Contents
Conclusions
So, after poly-modding nine devices, it seems that poly-modding can work well on Motherboards and Graphics cards, provided that appropriate replacement capacitors are used. However, I still can’t guarantee that poly-modding will work on all devices. Some motherboards may be OK with the lower ESR of the polymer caps, while others may not.
With power supplies, it’s very ‘hit and miss’. It worked on my Hipro HP-D3057F3H, but it didn’t work for the other two. The main problem is that polymer capacitors don’t come in much higher values than 1500µF for 6.3V and 820µF 16V. Power supplies often need much higher capacitance than this to work properly. Additionally, some power supplies, like the NeoHE 500W don’t like the ultra-low ESR of the polymer capacitors.
So, if you’re considering using polymer capacitors to replace your failed electrolytics, my advice would be to consider whether you really need the device to work. If so, then just use Japanese electrolytic capacitors, because their specifications are closer to what the device was originally designed to work with. If you want to experiment with your old hardware, then by all means go for it. Just bear in mind that Hardware Insights takes no responsibility if your hardware goes up in smoke.
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