A technician is troubleshooting a PC that will not boot. The case fans run when the power is switched on, but the PC will not POST, and there is no signal to the monitor. The technician opens the case

While a defective power supply could cause boot issues, the fact that the case fans run indicates the PSU is providing some power. Swollen capacitors point more directly to motherboard component failure.

Defective RAM typically results in POST errors (e.g., beep codes) or system instability, but swollen capacitors are a physical indicator of motherboard damage.

A defective CPU would prevent POST, but swollen capacitors are not a direct symptom of CPU failure; they indicate an issue with the power delivery system, often on the motherboard itself.

Swollen or bulging capacitors on a motherboard are a clear sign of component failure. These capacitors are critical for providing stable power to various motherboard components, and their failure can prevent the motherboard from properly initializing the system (POST), resulting in no video output even if the case fans are spinning.