oops, I didn't read the number correctly, that's a pretty new thing with an apparently different power regulation on the board...
I thought it was an older one where they used to buffer the supply lines with big electrolytic capacitors around the CPU socket. Since this is a hot area, the capacitors age rather fast, and it's not a rare case that such capacitors leak with possible internal shortcuits, sometimes they even explode and if too much of the content 'drops' on the powerlines that could also add up to a short circuit.
your board doesn't look like that - and 'modern' power regulations are much more effective and get along with smaller capacitors.
so it's in fact more likely that the PSU is the source, probably an over-voltage melted somthing at the CPU which in turn acted as a shortcircuit so the increased flow of current meltetd the power connector as well.
Yet electrolytic capacitors inside the PSU suffer from the same scenario as pictured above.
I have a fanless for 150 Euro that once failed (under warranty) and came back 'repaired'. After half a year of use suddenly the PC wouldn't boot correctly and strange noise was to be heard when powering it up - then nothing.
With a creeping suspect I opened the PSU and
all 12 output buffer capacitors were broken, leaked, or bulky - all without exception.
As mentioned, it's a fanless construction, and as such the regulation heat must be transported to the outside somehow.
For that purpose it has a very massive heatsink, that's (supposed to be) tightly fixed to an equally massive one on the PSU's backside.
Guess what ? They simply forgot to fix the screws that connect the 2 heatsinks, so heat built up inside and literally roasted the caps, which btw were the correct 120 degree Celcius types, yet they hardly survived half a year...
These capacitors are a serious concern if a manufacturer uses types with uncertain quality (as is the case in many cheap PSUs because good caps are expensive)
They are also a concern if they are exposed to significant heat for a long time - their aging is a natural (and unavoidable) process, but heat can tremendously accelerate it.
cheers, Tom
