Can hardware stress tests be dangerous?

Just wondering. If you have a hardware which is going bad, could a stress test kill it off?

 

Well, there's certainly an obvious aspect to this - if you know a device is going bad, simply continuing to use it will likely ensure its demise! But besides the obvious side of the issue - I'd have to answer with, "maybe." There are many variables. What does "hardware" mean? A graphics card is hardware. But each discrete component (capacitor, resistor, diode, IC, GPU, fan) mounted on the card is "hardware too", and subject to failure.

So the answer depends on exactly which component is failing, what the failure is, and the specific type of test. You would have be more specific about the test, and test subject for a specific answer, but even then, the answer would be maybe. Every computer is made up of 1000s of discrete components in dozens of sub-assemblies (drives, cards, modules, many integrated devices). These components come from 1000s of suppliers around the world. Until humans can create perfection 100% of the time, some will fail.

Understand that "stress tests" abuse the item under test. If you don't believe that - go pig out at your favorite Mexican diner, then 3 hours later go to the doctor complaining of chest pains. You will get poked and prodded and electrified with dozens of hair pulling sticky things while running for your life on a treadmill with a 10 pound clamp on your nose and face until a split second before your heart explodes - then told to take a Tums and get shoved out the door. Now that's abuse.

There is often a blurring of the line between "diagnostics" tests and "stress" tests, but generally, a diagnostics test tests to ensure a device (or being!) performs within some designed or expected range (since nothing is exact) and environment. A stress test abuses an item until it breaks, or breaking is imminent - thereby defining that "expected range". The abuse can come in the form of excessive force, environment extremes, or an outside (unexpected) influence.

For example, if you ran MemTest+ on your RAM for 6 hours, that would be diagnostics. But if you disabled all your case fans, then ran MemTest+ that would be a stress test.

I would not expect a diagnostics test to damage a properly working device. I might expect a stress test to cause damage to a failing device - or to "trip" a safety device. And back to the beginning, if something is failing anyway (computer, car engine, TV), I would expect further use might "kill it off."