Power Supply Failures: many power supplies are manufactured by no name companies with little quality control and packaged in cheap
'white box' systems.
Heat- Sinking: Cooling is absolutely essential
to the life of your CPU the split second after it is turned on, and to your system in general. Nothing will kill processors
faster than a heatsink mishap. Some recent processors can survive without adequate cooling by throttling themselves down automatically,
but this is a hit-or-miss procedure.
Computer Assembly: There are still steps in PC
assembly which are absolutely crucial, but not necessarily common knowledge to computer rookies. Steps like using the metal
spacers that came with the case when screwing in your motherboard.
Acts
of God?"...: Make no mistake though, lightning strikes do cause serious damage to electronic components, especially
your computer, and especially the modem.
Defective Parts: This can also happen with brand new components, as anyone who works in a computer
store knows.
Power Supply Quality: A large portion of your computer's well being depends on the quality of
the power being fed to it. Power surges, blackouts, brownouts and defective cables can all contribute to your computer short
life.
USB Mishaps: The problem with USB is that it transfers more power than most other I/O interfaces,
so a short circuit can have disastrous consequences for the rest of your computer if the motherboard is not properly outfitted
with board level fuses. Another possible cause is that the 'hot pluggable' nature of USB interfaces means that they
are plugged in and unplugged much more than other I/O devices, leading to increased wear and tear and more chance of an electrical
mishap.
Static shocks and integrated circuits: While the average static shock like you'd get if you
walked across industrial carpeting then touch a doorknob may seem minor, the fact is that these jolts pack a voltage that
can be lethal to delicate electrical components that are used to being spoon-fed only highly conditioned, minimal current.
Your body packs much more electrical resistance than the average IC.
Viruses: Need not say more. It's
a fact of life.
