carefully, rocking the capacitor back and forth, until both legs clear the top of the board and it drops out. Do not apply the soldering iron to either leg for more than 10 to 15s, to avoid damage to the board. It doesn't matter how hot the bad capacitor gets, but don't burn your fingers.

When the capacitor is removed, clean the remaining solder from the pads on the underside of the board using Solder Wick. Do not press down too hard or for too long (10s max). You really don't want to lift the tracks off the board.

If you have difficulty clearing the holes, use a sewing needle with a very fine point and press it into the centre of the pad from the under (track) side of the board, NOT from the top (comonent) side.

Carefully check the polarity markings on the new caapcitor and compare them with the old capacitor, together with the photos showing how it was fitted and the polarity. Be very careful if the stripe on the bad capcitor indicates -ve and the stripe on the new capacitor is +ve.

Fit the new capacitor the right way round. Solder the leads, then cut off the excess, leaving no more than 3mm of wire protruding from the motherboard underside. We don't want a short circuit down to chassis.

Clean the excess flux (brown deposit) left over from soldering with IPA (Iso Propyl Alcohol). Leave board to dry. Check joints to make sure you haven't inadvertently "bridged" the two capacitor leads with a large unsightly blob of solder.

Fit the motherboard back in the computer. Connect all boards and cables, then switch on. Keep your face well clear of the new capacitor, in case you've made an elementary mistake and fitted it the wrong way round. Keep your fingers crossed.

If you're lucky, normal function will be restored. Both DIMMs will work. Well done!

I've restored a number of old boards successfully. You have the satisfaction of a job well done and it saves the planet for a few years from another unwanted motherboard, with all the WEEE health implications implied in responsible disposal.
https://europa.eu/youreurope/business/product-requirements/labels-markings/weee-label/index_en.htm

If you have any doubts whatsoever about your soldering skills, or you lack the correct equipment, hand the board over to someone with more experience. It's a 5 to 10 minute job per capacitor, unless you're particularly unlucky or clumsy.
 
  • Like
Reactions: .valkyrie.

.valkyrie.

Honorable
Nov 29, 2018
456
7
10,795
If you know where to look, there's plenty of information about "re-capping" old motherboards:
https://www.badcaps.net/recapping_overview/

If you have any practical aptitude with a soldering iron, I can recommend this guy's Youtube video series:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaK38BzEpkM



It's easy. Just look at the side of the bulging capacitor, or an identical capacitor nearby. Read off the information printed on the label.

You don't need to worry about the manufacturer's name. That's not important.

What you do need is the capacitor's value, measured in microFarads (abbreviated to 'uF') and the working Voltage (abbreviated to 'V').

Capacitors come in a range of standard values and voltages. Price is usually a few dollars at most.

Looking at your photo, the dead capacitor might be 100uF 16V, or 47uF 25V, or 220V 10V. It could be something entirely different.

The critical point is to identify the capacitance (uF) and the Voltage (V). Once you've found this information, head over to eBay, Amazon, CraigsList, AliExpress, or your favourite online market place.

Type in "100uF 16V electrolytic capacitor" (substitute your values if different) and see what comes up.

Measure the diameter and height of your dead capacitor and try to match them with the capacitors on sale. Get your credit card out and buy the capacitor(s).

If you have any doubts about identical capacitors fitted nearby, its worth buying enough capacitors to replace them all. When one capacitor dries out and bursts, the others may not be far behind. You don't have to replace every single capacitor on the motherboard.

Take several photos of the bad capacitor from different angles and make a note of the side marked with a stripe (indicating polarity). It's very important to fit the new capacitor the correct way round. Failure to observe correct polarity will result in the new capacitor going fizz bang.

If the stripe on the side of the capacitor has several '-' (minus) symbols printed on it, this marks the negative lead. If the stripe has several '+' symbols on it, this is the positive side. The motherboard may also be marked with useful '+' and '-' symbols to aid correct fitting of the capacitor.

Now comes the tricky part. You need a powerful (minimum 30W) soldering iron with a small tip, a reel of Solder Wick, some old fashioned 60/40 lead/tin solder (not higher melting point lead-free solder) and a bit of luck. I use a 50W temperature controlled workstation with a selection of soldering iron tips.

https://diystadium.com/how-to-use-solder-wick/
iu


Counter-intuitively, apply a small amount of 60/40 solder to each leg of the bad capacitor. This helps to soak up higher melting point lead-free solder with the Solder Wick.

Follow the web guide above and remove as much solder as possible around each leg of the capacitor. Do not overheat the underlying copper tracks/pads, otherwise they will lift off the printed circuit board (not good). As a rule of thumb, anything over 15 seconds direct heat is too long.

Hold the tip of the soldering iron against one of the wire legs of the capacitor until the remaining solder melts (5 to 10 seconds), then "rock" the capacitor body sideways from the opposite side of the motherboard. It should be possible to gently lever up one side of the capacitor by 1mm. Do not apply too much force. Remove the soldering iron tip.

