My Hardware Jinx continues

Apparently here's another contender to add to the list of hardware that's going south on me, or so it seems...

I am a Mac guy, having said that, I enjoy using a PC ever now and then. Mostly because my tech obsession started with them, and well... I supposedly "work" in the IT field with them *holds Microsoft certs up in air*


For my PC fix I built a compact small factor Shuttle system (SN85G4V2) a couple of years back. Not a bad system at all: -AMD 64 3400+, gig of RAM (at that time..), 120 gig Hd, 680GT vid. card, etc. Powerful little fella. Now been a small form factor system heat tends to be an issue in such a confined space. The hard drive, the CPU itself, the gigantic video card, all of them add to the heat production.

Well apparently this build-up of heat in the lifespan of "The Toaster" may be finally taking a toll on the longevity of the system. I tend to boot up my PC for two purposes: - to do random seldom things that need to be made on a PC or to play Counter Strike:Source/F.E.A.R. Multiplayer. The other day I was enjoying some intense CTF action, when all of the sudden I was greeted by some interesting green horizontal lines across the display..

The Computer Tech. Wiz within told me it was the sign of heat issues as soon as I saw those bars greet me, so i took some steps to try to fix it. Booted back up, enter the BIOs and *BAM* kicked the fans up a notch! Went back to play some more F.E.A.R CTF..and then it happened again. So I scratched my head, and adjusted the fans once again to their "Smart" setting and prayed for the best..

Today I played some CTF for a while, everything seems to be OK.. Could it be a quick-fix overheating issue? Let's hope so, I would hate to add another entry in my list. If you are wondering, what's on "the list" thus far, tomorrow I'll let you guys know..