My computer just went to the big render farm in the sky.
The timing is pretty crappy as I was in the middle of a personal project, but I'm pretty sure all the HDD's are fine - just the mobo has gasped its last. Looks like I'll be replacing it a year earlier than planned, but considering this thing was already 3yrs old when I bought it used 3yrs ago and it could still do a good job of running simple Maya scenes I'd say it didn't go quietly into the night.
R.I.P. Old Yeller.
Perhaps a trip to newegg.com will help me come to grips with my loss.