Repeat the procedure, but heat the other leg and "rock" the capacitor in the opposite direction. Both legs of the capacitor should now be slightly shorter on the track side and the capacitor should have risen 1mm above the motherboard.

Repeat these steps carefully, rocking the capacitor back and forth, until both legs clear the top of the board and it drops out. Do not apply the soldering iron to either leg for more than 10 to 15s, to avoid damage to the board. It doesn't matter how hot the bad capacitor gets, but don't burn your fingers.

When the capacitor is removed, clean the remaining solder from the pads on the underside of the board using Solder Wick. Do not press down too hard or for too long (10s max). You really don't want to lift the tracks off the board.

If you have difficulty clearing the holes, use a sewing needle with a very fine point and press it into the centre of the pad from the under (track) side of the board, NOT from the top (comonent) side.

Carefully check the polarity markings on the new caapcitor and compare them with the old capacitor, together with the photos showing how it was fitted and the polarity. Be very careful if the stripe on the bad capcitor indicates -ve and the stripe on the new capacitor is +ve.

Fit the new capacitor the right way round. Solder the leads, then cut off the excess, leaving no more than 3mm of wire protruding from the motherboard underside. We don't want a short circuit down to chassis.

Clean the excess flux (brown deposit) left over from soldering with IPA (Iso Propyl Alcohol). Leave board to dry. Check joints to make sure you haven't inadvertently "bridged" the two capacitor leads with a large unsightly blob of solder.

Fit the motherboard back in the computer. Connect all boards and cables, then switch on. Keep your face well clear of the new capacitor, in case you've made an elementary mistake and fitted it the wrong way round. Keep your fingers crossed.

If you're lucky, normal function will be restored. Both DIMMs will work. Well done!

I've restored a number of old boards successfully. You have the satisfaction of a job well done and it saves the planet for a few years from another unwanted motherboard, with all the WEEE health implications implied in responsible disposal.
https://europa.eu/youreurope/business/product-requirements/labels-markings/weee-label/index_en.htm

If you have any doubts whatsoever about your soldering skills, or you lack the correct equipment, hand the board over to someone with more experience. It's a 5 to 10 minute job per capacitor, unless you're particularly unlucky or clumsy.
thanks mate.
luckily i am familiar with such electronic stuff
so this morning i took all out and in decent light i could check the infos.
it was a 6.6v 1500mf.
there is a local shop nearby and tomorrow i'll grab one. its around 2cent. really cheap.

because of your post , i believe your an expert or at least familar with electronic stuff. so could you please answer these questions?
do you believe changing this capacitor, make my ram slot work again?
do you think that i should change other capacitors as well? i mean those near ram slots?
also, if i couldn't find 6.6V, is it safe to buy, for example 12V-1500mf? (i guess going higher is safe , but lowering it is not ok)


p.s: this motherboard is from my first build. it use to work with a general or unbranded PSU.
i cant remember by the time i changed it with Asus p5b ( quad support) , this capacitor had problem or not.
also if anyone know a ram limitations on this board, i really appreciate the info.
asus said that 2Gb is the limitations. (perhaps for first bios)
some said that they can work with 2x2gb - 533 mhz on latest version of BIOS.
i cant find 533 mhz anywhere. so what if i use 800 ?
 
Last edited:

Misgar

Respectable
Mar 2, 2023
1,553
409
2,090
do you believe changing this capacitor, make my ram slot work again?
Changing the capacitor might fix the RAM slot problem, but it's equally likely something else is wrong. I've had a number of old motherboards where one or two slots aren't working. A 1500uF 6.6V? is likely to be a bulk storage capacitor associated with the +3.3V or +5V rails, not the DIMM socket.

Likely causes of a faulty DIMM socket are:-

1). Some of the CPU pins are not making good contact with the CPU socket, specifically those pins associated with one of the two Integrated Memory Controllers (IMC). If any of the pins on an older AMD CPU are bent, straighten them carefully. If any of the spring contacts in an Intel socket are bent, you've got an even harder task of straightening them.

2). Some of gold plated pins/contacts on the CPU are tarnished and making poor contact with the socket. Clean (very carefully) with IPA and observe ESD (anti-static) handling precautions.

3). The IMC inside the CPU associated with the faulty DIMM socket might be damaged, due to overclocking, old age, static damage, etc. There's nothing you can do except change the CPU.

4). The copper tracks from the CPU socket leading to the bad DIMM socket are not making good connection, due to serious bending of the motherboard when screwing down a large air cooler. You can see the board flexing if you look at it edge on. Sometimes the DIMM socket returns to life if you loosen the cooler mounting screws slightly.

5). There may be dust and dirt in the DIMM socket. Remove using compressed air.

6). Some of the DIMM socket contacts may be distorted and not making good contact with the memory module.

do you think that i should change other capacitors as well? i mean those near ram slots?
You only need to change capacitors if they are bulging or leaking. If you are a purist, you'll change all the 1500uF capacitors regardless and check the old capcitors in an ESR meter to see if they're failing. As I said, if one capacitor goes bad, the other (identical) capacitors may be on their way out.

i cant find 533 mhz anywhere. so what if i use 800 ?

