Maybe preferably with Japanese caps
Don't be fooled by this marketing hogwash. There is nothing to suggest
just because a cap was [supposedly] made in Japan that it is superior. Nor is there
anything suggest just because a cap was made elsewhere that it is inferior. It is
all total hogwash.
Today, advertising "Japanese capacitors" is just a carry over marketing "gimmick"
from
years ago when leaky caps were a big problem.
AT THE TIME the
only large suppliers of "solid" (not "solid-state", not "electrolytic" - just solid,
as in not liquid)) caps were located in Japan. But since then, manufacturers around
the globe have ramped up solid capacitor production.
In other words, there is no reason top quality solid caps can't come from China,
Taiwan, Germany, Brazil, the US or elsewhere. And for the record, manufacturers of
solid caps produce a wide range of caps, including budget/entry level (read: lower
quality, less expensive) solid caps too.
Japan may still dominate in terms of numbers, but nothing suggests their capacitors,
as a whole, are any better (or worse) than those produced in other countries.
Oh, and for the record, there were (and still is) two primary reasons why
electrolytics swell and may eventually leak (or even "pop" or explode open).
(1) Poor quality - motherboard, card and PSU makers cut
production costs by buying cheap, and
(2) Underrated for the job. Those makers cut costs by buying less capable, cheaper
caps.
Well, there's excessive heat too, but that's not the capacitor's fault. Heat is
the bane of all electronics. Providing proper cooling is the case's job and it is
the user's responsibility to ensure proper case cooling.
ALL the major motherboard, PSU, and graphics card makers (the computer products most
often plagued by faulty electrolytic caps) learned their lessons back then. The
sheer numbers of warranty returns cost them dearly in actual costs to process those
returns, repairs and/or replacements. But it also cost them dearly in terms of their
reputations - which they are still fighting, hence the marketing hogwash.
Now whether those manufacturers have heeded those lessons is another issue, however.
They no doubt are always looking for ways to reduce production costs.
That said,
(1) Capacitor manufacturers can and do make top quality
electrolytic capacitors. And they are more than capable and reliable to be used in
any of these applications with no problems. But they cost a few cents more (but so
do quality solids) than cheap electrolytic caps, thus add to the cost of the
motherboards, cards and PSUs.
(2) When properly sized and rated for the intended
application, there is no reason a quality electrolytic cannot provide many years
of quality service on a modern motherboard, graphics card or in a PSU.
The problem is, marketing weenies have trained (misled
![:(](data:image/svg+xml,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="16" height="16"><rect fill-opacity="0"/></svg> "Frown :(")
)
consumers to believing ONLY Japanese, solid caps will provide quality service. But
that's just marketing hogwash.
This sadly, puts the onus on us, the consumers. We must do our due diligence and
research before plopping our money down. Sadly, that is no guarantee of no problems.
But if we stick with the major, reputable brands and avoid their lowest, budget
entry level models, we certainly increase our odds of long, reliable service.
For the record, I still look for "solid" caps in the marketing hype. But I am not
concerned if not made in Japan. In fact, it is not uncommon for capacitors
manufactured by a Japanese company to actually be made in Chinese (or elsewhere)
factories anyway!
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