When processor will damage

You bend a pin

Spill something like Pop or Tea on it while in the stock

Over voltage through the motherboard

Running with no HSF or improperly installed HSF, so not adequate cooling

System surge due to a lighting strick

These are a few off the top of my head

Drop the computer in water! lol

You can salvage that if its not plugged in... Just dry throughly before turning it on again XD.

blunt force trauma

Well, with out more info by what you mean....




Well this would damage it.   (and then some.   )

+1

I've salvage a few electronics from water. last one was a few years ago when an ipod nano 2nd gen went though the washer. Forgot it was in a pocket. But i took it apart. left it alone for about 2 days and viola. Worked like nothing ever happened.

I would imagine it would be the same thing for a computer.   leave it unplugged, drop in water, let it dry for a long period of time, and it will still work after all that.

will a sledgehammer do??

Only if used in junction with a failure to post, BSOD, Fails to reach over 3.4GHz or you experience lags.