Shuttle or Biostar? Good Capacitors?

[deanuc]

I am considering purchasing either a 754 based Shuttle or a Biostar 210P. My main concern is capacitor quality.

I was BURNED in the past with MSI boards and 6 needed warranty repairs. I guess I never want to deal with that type of nightmare again. Has anyone looked inside to see if real Japanese made capacitors are being used by either of these two companies?

I will not be overclocking the 754 2800+ that I intend to buy nor will I be installing a very power hungry video card.

Please post your comments to the forum since I haven't heard much about capacitors leaking or blowing up recently, which could be a good sign for the industry in general.

Many thanks.

[Aa-chan]

I know for a fact that Shuttle motherboards are very high quality and I've never had a single problem that was down to the motherboard :) . I've never used a Socket 754 one, but I have overclocked the socks off of a P4 one and it was more than capable.

[Koolpc]

I agree, Shuttle Mobos are real quality. Never had a problem with any.

[deanuc]

After about a year and a half I had the capacitors start blowing up on the MSI's and I wonder is there anyone who has had a Shuttle running for over two years without any problems?

[Cable Monkey]

I have the mobo used in their SV25's running in a different setup and I am pleased with its longevity.
Capacitors are usually the issue with those that value silence above all else. If case temperatures are allowed to rise to unusually high levels in the pursuit of silence the first victims tend to be electrolytic capacitors. Cooling is important, not only for stability but also longevity. With that in mind, even the best quality components would still eventually suffer under the stress of high temperatures.

[deanuc]

That's a good point regarding excessive heat and capacitor instability but the electrolytic capacitors on my Pent III and Socket A MSI boards were cheap and contained the supposedly "stolen" capacitor recipe. These boards were installed in cases where temperatures were EXTREMELY cool due to 2 extra 80mm fans used for intake and exhaust and placement in an air-conditioned lab. When I RMA'd them to MSI, the same brand of capacitors did NOT come back on the boards.

Then has anyone suffered from low quality capacitors in Shuttle SFF's in the last three years?

Again, thanks for all the input!