Don't laugh at what John said, I often troubleshoot a PC box for overheating problems by doing just that -- remove the side cover and point a small household electric fan inside.

If it doesn't freeze up or otherwise show the same symptoms as before, or even if the symptoms do show up but take a much longer time to do so, I can safely assume that there is a heat problem in the box.

Before replacing the entire mobo, though, I'd take a long hard look at the CPU cooling fan. Much cheaper to replace and is the likely culprit IF you are overheating.


--Mac