A fairly common problem with Antec power supplies from 2002-2005 is the “Bad Caps” issue. Very frequently, when an Antec power supply manufactured during that period begins to make strange noises or become unstable, the capacitors have gone bad.
In my case, an Antec SL350 that was put in a computer that was built in 2003 finally gave up the ghost. While apparently dead on the outside, upon opening the supply it was apparent that the problem was the bulging capacitors on the rail outputs.
Replacing six capacitors fixed the problem:
- 2x 2200uF 16V
- 1x 3300uF 6.3V
- 2x 3300uF 10V
- 1x 4700uF 10V
All replacements need to be 105 degree, radial, and as close to 10mm diameter as possible.
You will need a soldering iron, a flux pen, a solder sucker, and a spool of rosin core electronics solder. Desolder each capacitor and replace it, being careful to orient the negative end properly. When testing it, plug it into a “Power Judge” or similar cheap power supply tester to ensure that it is working correctly before risking an expensive motherboard to it.