Does static electricity kill computer parts?

[zebo]

My girlfriend was moving around a bit of stuff and she moved my mother board without a anti static wrist band and we have carpet.I cant check if my computer parts are working because im still buying the parts so is it "ok" to do that????

[thekeemo]

yes dont do it too much though

[deVIZtation]

It's not optimal to move a motherboard around while walking on carpet, unless she grounded herself beforehand.

[Godlygamer23]

Static electricity can damage and even destroy computer parts. I've moved computer parts across carpet in socks - didn't run into issues, but I could've been lucky. There's no real way to know without actually testing it.

 

If you're wondering how it can kill parts, it's due to the voltage. The current isn't much at all - the voltage though is extremely high. Static electricity can be on the magnitude of a few thousand volts.

[Godlygamer23]

It's not optimal to move a motherboard around while walking on carpet, unless she grounded herself beforehand.

Not true. If she moves across carpet, she can generate static electricity(even things mid-air can generate static electricity). If she does, it goes to the parts she is holding.

[Hans Christian | Teri]

It can destroy it that's for sure, but I would say that it's extremely unlikely that it has actually done so.

[Trik'Stari]

I'll say this, every single computer I've built (two of them) has been built with my bare feet on carpet. Not to mention working on my own rig multiple times with my bare feet on carpet. Always made sure to touch the screw of the nearest outlet before starting though.

[Syntaxvgm]

It's fine. Don't worry about it. Possible, but really unlikely. 

[nicholician]

It's unlikely that static electricity would kill your components. Unless you go out of your way to build up a ton of static electricity, a little shock probably will, at most, only shorten the lifespan of whatever component it is.

[MorbidAngel]

I always end up being sloppy when I'm messing with my computer parts, like dragging my socks on the carpet and then accidentally touch the motherboard without grounding myself. Or I'm going to put the motherboard on the box and for some reason I have the box on the carpet and the motherboard falls of and slides (the edge slides) on the carpet and stuff like that, and I've never had a single part destroyed by static electricity, so either I am a lucky guy, or the other people are the unlucky guys!

But you should be fine, just be as careful as you can

[Syntaxvgm]

If you live in an area where swamp coolers don't work, don't worry too much 

[Cuzum]

Short answer "Yes", long answer no with a "but" LOL

[mckrackin5324]

You yelled at her and she hates you?lol...

 

I wouldn't handle a CPU or RAM while dancing in my socks on the carpet with the wood stove blazing away...but I doubt a motherboard will be hurt by carrying it.

 

I have damaged RAM with static myself...I assume...It worked/I pulled it out/I put it back and it didn't work.