I just read about some issues with Dell computers and capacitors. I wonder if anyone's had issues. I have 2 Dells (Dimension 2400 and Vostro laptop), and I've had no problems.

Apparently there were some flaky capacitors floating around for a while -- tantalums I would presume. Dell supposedly had more failures then HP et al. Supposedly they also tried to cover things up.

Just wondered if anyone here has experienced this -- I think that it was within the last 5- 8 years

 

We have switched over to Apple computers, the Dell that I had was not worth the money and did not last very long. The Dell I had was from the time period that you mentioned.

I do not think I will switch from Apple now, these computers are really easy to use.

 

It wasn't just Dell - HP and others were also affected, but I think Dell got it worst...

I want to say they have the name "Nichicon" on them. There was a huge batch of those that were defective and Dell had the misfortune of using them without realizing they were bad... Something bad with the manufacturing process - I forget the details... When Dell realized how many of their PC's were affected, well...

They're easy to spot - they bulge at the top and leak - you'll usually see a bunch of caps on the board doing this... If it's the ones I'm thinking of, they are a dark brown can with gold striping/lettering...

They're actually fairly easy to replace - I've done it on a couple of Dell boards and was able to resurrect them that way...

We lost a bunch of older Optiplex desktops at work because of that issue...

Bulging capacitors haunt Dell - CNET News

 

I would't buy a Dell but for reasons other than the cap issue.
They torqued me off plenty when I found out the deliberately moved the standard power connector pin functions around on their motherboards and power supplies of the PIII era.

Any company that would deliberately mess with a basic standard just to keep a customer captive to buy replacement parts ONLY from them is not worth doing business with ever again.

 

I remember reading prior to 2005, there were reports that Dell, HP, and Intel were hit by bad capacitor problems in their desktop hardware. Especially the motherboards. Even iMacs and eMacs. There was a flurry of reports of capacitor problems with camcorders, DVD players and other devices too. (Including a cause by industrial espionage gone wrong with some Taiwanese electrolyte manufacturers using a stolen formula that was incomplete)

Presently I have a Dell 530 Inspiron Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2ghz (WinXP Home SP2) bought new in late 2007. So far it has been a very stable, dependable desktop. I ordered this to replace a HP Pavilion P4 2.ghz whose motherboard crashed in mid 2007. HP went through a purge of their line in 2004. But as my HP was built before then (2003, I think), that might have been the reason why my HP's motherboard "died".

I had the HP for about two years when it suddenly it began acting "wonky". It wouldn't turn on all the time or I had to hit reset. I thought it was dust in my system but I kept it clean as best I could. I thought it was a virus, at first, but I kept all my security up. Later it started to hang, get BSODs and kernal panics afterwhile. Would get a bunch of memory errors, computer beeps and finally it began announcing it was going to "reboot in 15 minutes" when it seemed to have cleared up and was able to go online. I am fairly computer tech savvy and knew there were a host of things that could cause these and did consider all possibilities....except a capacitor failure.

I took copious notes of whatever it showed on screen, what I did and, finally, took the computer to a tech. He thought it was the motherboard crashing but couldn't pinpoint the exact source. He suggested I could replace the motherboard. But I didn't have the money for that. I had intended to replace computer eventually....but not so soon!

But if the HP's motherboard's capacitors were damaged during assembly to cause any bulging, possible leaking and/or to cause the rubber seals to dry out after two years of use. Mmmmmmm.

Dell spent millions replacing their motherboards in 2005 and Intel also fixed their problem. It didn't mean everyone's older Dell/HP/Intel would have this problem....but I guess my HP did. It can still happen, though. Motherboard companies assemble and sell boards with faulty caps sourced from other manufacturers. Even up to today, there is always that chance. But since 2005, not I wouldn't think as much with the major vendors.

Anyway, in early 2005, my son ordered a Dell 520 Dual Core desktop and after five years, never had any problems with it. We live in a very rural area of SW Arizona. Heat, dust, monsoons, swamp coolers and all that haven't affected it. Because of his good experience, I decided to order a new factory Dell in late 2007 to replace the "dead" HP. It helped they still offered WinXP in new Inspirons when everyone else had gone completely to Vista. But that wasn't the only reason.

Their reputation was hit hard by the bad capacitor "plague". Along with changing their motherboards, they spent millions determining the logistics whether a system is in need of replacement or not. Also changed their attitude too. They began listening to their customers, made a number of improvements so there was far less proprietory "stuff" to contend with anymore. Overall, the 530 Inspiron is considered a very stable, sturdy desktop and very upgradeable with non Dell hardware.

By the way, my Dell 530 Inspiron motherboard is a G33m02 based on the Intel's G33 series. (G33m02 for Core 2 Duos/Quads have G33m03).

Update..... I performed a search and read July 1st the Dell Blog about the Nichicon capacitor issue

 

Most tantalum capacitors today are solid; the capacitors in question are aluminum electrolytic. The electrolyte inside is what bubbles out, causing the top to bulge (they're designed that way to allow the electrolyte to escape in the event that the capacitor is reverse-biased).