There's a very good chance that 800MHz DIMMs will also have settings for 533 and 400 in the SPD chip. The P5GZ-MX BIOS will check the RAM and find the nearest setting in the SPD, then adjust the primary, secondary and tertiary memory timings to suit. Only way to be sure is to fit an 800MHz DIMM in the good socket and see if it POSTs.

From the manual.
Dual-channel memory architecture
2 x 240-pin DIMM sockets support up to 2GB of
unbufferred non-ECC 533/400 MHz DDR2 DIMMs


I think this means you can fit 2 x 1GB, not 2 x 2GB. There's a vague chance the latest BIOS might support 2GB DIMMs, but I doubt it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: .valkyrie.
Have to agree with Misgar. The first thing I though was any large cap like that is going to be part of the power circuits. They use caps on the memory but those are the tiny surface mount things.

I guess the memory slot might not be getting the proper power but you would think many other things would be affected. Then again it seems very common to put in multiple smaller capacitors rather than 1 larger one. This means once can fail and the remaining ones are still good enough to do the function.

If you are to the point of tossing the motherboard in the trash then I guess it doesn't hurt to try to fix it. There are massive amounts of tiny parts and it is going to take a lot of heat to remove a large cap from a thick motherboard. Be sure to watch nothing else gets unsoldered and moves around.
 
  • Like
Reactions: .valkyrie.

JeffreyP55

Distinguished
Mar 3, 2015
655
165
19,070
hi,
there are two ram slots on my motherboard,
the one near cpu works fine but the other one wont detect the ram. (No beep after starting pc if i put my ram there. also NOt like continues beep if i use No ram at all )
right now i have just one ram.
i was looking closely to the board, then i saw a capacitor near 24pin is somehow abnormal. like the top is not the same and it seems broken.
could the faulty ram slot be because of this?


(please check 3rd post for updates)
The capacitor has radial leads. There may be enough of the leads exposed to bend out of the way of the RAM slot. Hard to tell without being there.
 
  • Like
Reactions: .valkyrie.

.valkyrie.

Honorable
Nov 29, 2018
456
7
10,795
Changing the capacitor might fix the RAM slot problem, but it's equally likely something else is wrong. I've had a number of old motherboards where one or two slots aren't working. A 1500uF 6.6V? is likely to be a bulk storage capacitor associated with the +3.3V or +5V rails, not the DIMM socket.

Likely causes of a faulty DIMM socket are:-

1). Some of the CPU pins are not making good contact with the CPU socket, specifically those pins associated with one of the two Integrated Memory Controllers (IMC). If any of the pins on an older AMD CPU are bent, straighten them carefully. If any of the spring contacts in an Intel socket are bent, you've got an even harder task of straightening them.

2). Some of gold plated pins/contacts on the CPU are tarnished and making poor contact with the socket. Clean (very carefully) with IPA and observe ESD (anti-static) handling precautions.

3). The IMC inside the CPU associated with the faulty DIMM socket might be damaged, due to overclocking, old age, static damage, etc. There's nothing you can do except change the CPU.

4). The copper tracks from the CPU socket leading to the bad DIMM socket are not making good connection, due to serious bending of the motherboard when screwing down a large air cooler. You can see the board flexing if you look at it edge on. Sometimes the DIMM socket returns to life if you loosen the cooler mounting screws slightly.

5). There may be dust and dirt in the DIMM socket. Remove using compressed air.

6). Some of the DIMM socket contacts may be distorted and not making good contact with the memory module.


You only need to change capacitors if they are bulging or leaking. If you are a purist, you'll change all the 1500uF capacitors regardless and check the old capcitors in an ESR meter to see if they're failing. As I said, if one capacitor goes bad, the other (identical) capacitors may be on their way out.



There's a very good chance that 800MHz DIMMs will also have settings for 533 and 400 in the SPD chip. The P5GZ-MX BIOS will check the RAM and find the nearest setting in the SPD, then adjust the primary, secondary and tertiary memory timings to suit. Only way to be sure is to fit an 800MHz DIMM in the good socket and see if it POSTs.

From the manual.
Dual-channel memory architecture
2 x 240-pin DIMM sockets support up to 2GB of
unbufferred non-ECC 533/400 MHz DDR2 DIMMs


I think this means you can fit 2 x 1GB, not 2 x 2GB. There's a vague chance the latest BIOS might support 2GB DIMMs, but I doubt it.
hi, thanks.
i made a typo, its a 6.3V 1500mf. not 6.6v.
i just bought one this morning, i will try to change that capacitor when i get a heater. (unfortunately the elements on that one is dead too 😅)

in this post, someone confirmed that 2*2 is ok. but i should see....
anyway, unless i be able to use more than 2 Gb ram in this board, i have to throw it away.

when i tried to clean thermal paste underneath the heatsink, i took the CPU out , and checked if its clean... luckily it was OK. underneath the cpu is clean and pins seems OK. all looked the same. i guess That's all i can say....