Static electricity while building pc

[apoyusiken]

I think just dont do it on a carpet or smt and you should be fine? maybe discharge beforehand.

[LogicalDrm]

17 hours ago, CasualExtremist said:

Everyone here trying to go find research papers when we have the "real research" ^/s already done in a "scientific lab" ^/s by our very own LTT ft. Electroboom

 

The conclusion I got from it is:
Don't be a dumbass and you'll be fine. Better chance winning the lottery than killing a component during assembly.

You can find similar video from JayzTwoCents with similar conclusion. And yet both are very scratch compared to what I personally would do. Since especially Jay focuses on situations where we already know components are shielded well.

 

 

21 hours ago, daygeckoart said:

The risk isn't that you kill your PC, it's that you cause damage to a small part of one of the components. I have gotten a used graphics card that worked when the seller tested it, but not when I received it, and I think it's because he packed it in standard bubble wrap.

Damaging small part in your example equals killing the component, so kinda blows your own point there. Also, I didn't say it wouldn't happen. But rather its unlikely to happen since you don't usually touch surfaces which conduct electricity. So you example there, contact surfaces were exposed to potential damage and potential damage realized. I would say similar way if one would give static shock to any contact surface, there's chance of damage. But also, only contact surface you are likely to touch while building is CPU pins or contacts. Rest, very unlikely at any scenario.

 

I'm not electrical engineer so your google-fu is as good as mine and I cannot make difference between AI article from actually good one.

[daygeckoart]

4 hours ago, LogicalDrm said:

You can find similar video from JayzTwoCents with similar conclusion. And yet both are very scratch compared to what I personally would do. Since especially Jay focuses on situations where we already know components are shielded well.

 

 

Damaging small part in your example equals killing the component, so kinda blows your own point there. Also, I didn't say it wouldn't happen. But rather its unlikely to happen since you don't usually touch surfaces which conduct electricity. So you example there, contact surfaces were exposed to potential damage and potential damage realized. I would say similar way if one would give static shock to any contact surface, there's chance of damage. But also, only contact surface you are likely to touch while building is CPU pins or contacts. Rest, very unlikely at any scenario.

 

I'm not electrical engineer so your google-fu is as good as mine and I cannot make difference between AI article from actually good one.

A lot of things are exposed and static can jump a few millimeters. If you're careful not to touch exposed traces and connectors, then you might as well also be careful and equalize your static to the chassis. BTW if you look on eBay you'll see many listings where a graphics card is photographed sitting directly on carpet. 

 

Edit: Forgot to write that it's not just that a component is killed or not killed. Microchips can be damaged and produce computation or storage errors but still appear to work fine. RAM can seem totally fine until you run Memetest or similar test.

[LogicalDrm]

3 hours ago, daygeckoart said:

BTW if you look on eBay you'll see many listings where a graphics card is photographed sitting directly on carpet. 

There's big difference between ignorance (your examples) and common sense. I've built with wrist-strap. And would use it if I were to build for someone else. I don't want to risk others money. I've also built on a carpet without any protection. So my advice with these questions is and will be, you can ground yourself, but it's unlikely to cause damage if you forget. 

[apoyusiken]

1 hour ago, LogicalDrm said:

There's big difference between ignorance (your examples) and common sense. I've built with wrist-strap. And would use it if I were to build for someone else. I don't want to risk others money. I've also built on a carpet without any protection. So my advice with these questions is and will be, you can ground yourself, but it's unlikely to cause damage if you forget. 

ive observed as people become experts they also become possibly overly cautious so thats probably part of the reason of this debate still going on today. what do you gain by not doing it the safe way?

[Kisai]

7 minutes ago, apoyusiken said:

ive observed as people become experts they also become possibly overly cautious so thats probably part of the reason of this debate still going on today. what do you gain by not doing it the safe way?

Kill enough equipment by accident and you learn to be cautious.

[LogicalDrm]

9 hours ago, apoyusiken said:

ive observed as people become experts they also become possibly overly cautious so thats probably part of the reason of this debate still going on today. what do you gain by not doing it the safe way?

Not much. I do still ground myself, but using wrist/ankle strap is annoying. 

 

 

E: and there are more than one of these forever topics. Because there are more than one person with valid opinions. There's always the super-safe to paranoid way, super-ignorant way and then everything in between. 

[apoyusiken]

2 hours ago, LogicalDrm said:

Not much. I do still ground myself, but using wrist/ankle strap is annoying. 

 

 

E: and there are more than one of these forever topics. Because there are more than one person with valid opinions. There's always the super-safe to paranoid way, super-ignorant way and then everything in between. 

you still ground yourself so thats more than enough.

 

because its not an objective thing. Its not certain you will damage the computer but an expert simply wouldnt take the risk.

[LogicalDrm]

19 minutes ago, apoyusiken said:

you still ground yourself so thats more than enough.

 

because its not an objective thing. Its not certain you will damage the computer but an expert simply wouldnt take the risk.

Like I said earlier, its big difference building something to yourself, risking your own money. Than building something for customer, risking their or your company money, time, reputation etc.

 

If you watch LTT or any other bigger tech-tuber. In their build guides they will tell you to ground yourself. But you never see it happen when they are building something for content.

Edited August 31, 2025 by LogicalDrm

[apoyusiken]

1 hour ago, LogicalDrm said:

Like I said earlier, its big difference building something to yourself, risking your own money. Than building something for customer, risking their or your company money, time, reputation etc.

