sounds like a nice system, about the USB keyboard - are there PS2 connectors? i find occasional problems with USB input devices on boot in some systems and if i can use PS2 I will. otherwise if you have another USB keyboard does it work then?

Have you tried a different keyboard with it to rule out an issue with they keyboard itself?

chrismeyer6 wrote on 2021-05-20, 14:16:

Have you tried a different keyboard with it to rule out an issue with they keyboard itself?

I managed to find another USB keyboard and no issues with it, so looks like it was the Keyboard after all

Some pics of the system. I actually don't mind the looks of it.

Took and ran Crystal disk Info on it and it came up with Caution and it looks like it probably isn't going to last much longer. Luckily I have a brand NOS 250GB HDD I'm going to stick into it.

It's hard to see in the pic, but you can see an ever so slight bulge from the brown caps. Going to run this as long as I can, then maybe replace the caps when they go.

Yes, watch the capacitors with these. I have a Dimension 9150 which is dead because multiple capacitors burst and spilled gunk all over the board.

Ran some benchmarks on the system and here are the results 😀 These are 3DMark03, 05, 06. I ran the tests are my monitors resolution of 1280x1024.

Here are a couple more benchmarks.

So decided to upgrade the video card in this PC and will upgrade the PSU as well. Getting a Radeon HD 4870 1GB card. Order it on eBay, should be here by end of next week probably.

Back when I was doing onsite warranty repair for Dell, there was at least one instance where they refused to replace the motherboard under warranty because there weren't enough bulging capacitors. The board had at least 4 or 5 that were bulging.

The original ticket was for the power supply and I noticed the capacitors when I replaced the power supply.

The 4-pin plug on the motherboard for the CPU power was brown and partially melted... and they still refused to replace the motherboard.

That was the weirdest refusal from Dell to replace parts I ever had.

I would replace those bulging caps and any that are the same brand on that motherboard. Just because it is running ok as-is doesn't mean it is ok. The power not being filtered properly will lead to other parts running hotter as well.

cyclone3d wrote on 2021-05-25, 01:40:

Back when I was doing onsite warranty repair for Dell, there was at least one instance where they refused to replace the motherb […]
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Back when I was doing onsite warranty repair for Dell, there was at least one instance where they refused to replace the motherboard under warranty because there weren't enough bulging capacitors. The board had at least 4 or 5 that were bulging.

The original ticket was for the power supply and I noticed the capacitors when I replaced the power supply.

The 4-pin plug on the motherboard for the CPU power was brown and partially melted... and they still refused to replace the motherboard.

That was the weirdest refusal from Dell to replace parts I ever had.

I would replace those bulging caps and any that are the same brand on that motherboard. Just because it is running ok as-is doesn't mean it is ok. The power not being filtered properly will lead to other parts running hotter as well.

Can you recommend a cheap but good soldering iron. I've never done any kind of soldering before. I had a look around for the 4 trouble caps and it appears they are hard to find. I did find a set on eBay from a US seller for CAD$10, but for some reason he has to charge CAD$15 in shipping even though they would fit in an envelope.

Hey John,

I replaced a few capacitors on a motherboard as my first soldering project. It wasn't extremely easy but it went okay - I have no hesitation encouraging you to try it out. I just found the cheapest soldering kit on Amazon... it came with the iron, a holding stand, a spool of lead-free solder, some copper wick, a little sponge, and a desoldering pump. Low end stuff, but it got the job done. Maybe something like this:
https://www.amazon.ca/Soldering-Adjustable-Te … /dp/B07S81JFDG/

As for the capacitors, I'd suggest Digikey. Just try to match your existing capacitor's capacitance, voltage, and lead spacing. It's acceptable to use higher voltage, but I'd recommend matching the capacitance (micro farads). The lead spacing is quite important, as it's kind of a nightmare if your capacitor's wires don't fit through the existing holes in the motherboard. Also try to match the overall dimensions (if the replacement is too wide it might clash with neighboring components). Nichicon, Rubycon, and Panasonic are well respected manufacturers. I'd recommend buying more capacitors than you need, in case you accidentally wreck one or two as you learn (you'll also find that shipping cost is relatively high compared to the cost of the components).

Heh, I have core2/w7 machines I think of as "modern" systems still... though I'm starting to get nervous about windows 7 security online.

As long as you have a good virus/malware program and practice safe browsing you'll be fine. I still use windows 7 ultimate daily. I have windows 10 installed in a dual boot setup but it just sucks to use.

bZbZbZ wrote on 2021-05-29, 17:43:

Hey John,

I replaced a few capacitors on a motherboard as my first soldering project. It wasn't extremely easy but it went okay - I have no hesitation encouraging you to try it out. I just found the cheapest soldering kit on Amazon... it came with the iron, a holding stand, a spool of lead-free solder, some copper wick, a little sponge, and a desoldering pump. Low end stuff, but it got the job done. Maybe something like this:
https://www.amazon.ca/Soldering-Adjustable-Te … /dp/B07S81JFDG/

I recommend tossing the lead free stuff (maybe save it for an easier project) and getting some 40-60 leaded solder. Leaded solder melts at a lot lower temperature and is easier to work with.

When recapping motherboards, you want to stack as many advantages on your side as possible 😀