potentially damaged capacitor, what problems could it cause

BlackJesus27

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i recently bought a new motherboard as i needed to get a replacement for an msi z97s sli krait edition and after 2 weeks of msi not reponding to me i just decided to buy the same motherboard again and just sell the one they give me back cause i wanted to use the pc as soon as possible. when i was installing my hyper 212 evo i slightly nudged one of the capacitors around the cpu socket and there is a small scratch on it which i am not all too concerned about as it is not leaking or dented, but the capacitor appears to be at a slight angle from the board but is still functioning as it should and still sits on the motherboard with stability (e.g does'nt wobble etc.) and the pc appears to be working fine, my only real concern is if this could cause any reduction in performance and any issues in the future also any reduced over clocking capability etc. i have only been building pcs and stuff for a year and a half now which i guess is short by some standards so im still kinda new to a lot of things XD so sorry if it sounds a little stupid.
 
Solution
unless you heard the cap creak you shouldnt have any issues.
they only creak when you dislodge the pin internally and pull it through the core. (much like pulling a nail from wood)
just straighten the cap up (if you want) and leave it be.

Barty1884

Retired Moderator
A small scratch and a (slight) bend is nothing to really worry about.

If it were a significant bend (I'd say a 45 degree bend or more), you may have some issues, but it this was just knocked a little, it's highly unlikely to cause any problems.

If you could see bulging or leaking, that would be of concern. Keep any eye out for unexplainable stability issues moving forward (BSOD, freezing etc), as those are likely symptoms if you damaged the cap significantly - of course, stability issues could come from a variety of places, so don't automatically assume the cap. Don't go looking for stability issues though (as in, don't be paranoid about it) as the chances are minimal you've actually done any damage.
 

BlackJesus27

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seems reasonable, the i5 i have installed in the motherboard is hitting like 80 degrees celcius when i run prime 95 and the cpu is at stock, idk if that is a concern or not but it would'nt really get that high when i had it installed in the old board and overclocked :\
 

BlackJesus27

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what kind of risks could there be if i decided to straighten it up and if i wanted to how could i go about doing so, thanks for the help :D
 

Barty1884

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Again, don't go 'looking' for problems. The (perceived) higher temps are extremely unlikely to be a result of a scratch/slight bend in a cap. You can't compare different boards & temps. One has no bearing on the other. CPU cooling, airflow in the case etc etc, can all be variables.

That's exactly what I mean about not going looking for stability issues (which 80'C is not a 'stability issue' as an FYI). Troubleshoot your (perceived high) temps as you normally would, and don't focus on the cap.

As HEXiT stated, you have do bend/crack it pretty hard to cause any significant damage - and chances are good you'd hear it.
 

BlackJesus27

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could it be bad contact from the cooler causing the problem perhaps because its idling at around 50 degrees and it is a little bit worrying, should i try and re adjust the cooler or reapply thermal paste to it?
 

just put your finger on the top of it and move it back into position. dont press it down just move it to the side till its upright.
but looking at the board there is virtually no gap between the underside of the cap and the motherboard. so it shouldnt have moved very far anyway.
unless you really did clang it and as i say dislodged the pins from the core you really have nothing to worry about.

but just for saftey sake , take a picture as close as you can get it. and post it here.


 

BlackJesus27

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i managed to nudge it with some pliers that scraped along the side of it, i did'nt apply much force and i will try and get some images so i can upload them.
 


50'c at idle is a bit hot if your running stock volts and timings. so maybe you have either to much or to little mounting pressure. but saying as it seem you have 2 left thumbs maybe you should get some 1 in who builds pc's to check it over for you... most guys will have a nominal call out fee which is well worth paying if it give you peace of mind.

pliers? mate, just stop, please before you actually do some damage.




 

Barty1884

Retired Moderator


Could be lots of reasons. First off, what are you monitoring temps with?
Which cooler are you using? 50'C idle is definitely on the high side - assuming your ambient temps are in the low 20'C range in the room? Expected temps will vary dramatically depending on the temp of the room.

Reseating the cooler may be an option. Reapplying thermal paste in and of itself rarely changes anything (assuming you didn't apply so much that it's spilling out the sides). But if you're removing the cooler, it's a good ideal to remove/reapply the paste too.
 

BlackJesus27

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dude XD, i have been feeling sick and just wanted to do it as fast as possible, i would usually take more care trust me :D im honestly surprised i didn't damage it more, i cant say i haven't learned anything :)
 

BlackJesus27

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they have gone down to around 35 now, im not quite sure why they were so high :\ im going to play some rust or something to see how the temperatures do when using it at stock in an average use situation and if im unimpressed i will see what i can do about it then
 

delaro

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I bent Caps all the time installing Boards.. Larger boards as in $25000 CNC spindle Controllers an axis controllers. Bending a Cap means nothing they will move right back. The only exception is when you used force and stretched the CAP but I doubt you did that because your not dealing with much weigh when compared to a 80 pound drive unit.