So yeah, the day finally came where my PC died all at once. Incidentally, it was also the day that I backed everything up! Basically I get exclamation marks everywhere on boot, which looks like a GFX card issue, and I can't get into Windows. I tried safe mode, system restore didn't work, ran an error check on C but that didn't help. In fact, it made safe mode not work any more! So yeah...

I need a new PC! Would appreciate help from those in the know regarding the best GFX and CPU out there, or whether I should limp on and wait until something even shinier. Also, am thinking I'll opt for something like an mATX or mITX case this time to help with portability, unless you all think that's a moronic thing to do. I'd the whole build to last for another 4 years ideally.