A technician is troubleshooting a computer that is experiencing intermittent shutdowns and instability. Upon inspecting the motherboard, the technician notices that some capacitors appear to be bulging and leaking a substance. What is the most likely issue with these capacitors?
The capacitors are suffering from swelling due to age or overheating and have likely failed
The capacitors have been underclocked, reducing their operational capacity intentionally
The capacitors are simply discharging excess stored energy and are otherwise functional
The capacitors are being prepared for a firmware update to improve performance
Capacitors that are bulging and leaking are most likely swollen, which is a tell-tale sign of capacitor failure. Swollen capacitors can lead to the instability of the device and intermittent shutdowns due to their inability to hold and regulate power correctly. This is a hardware issue that typically requires the replacement of the affected capacitors or the entire motherboard. Other options provided are either unrelated to the physical appearance of the capacitors or describe functional issues that are not linked to a visible hardware defect.
Ask Bash
Bash is our AI bot, trained to help you pass your exam. AI Generated Content may display inaccurate information, always double-check anything important.
What causes capacitors to bulge and leak?
Open an interactive chat with Bash
How do I tell if a capacitor needs replacing?
Open an interactive chat with Bash
What happens if I don't replace failing capacitors?