How and what damage does static electricity cause to a pc

[grifgrif1]

Just wondering, what damage can static electricity do to a computer and how and when does it occur.

Thanks

James

 

[SupermotoMX]

it Can, and does. take out the compenent you touch all the way up to the whole rig. so make sure you ground yourself

 

[mattyfez]

The textbook answer is 'it will kill components' which is technically true.

The anti-static wrist-strap thing is a bit of a myth though, if your PSU is plugged in, then touching any part of the case will ground you instantly, as will touching a nearby radiator or what ever. I have blatantly mis handled many parts which are all fine.

Bare chips, or mis-handeling components, in particular, RAM or PCB's with RAM chips on them, like graphics cards, can be a bit dodgy, and as such I awlays make an effort to ground myself at regular intervals if im handeling something expensive, but that said...

...I was striping down my media PC for a spring clean, which is an s939 A64 rig, and being used to intel rigs, I forgot that the chip was locked onto the socket, (I thought it was some TIM that was sticking it to the socket) so it levered it out with a screwdriver.
The chip flew across the room, and suffered some bent pins which I fixed using the credit-card method, and she still runs fine to this day.

So go figure

But better safe than sorry and all that. Just be carefull.

 

[Akempster]

The textbook answer is 'it will kill components' which is technically true.

The anti-static wrist-strap thing is a bit of a myth though, if your PSU is plugged in, then touching any part of the case will ground you instantly, as will touching a nearby radiator or what ever. I have blatantly mis handled many parts which are all fine.

Bare chips, or mis-handeling components, in particular, RAM or PCB's with RAM chips on them, like graphics cards, can be a bit dodgy, and as such I awlays make an effort to ground myself at regular intervals if im handeling something expensive, but that said...

...I was striping down my media PC for a spring clean, which is an s939 A64 rig, and being used to intel rigs, I forgot that the chip was locked onto the socket, (I thought it was some TIM that was sticking it to the socket) so it levered it out with a screwdriver.
The chip flew across the room, and suffered some bent pins which I fixed using the credit-card method, and she still runs fine to this day.

So go figure

But better safe than sorry and all that. Just be carefull.

Have to disagree with you on the wrist strap because:

you gain static electricity through a positive or negative charge build up on your body. When you touch another object with the opposite or no charge (effectivly making it ground) the charge will dissipate or cause an electric shock. this can easilly damage components by handling incorrect voltages etc. What wrist straps do is they give you a grounding point so that if you build up a charge it will immediatly discharge through the ground wire when connected to an earthing poibt such as the computer case.

It is important that the grounding wire is attatched closest to whateve you are using to manipulate the computer (i.e. your hands) for maximum affect.

also, most radiators are painted which means that they do not provide a ground point as paints are made up of diazodyes which are not capable of conducting electricity. Anyway, for a £10 wrist strap isn' it worth it or would you prefer to risk it - i know from personal experience but do you want to find out?

 

[Tikkabhuna]

Have to disagree with you on the wrist strap because:

you gain static electricity through a positive or negative charge build up on your body. When you touch another object with the opposite or no charge (effectivly making it ground) the charge will dissipate or cause an electric shock. this can easilly damage components by handling incorrect voltages etc. What wrist straps do is they give you a grounding point so that if you build up a charge it will immediatly discharge through the ground wire when connected to an earthing poibt such as the computer case.

It is important that the grounding wire is attatched closest to whateve you are using to manipulate the computer (i.e. your hands) for maximum affect.

also, most radiators are painted which means that they do not provide a ground point as paints are made up of diazodyes which are not capable of conducting electricity. Anyway, for a £10 wrist strap isn' it worth it or would you prefer to risk it - i know from personal experience but do you want to find out?

However, if you have your PSU in the case just plug it into the wall and even when the power is off you will be grounded. I always do this and just lean on my case when I open it.

 

['Wes]

I've used wrist straps all the time, my components are still alive.

 

[PiKe]

I've never used a wrist strap, my components are still alive.

 

[thingemajib]

never used a wrist strap, but i see the point in having them. i wouldnt spend a tenner on one, but if one were to come your way for peanuts/nothing (i believe Dell bundles one if you buy RAM upgrades), use it.

i have a little bit of copper pipe sticking out under the radiator which i touch every so often when handling components.

 

[Ordokai]

Have been touching grounded PC cases when handling components for all my hardware-conscious life. (It has become a sort of little ritual) However, that being said I did fiddle with stuff quite brutally back in the good old days of beige coloured voodoo 2 rigs and nothing has ever died on me specifically due to bodily static discharge.


Therefore, while certainly a danger worthy of precaution, you need to get pretty damn unlucky to actually cause damage in this manner by accident. The stars must be aligned !


Still, surely suddenly killing you're shiny new 5970 with a static charge from you're pinky during the gentle process of pre-fitting admiration must be pretty high up there with the stupidest build related fails conceivable. It is precisely to avoid such an eventuality prudence is advised.



- Ordokai

 

[Speed]

As far as I'm aware modern parts are a lot more resistant than older kit.

The amount of static you generate depends on many factors including the materials your clothes and seating are made of. As well as your own body, some people naturally generate more static than others from what I've read.

Personally I don't use wrist straps, once you've discharged yourself on either the case plugged into the wall or or a raditor, it should take many hours for most people to generate enough static to cause problems.