How do you handle a motherboard?

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Sharks445

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Mar 10, 2014
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Hello, I am building a PC and wondering how do you safely handle a motherboard.
Do you have to hold it by the edges? can you touch the metal parts? How common are failures from ESD? I have gigabyte one and it feels extremely delicate and somewhat heavier than I thought. Do these things break easily? I'm afraid I might touch something important or bend and break the board when install CPU/RAM/GPU etc.

Also, how tough are the pins on the 1150 socket? do they instantly break if I touch them? I have a piece of hair that got in the socket somehow, how do I safely remove it?
 
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noahhicks

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Mar 29, 2014
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It's not made of glass but don't go tossing it around.

I'd suggest using compressed air to get rid of that hair. If that doesn't work, a vacuum with a small brush attachment can be used to GENTLY suck the dust/hair from the area.

I usually hold mine by the edges and rest it on cardboard or foam if I'm taking it out of the case. It's not as fragile as you think, they have a bit of flex to them typically but are fairly resilient.

I've never had any problems with ESD, just touch something metal, like the side panel of the case that you've opened up, every once in a while and you'll be fine. Don't run around on a carpet before doing any work.
 
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tavomeister

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Apr 7, 2014
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First of all, start by making sure that you discharge the static electricity that might be running through your body. You can do so by touching the computer case while working on it. (Don't wear wool clothes or anything like that!)
I prefer to handle it only by the edges, like a CD. For the hair thing, use some canned air if you want to stay in the safest zone.
They can bend a little when installing stuff, its normal, but make sure to not bend it too much!
I hope this helps, it's always super scary to handle computer components, mostly when they're new.
 
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CRITICALThinker

CRITICALThinker

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Feb 2, 2014
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In reality you should be careful with your motherboard, and hold it how SR-71 linked. with new components you should be careful with them, and the cpu cooler is also a place where you can hold it once it has been installed properly. I have a small collection of old motherboards, about four in a box, that I would say I have not been particularly nice to, but still expect that they will have a high chance of working when I get around to assembling the rest of the computer.
 
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