Motherboard Fails
Hardware is reasonably reliable if you're careful to buy components of decent quality. Recently, a bargain motherboard/CPU combo purchase at Fry's Electronics came back to bite me in the fanny.
I live in Grants Pass, Oregon, about 35 miles north of the southern border to California. Fry's Electronics is located near Portland, Oregon, at the other (north) end of the state. So, I only get up there occasionally.
One morning, while perusing the Fry's store advertisement page in the (Portland) "The Oregonian" newspaper, I see an ad for a Motherboard/CPU combo--it's an Athlon 6000 CPU/ECS NForce 6M-A motherboard combo for around $200.
I think to myself, "not bad--I want to upgrade my CPU from an Athlon 3200, and a socket AM2 motherboard will be ready for future Athlon processors." Then I recall thinking, "...the motherboard must be pretty cheap for the price--oh well, it'll probably be just fine."
The next week, my wife had a medical appointment in Salem, Oregon, just 40 miles or so south of Fry's. So, I took this opportunity to make a side trip to Fry's to purchase this CPU/motherboard combo.
Back home, I upgrade my system, installing the new motherboard, CPU, and a new video card and RAM I'd also picked up along the way. It worked great too--for precisely a month and a half.
Last week, this system just abruptly stopped. I attempt to power it back up--no go. After an hour or so, I finally conclude it's a bad power supply. Down to a local store to get a new one (500W Antec at my local Staples) for $99.98. Install it in the box, reconnect everything, and...no joy.
Finally, after some fiddling around and experimentation, it dawns on me that it's the ECS motherboard that's failed. A day later, I make it into Medford, Oregon, and purchase a decent quality Asus motherboard ($126).
So, how much did this "bargain" cost me? Over $400. Partly because I'd misdiagnosed the problem as a failed power supply. But mostly because it doesn't pay in the long run to use cheap motherboards.
Later, I was talking with a local small computer parts store owner who asked me, "Was it an ECS motherboard? I've had more problems selling their board than any other brand. I don't carry them anymore."
"Yes", I replied. "It was my first ECS motherboard, and my last."
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Quick look at the motherboard design ? Capacitors ?
Electrolytic capacitors need to be fresh. Generally, any date coded to be 10 years old is dried up. Or will have a short operating life, even if it could be cured by idling in more humid environment(never shut down any running computer to extend life, room temperature burn-in, is an important concept to avoid thermal expansion and contraction and current surges).
The motherboards are often designed with sufficient current capacity stored in large capacitors. The surge, when first turned on, needs more current not supplied by large power supplies. The current surge often overheats the capacitor and if the tops bulged up, you have a motherboard that failed, often the ICs(chipsets) are burned too.
This is easy to anticipate, when faster cpus goto lower core voltage, the current requirement exceeds the designed capacity of the capacitors. Trying to avoid using newer cpu with lower core voltage will make your older motherboard last longer.
I have lived with many motherboards, that I check the temperature of electrolytic capacitor by touching them to feel the heat. Luke warm is good.
Capacitors are made with a very large tolerances, but it depends on the electrolyte. Cpus are rated in watts. So, lower core voltage will overheat the smaller electrolytic capacitors and change the capacitor current capability.
Brand recognition is unreliable confidence. Room temperature burn-in is the only way to achieve reliability. Keep the power on day in day out, motherboards will last more than 5 years, if you do not have contact resistance problems with sockets.