Any Computer Savvy People?

[Ostego]

Alright so I was cleaning the dust and crap out of my computer the other day so I could add some more RAM, and I noticed that two of the capacitors on my motherboard are deformed and leaking....
So immediately I started to back up everything on my PC to USB storage devices....now my question is how much time do I have before my PC goes ka-put, and is there anything I can do to fix it besides spending a wad of cash that I don't have at the moment to get it fixed by some techies.


So..if I'm not on the forums for a long period of time its cause my PC went the way of the dodo~ 

Edit: Nice... my computers warranty expired in '05

[cLAY]

Computers typically have a 3-5 year life span. If you bought it in 05 I'd say its done and not worth fixing. No need to buy a new one if cash is tight, you can often oick up decent used ones for $100.

[apex]

Do yourself a favor and consider it dead already. You could consider replacing the motherboard but you'll be better served building/buying a new PC.
Save the hard drive and recycle everything else.

[dac]

Our old machine quit working last November, same thing, capacitors on the motherboard and video card were burst.  In the end I had to get new parts because I couldn't find a new motherboard and am too stuborn to have someone look at it.  I kind of thing the power supply in the case was starting to let go and fried stuff but who knows.

Your question on time..... electrical stuff is kind of like a jack-in-the-box.  No-one can guess the exact time it'll let the smoke out.

[FiEND]

there were a few years of bad capacitors ... some would go in months.  i still have boards laying around with that problem i couldnt warranty for reasons unknown.  if you made it this long, consider yourself lucky.

as for whether it will die sooner or later, tough to say.  depends how critical them capacitors are.  most are way under used because most users don't task their computers to full potential and definitely not for long periods.  yours though, being old will be stressed more by games and internet flash programs and heat.

anyway, theres two options.

1. buy an identical board on ebay.  cheapest option and simple.

2. upgrade.  a 'standard' pc upgrade right now is about $250.00  (new board, 2GB ram and processor) then i would charge about $75-$100 to transfer windows to new hardware.  typically this is lossless in terms of installed software.

rarely a new power supply is required and recently a chance you will need a new cdrom ($35) as there are few IDE ports replaced with SATA.  some don't even have floppy connectors.

anyway this is a motherboard problem so you don't need to panic and backup all your stuff as you wont lose it if it dies, it will all be on the hard drive.  you should though have backups incase of HD failure but no need to panic at this moment.

[AMCJeep]

I would just go to the wholesaler local to you for Electronics Components and get some replacement capacitors and make sure they are rated 105 degC instead of the crappy 85 deg ones from the factory. I have done countless replacements of capacitors and they really are not hard to do. The best way is to heat the pins with a soldering iron and pull the legs out one at a time then clean the holes out with compressed air while keeping the pads hot. Make sure you observe the polarity of the old vs the new and install them in the same direction. Capacitors might set you back $1.00 each and then its your labor. If you have to pay someone to do it, chuck the board and start over. If you need any tips on soldering or stuff like that just ask, the military taught me all kinds of neat things. 

[Ostego]

Thanks for the info everyone next paycheck is far in the distance and already half spent
I think I'll just do a minor repair and replace the capacitors rather then spending the $2000+ it would cost for the PC I was looking at (yes I'm a gamer kinda have to be with crappy dial up internet).

[apex]

consider a new i3 duo core build. you can build a very good gaming rig for much less that $2k. MUUUUCH less.

[Elsifer]

Try http://vfxweb.com

$150, and you can get a pretty decent used P4 2Ghz machine.

Or a build-your-own at Memory Express, for waaaaay less than 2G's!

[apeman]

I have a brand new Dell computer, fully loaded, with a 17 or 19 inch flatscreen monitor i bought in july...i have used it maybe 5 times...$600.....

I bought a Sony Vaio laptop so i have not use for it...only downside is that its got Windows Vista Premium instead of Windows 7

[raf2379]

what are specs of your pc? what motherboard, cpu, ram,? i may have a spare motherboard i can give ya, if soldering new capacitors dont work.