Strangely I've started off computer usage by having a fear of breaking hardware and no fear of breaking software.
I assume this is because I've always though I can "undo" software changes, but hardware was expensive and you couldn't "undo" much there. This might also explain why I've never made my own PC from scratch.
Of course, now with OSX on the laptop and virtual servers in the cloud I've almost abstracted away hardware :-)
Yeah, I remember being afraid of breaking computer parts putting them together or taking them apart. Then, after I accidentally dropped the screwdriver, pointy end down, on a few important looking circuits on the motherboard and it kept working, I realized that things weren't that fragile.
I'm often a bit afraid of running some games for a long time when I hear the video card fan going ten-to-the-dozen and feel the computer case warming up. I'm frightened some part I can't afford to replace, like the graphics card, might wear out and overheat. It's not particularly rational, I suppose...
You can install software to check on the temperature of your CPU and video card to ease your paranoia :) Most of these programs can even start beeping loudly if you are getting close to overheating the hardware.
That said, high-power modern video cards work at ridiculous temperatures, around 95C. That's almost enough to boil water, and yet is considered acceptable. Any modern CPU will shut off if overheated.
Anyway, you will probably have to replace your video card due to obsolescence rather than thermal damage.
Despite doing a lot of computer programming, after finishing university I knew little about how the modern PC went together. It was only after building together a few PCs (at work) that I understood just how easy it was.
I assume this is because I've always though I can "undo" software changes, but hardware was expensive and you couldn't "undo" much there. This might also explain why I've never made my own PC from scratch.
Of course, now with OSX on the laptop and virtual servers in the cloud I've almost abstracted away hardware :-)