PC components are delicate electronic components that are prone to breaking if not handled properly. I'm not talking about the catastrophic PC build mistakes that could practically destroy your valuable components. Instead, I'm going to focus on ways you could inadvertently put your PC at risk or even damage it beyond repair.
What I consider irreparable is something that needs to be replaced; so I exclude things like deleting important system files, corrupting your storage drives, or causing other damage to your operating system. These errors are relatively easy to fix, unlike the serious problems we'll cover below. Of course, the idea is to avoid these unintentional errors so your hardware stays alive.
7 Ignore overheating for a long time
Heat can destroy your PC components
You may already know that heat and PC components don't mix well. Every PC component gives off heat when it's running, and if that heat is dissipated properly, it's not a problem. However, if your CPU, GPU, or SSD are constantly running at higher than optimal temperatures for an extended period of time, they can eventually fail.
If you ignore the risk of hardware overheating and hope for the best, you may also need to prepare for the worst.
This could be due to dust buildup, insufficient airflow, a bad or broken CPU/GPU cooler, or a missing SSD heatsink. Whatever the reason, ignoring overheating hardware and hoping for the best may also mean preparing for the worst. It's not easy to destroy a CPU or GPU, but sustained operation at high temperatures can do it.
6 Do not use surge protection
Better safe than sorry
Too much power is never good, and that goes for your PC too. An uncontrolled power surge or overload can instantly destroy your PC components, leaving them useless as paperweights. While this rarely happens, there's little reason to take a risk when a surge protector or UPS is a fraction of the cost of your entire system.
It's a good idea to have some power backup for your thousand-dollar PC.
Frankly, a surge protector is most likely useless in the event of a severe overload, but it will still protect your hardware from smaller voltage spikes. A UPS not only provides you with backup power in the event of a power outage, but also protects against momentary under- or over-voltage in the mains, so it makes sense to have some power backup for your thousand-dollar PC.
5 Rely on a no-name power supply
Speaking of unreliable power supply…
The power supply is still one of the most ignored components of a PC. Your power supply is responsible for delivering clean, reliable power to all of your components, and the extremely high power demands of modern CPUs and GPUs require a high-quality power supply. Saving a few bucks by buying a cheap power supply is unlikely to end well for your PC.
Using a no-name power supply with questionable features can lead to power supply failure and ruin your expensive hardware.
A power supply with adequate wattage, efficiency, and top-notch construction will not only provide your PC with enough power, but will also protect it from momentary voltage spikes. Using a third-party power supply with questionable credentials is an invitation to power supply failure, which can take your expensive hardware down with it. Saving $50 in the short term can cost you hundreds or thousands of dollars in the long run.
4 Accidental short-circuiting of your PC due to electrostatic discharge
Electrostatic discharge (ESD) is a silent killer
A short circuit is another way to destroy your PC if it is strong enough. If you open your PC case for any reason (cleaning, diagnostics, or just curiosity) and do not ground yourself before touching the components, you can transfer electrostatic discharge to the PC. The electrostatic discharge can be enough to permanently destroy your hardware in some situations.
You can also use an anti-static wrist strap, although this is mostly overkill if you are already following the other steps.
Grounding is pretty straightforward: unplug the PC from the power supply, walk barefoot to transfer the electrostatic discharge to the ground, and avoid clothing that is prone to static discharge, such as silk, wool, and polyester. You can also use an anti-static wrist strap, although that's mostly overkill if you're already following the other steps.
3 Playing around inside the PC
Control your daring antics
A similar mistake that can damage your PC if you are not careful is physically interacting with the components. Yes, touching your PC components can destroy them if you are not careful with them. You may think that nothing can go wrong as long as the PC is turned off, but an inexperienced or careless user can actually damage the PC beyond repair.
You could even put undue pressure on your AIO's cooler tubes, bending them to the point where the cooler's performance is compromised.
You could accidentally damage a fan, cable, or motherboard connector. You could even put excessive pressure on your AIO's cooler tubes, bending them enough to affect the cooler's performance. A particularly careless user could inadvertently put pressure on the graphics card, damaging both the PCIe connector and the PCIe slot on the motherboard.
2 Overclock like a madman
“Unlimited power” is not the right attitude here
Overclocking is something every user deals with at least once. After all, it is free power. However, overclocking your CPU or GPU is not risk-free, so it always comes with precautions and detailed instructions. You should always increase frequency and voltage in small steps, testing the terrain and progressing gradually.
Modern hardware is equipped with numerous safety features to prevent accidental damage from careless overclocking, but the risk always remains.
Instead, if you rush the process and just enter random values, you could cause permanent damage to your CPU or GPU. While modern hardware has many safeguards in place to prevent accidental damage from careless overclocking, the risk is always there.
Another way to destroy your CPU or GPU is to overclock without adequate cooling. Overclocking will inevitably increase the heat output of your components, and that heat must be properly dissipated to avoid thermal throttling or, worse, permanent failure.
1 Bricking your motherboard during a BIOS update
You may never recover from this ordeal
Luckily, this has never happened to me, but the thought of a failed BIOS update still makes me shudder. You may need to update your motherboard's BIOS/UEFI for better performance or processor compatibility, or just to prevent your CPU from crashing (I'm looking at you, Intel). During a BIOS update, it is imperative not to interrupt the process for any reason. Otherwise, your motherboard may be damaged.
You could save the situation with a motherboard that has a dual BIOS, a recovery jumper, or a removable CMOS battery.
Whether it's an unexpected power outage or a misguided hope of completing the update without a cooler on the CPU (as happened to one Reddit user), a failed BIOS update can render your motherboard unusable. You might be able to salvage the situation with a motherboard with dual BIOS, recovery jumper, or removable CMOS battery, but in other cases, the only option may be to replace the motherboard.
It doesn't happen often, but it's possible that your PC will break
Holding a broken component in your hands is one of the worst feelings for a PC user and I wouldn't wish that on even my worst enemy. The circumstances described above may sound rare or unlikely, but many users have actually experienced them. You may be a cautious person, but even you could find yourself in a similar situation on a bad day.
Fortunately, if you know what could cause irreparable damage to your PC, you can at least minimize the chances of something going wrong, and maybe even prevent a friend or family member from making the same mistakes.