Beginners Guides: Most Common Ways to Kill a PC
 

Computers and their component parts do have a finite life span, and just like us, they have a list of afflictions that are most likely to claim their digital existences. Also just like us, most of these problems stem from careless handling, neglect, unhealthy environments and old age. Toss careless manufacturing into the mix, and you can see why the average computer system rarely survives more than ten years without some sort of catastrophic failure. A few months ago the PCstats Newsletter asked its readership a pretty simple question; "have you ever killed your PC?" Out of all these tales, one thing became clear; sometime soon, one of your computers or one of its essential components is going to get fried and fail. So here are the most common ways this is likely to happen!"

GUIDE URL: http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1720

So I killed my P4 Processor once, you don't have to remind me.:)
It was never from overheat, rather over Voltage.

hmmm, this will prolly be the way I kill my pc. :^D

Everytime I touch my pc I get an electrical shock.

Actually I get a shock everytime I touch something made out of metal :(.

My pc, my stereo, my external hdd, the car even my metal litter bin gives me a shock :wtf:

N°1 way should be : "give your pc to RichBastard"

:D

Most Common Ways to Kill a PC
 

Computers and their component parts do have a finite life span, and just like us, they have a list of afflictions that are most likely to claim their digital existences. Also just like us, most of these problems stem from careless handling, neglect, unhealthy environments and old age. Toss careless manufacturing into the mix, and you can see why the average computer system rarely survives more than ten years without some sort of catastrophic failure.

http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1720

did they send out a news item for this? because this thing is 1.5 years old

It came to our mailbox again.:)

should be start sending out news for older items too? :D

It works!!! :D

Which is longer than their viable lifetime, even for a average user.

More of my hardware has been rendered useless because manufacturers can't keep to one standard for a longer time (AGP 754 motherboard, 939 PCIE motherboard).



I think CRT monitors are about the longest lasting piece of hardware in terms of not breaking down, being viable and remain compatible.

My Toshiba laptop 266mhz lasted more than 10 years before I left it to my relative in China two years ago.:)
My Celeron 1GB is still running as a second PC at my daughter's place. It all depends on the users. Tweakers and overclockers treat their PC as toys rather than tools; they will break them intentionally in a few weeks for kicks.:)

How much voltage was that?

I do suspect it is going to become a common thing, circuit pathways are smaller than ever at 45nm and Penryn is the first 100% lead free Intel CPU. Just like the gauge levels for wire the larger the gauge the smaller the wire's width and therefore the less current/heat it can handle before degrading or melting. Intel is using a new lead-free tin-silver-copper alloy for Penryn, so tin whiskers are possible if not likely to occur considering tin whiskers are shown to have a direct relationship with thermal cycling and higher current levels. Lead was the only metal that seemed to almost completely halt the growth of tin whiskers on chips and circuit boards.

Not to mention that since the circuit tolerances have been lowered with the shift to 45nm, the negative effects of burn-in might be more applicable? http://www.anandtech.com/guides/viewfaq.aspx?i=152 I'm not being pessimistic, but one doesn't need a certification in electrical engineering to know there are physical limits on materials, and enthusiasts are going to run into them eventually.

Some mothers taught their kids to not break their toys. :D My best example is a 500MHz Slot A AMD Compaq computer... friend physically "modded" the mainboard which allowed me to install a 1GHz Thunderbird processor in it. Put that system through hell such as 24/7 operation in high heat but it still works just fine today, including the original drive.

More or less the father's job.:)

1.825 on Willamette, quick death without pain or suffer.

One of my kids finished her 4 years (4 not 5) with two degrees using a 233mhz 3-year old laptop. Another one went back to graduate study (still working full time) and will graduate in a few months is using my good old P4 2Ghz running 3.2Ghz since day one at 1.575v Intel Stock cooling.

got a P4 which died a slow death, somebody had pinmodded it , and only noticed this after it broke ;)

I can't stand to use my 2.8 -> 3.4Ghz Northwood comp... Photoshop Elements lags out just with a couple small photos to edit, drove me completely nuts to try and do any image work on it. Would take minutes to do a batch run, longer still if using high resolution images. E6300/Q6600 later Photoshop CS3 loads and runs about as smooth as IE7. :) Drive array probably helped fix that issue too though, I guess.

Only 1.825v?? Rather surprising, since Willamette is 180nm and has a core voltage rating of as high as 1.75v. Intel claims "1.560V-1.75V" for operating voltages. Makes ya wonder about 1.5v or 1.6v on a 45nm chip, doesn't it? :)

Lol :)

I squuezed 2.15 trough a 45 nm cpu :)

yes, but you are shrimp like hell :D

It did not overheat; just died without warning. I got it from ebay used; had it for a year.