Updating my old comp with new motherboard, ram and video card.   Just wondering if someone could tell me all the crazy ways I could possibly damage my hardware, so I can avoid doing that.
 
Not too worried about getting it up and running, I'll figure that out one way or another, just want to avoid frying my hardware..  thanks in advance.

Find the vreg mosfet for the cpu, ram, or chipset and attach a 10k Ohm trimpot to feedbackk leg, then secure the other end of the trimpot to ground. Now you can play around with the trimpot resistance for various deadly levels of over voltage.
 
Also you could save yourself all that trouble and just conveniently mistake your PC for a toilet next time you have some crazy drunken blackout.
 
Your very much welcomed.  

well, the only way i can think of that you could fry good components would be by incorrectly setting the voltage selector on the PSU. other than that, as long as the parts aren't defective, you shouldn't have a problem.

1. ESD
2. Over voltage
3. Over heating
4. Water
5. Dropping a weights on the motherboard
6. Throwing it out the window.
7. Bad flash
8. Plugging in a LGA775 to a AM2 motherboard.
9. Running the car/truck over it. A train would be better if you live near a rail road.
10. Plugging a AGP to PCIe

Feel free to add to the list.

i got a board and wanted to quickly post-test it, so I laid the board on the static bag, mounted the video card, plugged in all necessary power connections, and a USB/mouse. since it wasn't in a case, I used a needle-nose screwdriver to short across the pins that the power switch plugs into.
Unfortunately, I didn't have a high enough angle, and shorted the power switch leads across one of the nearby USB leads...sparks flew.
It stayed powered, and seemed to work fine, but I couldn't get it to shutdown by closing the circuit again, and there was that very familiar burnt plastic smell. I pulled the plug, and could never get it to post again, even after shorting the green wire on the PSU cable to ground.
 
I bought a $3 switch after that...won't ever make that mistake again.

 
We all get alittle excited when putting together a new build
 
But never and I mean never   Dry hump your new build  
 
Just talkin from experience    

ESD, thats static electricity.
 
apart from that, there is overvoltage, possibly caused by accidently pinching a power cord.
 
and of course there is bending pins and the like