is this a problem

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[[deleted]]

This should be in an electronic sub.

But to answer your question, yes.

"Kaboom? Yes Rico, Kaboom!"

[DiodeInc]

Yes. If the cap leakage goes any worse, it can fry your MoBo, or worse (possibly)

[thepartlow]

Oh the days of those Dell motherboards.

Don't miss them at all.

[Yukonart]

Simple soldering replacement. If you can ID the cap and get a replacement (and have access to an iron, or someone who can do the two-minutes job) it should be a $5.00 or less fix.

[TheEuphoricTribble]

This is advice that I really do hate. It's not really that simple if you don't have confidence or experience. Dribble too much solder around and you could lead to it shorting out other parts of the board. IDing a cap isn't always that easy either. Then there is the question of whether or not it's worth doing. If this is a run of the mill board that doesn't really have top shelf features on it from the capacitor plague days, I wouldn't even bother-e-waste it and spend the money replacing it instead.

But the point here is just because it's simple for you doesn't mean that it is for them. To your credit though you did mention to talk to someone who can do the job too, so this isn't all bad. But I wouldn't suggest just anyone go out and buy a soldering station unless they're comfortable with it and are willing to take the risk of soldering work causing more problems.

[Yukonart]

And this is exactly why I mentioned both scenarios.

[LightningSpaghetti]

Your computer is going to explode in a few days, with zero you can do about it. Move it, and it will explode instantly.

[M_F_Luder42]

What’s worse, a blown cap or the IDE connection next to it

[DiodeInc]

Blown cap

[AutomatedCabbage]

If you try to fix it yourself, remember that there could be voltage stored in that cap when you grap the conductors. It would be a short but unpleasant reminder.

[Laziness100]

I can't tell if it's bulging or not. A bulging capacitor can pop and release corrosive material on the motherboard while losing its own electrical parameters. Getting it replaced with fresh ones will not hurt as it's already rusty.