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Common causes of PC Death
#1
Please tell me your top 3-5, non-software, causes of the death of PCs.

Thanks in advance,
Desmond Bradley

#2
you lost me on the question

#3
In no particular order.

Overheating, Brownout, Dead HDD / SSD, Shotgun, Compactor, Semtex.

#4
tobacco smoke, beer, age, more beer, power surge (lightning storm), heat
Tim's Computer Repair (TCR) 
1503 Kings Way, Savannah, GA 31406, US
912-220-0765
https://www.TimsComputerFix.net 


#5
In not particular order
  • Cigaret Smoke
  • Dust
  • Overheating due to smoke, dust, poor airflow
  • Overclocking 
  • Electric Surge or Brownout.
  • Failing hardware due to age ie bad caps, no compound etc etc
  • Liquid ie beer, pop, water.
  • Putting the computer in a cabinet with no good air flow.
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#6
Lightbulb 
  I must start by saying that I apologize for this probably being a bit disjointed and rambling. This is due to a stroke in 2014. It has made me slower than I used to be. Memories are there, but getting to them at times is way slower, sometimes requiring me widdle bwain to create new pathways to old information.

(04-26-2017, 06:13 PM)Britec Wrote:  In not particular order



  • Cigaret Smoke
  • Dust
  • Overheating due to smoke, dust, poor airflow
  • Overclocking 
  • Electric Surge or Brownout.
  • Failing hardware due to age ie bad caps, no compound etc etc
  • Liquid ie beer, pop, water.
  • Putting the computer in a cabinet with good air.
  Thank you all much. I quoted Britec because his list contained most of the earlier ones. From this list, it is narrowed down to 4 things. 1: Heat, 2: Electrical Supply Surge, 3: Poor quality products in construction, 4: Liquids.

#3 we can do nothing about if all we have is sub-standard parts to choose from.
#2 can be mitigated, even prevented, @ high cost, up to EMP Level Surges
#4 is easy to prevent, never allow liquids near electronics

  That leaves us with #1, which seems to be the most common cause, Heat. One thing that irks me is that because of Heat it is now accepted to break the No-Liquids Near Electronics Rule. Leaks Will happen. Sure not in most cases, but it will inevitably happen to some systems. and it is 100% preventable by not using water-cooling. In an air containing environment, heat rises, correct? This being so why are the hottest things, PSU, Graphics Cards always placed @ the bottom of the system? The PSU @ bottom is fine, due to weight issues, to keep a PC from being top heavy and easily knocked over. But it could be enclosed in its own separate compartment with insulation, so no heat added to the main system. Next we would have to vertically invert motherboards. Placing the CPU at the bottom, cooler area reducing the need for heat removal there. Personally, I would prefer a horizontal layout, GPU @ back(left), CPU middle, RAM front(right). Using a horizontal layout would allow the use of, let's say plastic walls between each zone. Then each zone could be vented vertically out the top requiring less fan strength. That aside, sadly, we have to use what we are given. Another issue I find which is causing heat issues is the penchant of the "smaller is better" mindset. A 25mm chip has a 625^2mm surface area. If it were increased only 25% in length and width that would give 976.56^2mm or an increase of 50% in heat dissipation capacity, thereby requiring 50% less cooling to do the same work. But again there is nothing we can do about that one either lol. One thing, that we as consumers can do is the use of proper materials used to move heat away from hot places. Greed is the underlying cause of most of the heat problems in PCs. Yes Greed, the stupid desire to sacrifice quality to save $ when building something. Most common, and the easiest remedied thing is the use of Aluminium instead of Copper.

Thermal Conductivity
- k -
(Btu/(hr deg F ft)) [(the degree symbol did not copy)]

  118   Aluminium
  223   Copper

  From the above, we can deduce that Copper is 189% more efficient in moving heat than Aluminium. If we used Copper Heat Sinks we would almost double our cooling capacity. Yes, some chip heat sinks have a Copper center but are encased in a 52% less efficient insulation, Aluminium. And because Aluminium(2.5-3) is usually softer than Copper(3) the Fins on radiators are easily bent on cleaning or normal handling, thus reducing airflow. Again Greed & the use of these super-thin fins adds to their frailty. An Alloy of Copper may be called for, in this case, to reduce thickness but add strength (probably reducing k somewhat). Using Copper is one thing that we can, as consumers, do to help with the Heat issue. Of course, cost immediately goes up on heat sinks, 487.5% (based on current, local, scrap prices for each). Personally, I would be willing to pay more to almost double my cooling capacity without the use of water. And to be honest the cost of materials would not be that much more, only about $5/Pound of the heat sink.

  Now we are left with AirFlow. There are many routes we can go in this area. One issue I have seen that causes the need for major maintenance is fans on radiators in Push Mode. On current Aluminium radiators and case design, the fins Will get clogged with sticky smoke and other aerosol particles and dust. This means you have to remove the cards, radiators and/or fan(s)  and remove the clogging material, risking bending fins. Then reinstall them, again risking damage. Putting fans in Pull Mode will help a lot. You could also place a thin steel or stainless mesh over the radiator itself for protection, allowing easy vacuuming of any buildup in just seconds.
The easiest, IMHO, solution is to use a HEPA Filter on all incoming air into the PC Case. This will prevent any buildup whatsoever. Sure the companies that make RGB Fans and such will not like it at all, lol. Also, you would want Positive Air Pressure in the PC Case itself. This is to prevent particles from being sucked in through any cracks or holes (like around the external plugs on motherboards), CD & DVD Drives, Front USB, Microphone/Headphone Ports etc... This is something that we as consumers can do. Yes, I know it is added cost and much work initially to Filter all incoming air, but I say it is way worth it. And taking 1-3 minutes, once or twice a month to remove and clean a pre-filter and replace a HEPA filter is far better, I think than hours having to do an internal cleaning, repair and/or part replacement later on.

  Again I apologize for this being a bit rambling and disjointed. But, I just could not hold it inside any longer, lol. It only took me 3 1/2 hours to get this much out. But at least now I can get constructive input and refine these ideas even more. Maybe this old disabled Nerd's idea(s) can help improve things for everyone.

I hope you all have a Most Blessed Day  Angel

Sincerely,
Desmond H. Bradley

p.s. There is even more that can be done, but due to the requirement of NDAs I can not discuss it publicly.

#7
Solved - Thread Closed.
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