Have you ever broken your computer?

[ZedClampet]

I don't know, maybe you were swatting at a fly with a crowbar?

I've never broken a computer, but my wife and son are professionals at it. My wife has broken every laptop screen she's ever owned, and my son has only had one laptop go unscathed. In fact, we're in the process of getting his laptop fixed right now.

Some people are just breakers of things. My wife has broken two drawers in the refrigerator, the paper feed on the printer, her laptop screen, etc. How about you?

 

[Lutfij]

Seems like this thread stemmed out of frustration with all the repairing and carnage you see I should high five you for keeping a sane head with all that destruction around you.

Truth be told, I broke some stuff here and there and they tend to slip out of my hands but fall about a couple of inches off the table top(but never onto the floor). I'd like to think that I did ruin the engine in our car since I dropped some fuel injector cleaner pills into the fuel tank...which later made things worse for the injectors considering the quality of fuel in our country is adulterated(horrible). Lesson learned, do not use fuel injector cleaners, take injectors out and then clean them individually!

These days, I tend to fix peoples computers as opposed to breaking them.

 

[Colif]

I have broken small things that survive and remind me every time I see them

Such as the stand for a set of speakers I had, had to glue it back on
Or a key on my Logitech G910 keyboard that broke when keyboard fell off my bed. It was only the Home key and I hardly ever used it, and key was only a little bent, not actually missing. I have since replaced kb, its now my spare.
Or my sunglasses that somehow got a weird scratch on them. I will one day replace them but I can't see scratch while I wear them so I just put up with it.

Nothing like a PC. Never had a laptop, expect they easier to break than an actual PC is.
I have seen the results of people being angry at monitors and hitting them and then posting asking if they can fix something that makes me sad just looking at. You have to learn not to be angry. Good thing I stopped using N64 controllers before I got an lcd monitor. No Wii controller through screen here.

 

[Pifanjr]

My laptop's 6 key is missing and the 8 key is loose. I tried to get some dirt from underneath the keys but was a bit too enthusiastic in my approach. I've also dropped it quite a few times and now it stops working it you put too much pressure on the right side, so I can't just pick it up with my right hand any more. It is otherwise working fine though.

The previous laptop was destroyed when my wife spilled coffee over it. As was my previous keyboard. Not sure why my mice stopped working, but they might have gotten wet as well, or just clogged with dirt.

I also suspect my previous computer stopped working in large part because I took it with me on an international flight and it wasn't handled very carefully.

 

[Frindis]

I got some flowers for my birthday some years back and I put in on my case so I could enjoy them. Then when I was a wee bit drunk, I decided to change the water and when I lifted the vase with one hand, the glass shattered and water went everywhere. I thought I cleaned up all the water, but some days later my case started smoking and burning. I had a sneaking suspicion that some water managed to get inside the case and do bad stuff with my components

 

[Brian Boru]

keeping a sane head

He hasn't admitted it yet, but clearly wife & son have broken him… multiple times. I don't believe for a minute his recent claim to be the one to crack himself up.

Keyboard key problem

For those who don't know, you can 'remap' keys—ie make one key work as another. Most of us have key(s) we don't use—eg Scroll, Break, Insert, Page Up, Page Down, Caps Lock. The utility I've bookmarked for this job is SharpKeys:

randyrants.com

www.randyrants.com

I've never broken anything big or expensive—knocks on head—just small stuff like scratching CDs or walking away with wired headset still on

I thought I cleaned up all the water

It's not enough to mop up, you need to let the system dry out for 24-48 hours before switching it on again.

 

[Frindis]

@Brian Boru Next time I put a vase on top of my case and it breaks, I'll remember the mop-up inside the computer also I use Microsoft Powertoys for remapping keys.

 

[Colif]

I fell through a glass table once, but I sort of forgot about that as it was last century. In the time before the internet where all my embarrassing moments are only remembered by friends lol.
Open topped cases count for my last 4 computers so liquids don't get anywhere near my PC.

 

[McStabStab]

I had an EK water cooling system that handled cooling for both my CPU and 1080ti. I used it for years and would swap the coolant out at the regular intervals. At the beginning of this year I accidently let the pump run dry while trying to refill the system and it burned out the motor.

I realized that all this was way too much trouble for someone who isn't doing crazy overclocking or doing anything beyond gaming a lot. I dismantled the whole system, got an AIO for the CPU, and now have an EVGA RTX3070 and am using it's stock cooling fans. Works great and I don't have to swap cooling fluid all the time.

 

[Lutfij]

^ What pump were you working with? Nothing that could've been replaced in the pump housing?

 

[McStabStab]

^ What pump were you working with? Nothing that could've been replaced in the pump housing?

I could have totally just replaced the pump/reservoir combo but like I said I just was tired of dealing maintaining the system. The model was the A240G which I'm not sure they even carry anymore, but a different combo would have worked fine.

 

[Alm]

My first computer I built in 2001 and I don't think pcpartpicker was around then. I bought all the components only to find that the motherboard wasn't recommended by my CPU manufacturer and it ended up crashing every so often. Luckily it was the first and last time I made that mistake.

 

[Lutfij]

@McStabStab Ah, the Alumin(i)um Gaming range of custom watercooling kits. The thing that does bring into question is the construction of the pump bearing and impeller. I went through this reddit and it might be nothing to worry about(in terms of replacing the pump with another D5 unit) or that it will cause galvanic corrosion.

In case you want to replace the pump, they sell the res/pump unit here. Hang on, the A240G came with a DDC pump, right? In that case the res's top half will be useable and you might want to look at the internal construction of the pump's impeller(the part that makes contact with the fluid). Maybe the resolution is easier than we think it to be.

I've delved into watercooling as well and I moved out of it for the time being although I have a couple of watercooling projects gestating. I've got a couple of build logs on Tom'sHardware and I can be found lurking around the watercooling forums on OCN but the fact of the matter is that watercooling is an expensive hobby...more so than anything else.

 

[Zloth]

Break my PRECIOUS!? Never!! Not one mouse, not one keyboard, not even an old joystick!

I fell through a glass table once, but I sort of forgot about that as it was last century. In the time before the internet where all my embarrassing moments are only remembered by friends lol.

Somebody make sure the WayBack machine sees this topic.

 

[Brian Boru]

Not one mouse, not one keyboard, not even an old joystick

Clearly you're not using it properly.

water cooling … way too much trouble

watercooling is an expensive hobby

Those were the conclusions I came to also when I researched it some years ago. As with overclocking, the RoI isn't there unless you're an enthusiast.

My first computer I built in 2001 and I don't think pcpartpicker was around then

Nope, PCPP appeared 10 years later.

I built my first in '99, with the great help of Tom's and Anandtech—is that Futuristic or what?

 

[Colif]

Somebody make sure the WayBack machine sees this topic.

No one I knew back then used a computer. I don't know any of the people who were there now either. So chances of it being on web are zero besides me mentioning it here... probably