ASUS laptop won't power on; what could have been the cause?

Question

I have an ASUS X53SC laptop which is only 5 months old. My laptop will not power on.

I gave the laptop to a service center and they said that my motherboard (mainly capacitors) was fried – they said they would replace the board. What would cause these capacitors to fail?

In fact I don't have a surge protector and the laptop came with only a 2-pin power cord – there is NO ground pin for it. Also, when I rest my palm on my laptop, I feel an electric shock.

Is this the cause for the capacitors failing? If so, I will ask the ASUS service center for a 3-pin power cord.

Answer 1

Many computer manufacturers use low-quality capacitors on their mobos. That said, it's more likely that you just got a lemon (unlucky!) and you had one with some issues...

If the capacitors that failed were in the power-regulating section, i.e. it conditions the power that comes from your power brick, I would say it could be possible that your power supply may have some issues. More than likely though, you just got unlucky.

You should go grab a surge protector, however. Your 3-pin power cord will not matter unless the grounding issue is on the laptop, but plugging your 2-pin into a grounded and protected surge protector will protect the laptop from lighting or random utility surges.

And, was your Asus not under warranty for this? I do not think you should be paying a repair shop for something that should be covered...?