 

If you watch LTT or any other bigger tech-tuber. In their build guides they will tell you to ground yourself. But you never see it happen when they are building something for content.

yea Linus has become an expert at dropping gpus

[Mark Kaine]

On 2/23/2025 at 9:38 PM, apoyusiken said:

i see people concerned with this. is this a valid concern?

no.

 

(from someone who worked several years in an "ESD save environment" ... the risk is there but for general purpose consumer facing computer parts it's less than low risk, 0.0000001% or less probably)

 

The good news is: there are many many, far more easier and success oriented ways to destroy a computer or its parts for you to explore!!! Good luck ~ 

[Mark Kaine]

2 hours ago, apoyusiken said:

yea Linus has become an expert at dropping gpus

Dropped GPU = 1 million more views, that's the difference here.

 

 

On 8/29/2025 at 10:54 PM, apoyusiken said:

I think just dont do it on a carpet or smt and you should be fine? maybe discharge beforehand.

For real this time... Yes, carpet is just a bad idea overall,but also vinyl floors or similar - don't wear all synthetic clothes either.

 

And pro tip; you're already "grounded" most of the time by simply touching the case (metal)

 

Maybe not technically "grounded" but grounded enough to avoid discharge to sensitive components happening in 99.999999%...

 

As said above there are far better and easier ways to destroy your components...

 

 

(Screwdrivers are great, vacuum cleaners, etc )

 

 

 

 

[daygeckoart]

On 8/31/2025 at 7:57 AM, Mark Kaine said:

no.

 

(from someone who worked several years in an "ESD save environment" ... the risk is there but for general purpose consumer facing computer parts it's less than low risk, 0.0000001% or less probably)

 

The good news is: there are many many, far more easier and success oriented ways to destroy a computer or its parts for you to explore!!! Good luck ~ 

When  you and LogicalDRM cite these risk values, what are they based on? Is there a study you can point to that says the risk is almost zero for consumer facing computer parts? And if so, what's the reason? Some posters have mentioned protections, but I can't find any information about ESD protection being integrated into computer components. If you can post something from a manufacturer, I would really like to see that! Even better if you can find a financial justification for packaging their items ESD bags etc on top of that built in protection.

BTW I think we need to be clear about one thing, grounding isn't what we need to do. We just need to equalize charge between components, ourselves, and the computer before putting parts close enough for a spark to jump. One way to do that is to equalize everything to ground but you can also equalize everything to the computer chassis

[daygeckoart]

This information is pretty hard to search for. With some help from ChatGPT I was able to find some standards and even statistics:

 

https://semiconsglobal.com/electro-static-discharge/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://www.scribd.com/document/680556296/JEP155?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://www.scribd.com/document/557671378/ESD-AN-ACTEL?utm_source=chatgpt.com

 

 

https://www.wootc.com/knowledge-base/electrostatic-discharge-sensitive-components-grading-damage-cases-and-industry-statistics.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://blog.correctproducts.com/2024/07/21/five-expensive-losses-due-to-static-electricity/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

 

Bottom line: Protections built in include mosfets and diodes but they're meant to protect from small discharges, and we can easily exceed those protections!

 

[Mark Kaine]

1 hour ago, daygeckoart said:

When  you and LogicalDRM cite these risk values, what are they based on? Is there a study you can point to that says the risk is almost zero for consumer facing computer parts? And if so, what's the reason? Some posters have mentioned protections, but I can't find any information about ESD protection being integrated into computer components. If you can post something from a manufacturer, I would really like to see that! Even better if you can find a financial justification for packaging their items ESD bags etc on top of that built in protection.

BTW I think we need to be clear about one thing, grounding isn't what we need to do. We just need to equalize charge between components, ourselves, and the computer before putting parts close enough for a spark to jump. One way to do that is to equalize everything to ground but you can also equalize everything to the computer chassis

...... I worked there........ Our failure rates were the same if we had the "anti ESD" stuff on or not, and that was much more delicate electronics than ur average PC components (think wafer production equipment)

 

There's no study (that I know of) because there's realistically no damage whatsoever....

 

Knocking off some smds because someone is clumsy is *not* ESD .....

 

¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

[Mark Kaine]

1 hour ago, daygeckoart said:

but you can also equalize everything to the computer chassis

Bro, that's literally what I said, people call that usually grounded and I said it's "not really" but it works.  The point is you discharge to the case and nothing happens.

 

Tldr; there's a small risk, but the stuff all has some protections and a person exceeding those limits "by accident" are just very very slim... It's negligible compared to all the other ways people damage components or components fail due to production errors.

 

[daygeckoart]

On 8/31/2025 at 7:58 AM, Mark Kaine said:

Dropped GPU = 1 million more views, that's the difference here.

 

 

For real this time... Yes, carpet is just a bad idea overall,but also vinyl floors or similar - don't wear all synthetic clothes either.

 

And pro tip; you're already "grounded" most of the time by simply touching the case (metal)

 

Maybe not technically "grounded" but grounded enough to avoid discharge to sensitive components happening in 99.999999%...

 

As said above there are far better and easier ways to destroy your components...

 

 

(Screwdrivers are great, vacuum cleaners, etc )

 

 

 

 

I didn't see this post before, I only replied to your first one. Yes I agree, just touch the case, and touch a safe part of the component, equalize everything, and you're good to go. I stopped using wrist straps a long time ago because I always forget to unclip and and the wire goes flying, which I figure is a higher risk of hitting something and damaging it that way. 

 

Vinyl is pretty bad on the tribolectric series but flat and smooth, without the giant surface contact area that carpet has on your skin so don't think it's that bad. But regardless, if you equalize your charges everything will probably be fine