Avoiding ESD while building a PC

superjen · Mar 5, 2017

Hi everyone,

I'm a first-time builder and after having read a thousand (literally!) posts regarding ESD and how to avoid it, I think I'm getting more and more confused... and paranoid...

So here is how I have planned my steps:

1) install PSU into the case, plug it into a surge protector, plug the surge protector to the wall, then turn the surge protector and the PSU itself off
2) touch the case (or have a wrist band attached to it).
4) unpack MOBO, CPU(+fan), and RAM and install them outside the case on a wooden table
5) install MOBO into the case
6) install and plug in everything else

So, here is my first question: Why do so many people advise against having the PSU plugged in even if it's turned off? Once a desktop is fully built, don't you essentially do the exact same thing every day? That is, touch the desktop case while the PSU is plugged in? So why isn't that considered dangerous but what I have described is?

Also, as far as I can tell, there are actually two phases in this whole process:
1) working on components outside of the case
2) working on components inside the case

So, what is the ideal potential in each of these cases? My guess is that during the first phase it would be best to achieve zero potential through grounding. So, simply touching an unplugged PSU or chassis would be pointless because in this way you only achieve an equal charge with the PSU or chassis, NOT with the actual components you are working on.

But what about the second phase? First of all, should you, the builder, be constantly grounded? Should the case be separately grounded as well? If not both the builder and the case are grounded, how can we achieve a perfect balance between the builder, the components in the builder's hands AND the case?

Thanks!

PsyKhiqZero · Mar 5, 2017

The reason most people advise against the psu thing, is because of what would happen if you make a mistake. Especially when you consider how unnecessary that lvl of esd protection is.

Wear cotton, touch the case or other solid metal objrct beforw you start. As long as you not shuffling your feet trying to make static, it isn't going to come out of no where. I've built and rebuilt a lot of PCs and never once managed to make a spark

Jwpanz · Mar 5, 2017

Just wear an ESD strap or occasionally touch the case or another metal object and you'll be fine.

Chugalug_ · Mar 5, 2017

Ditto, just touch the case occasionally, ESD is overrated, i've built PCs standing on carpet before just fine anyway.

AnUnusedUsername · Mar 5, 2017

I would also suggest putting in the PSU last. It's cables will just get in the way otherwise, and you'll want to route them around everything else. Static is not a big concern, just don't wear a wool sweater and stand on carpet at the same time.

superjen · Mar 6, 2017

Thank you for all your answers but I think I will have to insist a bit more...

Yes, I know about the precautions such as wearing non-wool clothes, avoiding walking on carpets, building in a humid environment etc. Still, as far as I have read, ESD has been estimated to affect almost 30% of electronic products while they are manufactured, so my understanding is that many of those people who claim that "I have been building PCs for x years and I have never damaged any components due to ESD" have simply never become aware of the damage. More often than not, you will neither see nor feel anything during discharge (e.g. spark or zap) and you defininetely don't need to 'kill' a component instantly to claim that ESD has caused a damage to your system. In many cases, the affected component(s) will function but it will either not reach its full potential or it will die much sooner than it should have. So, even having an hdd die on me in 1 year instead of, let's say, 3 or 4 because of ESD is definetely an unwanted damage that I would like to avoid.

When it comes to the PSU, I still don't understand how having a plugged-in PSU inside the case (but with the power off) while building the system makes it more dangerous than having a plugged-in PSU inside the case while operating the system and touching the case all the time (with the power on!!). Is it because when the PC is fully assembled you will only touch it instantly while when building you will be touching it for longer periods of time? Or does the actual manipulation of the components increase the risk?

Also, all of you seem to be in favour of touching the case but nobody has explained if the case should be grounded or not (through the PSU). If the case is not grounded, touching it will lead to a small reduction of my hands' charge (it will be balanced between the two surfaces) but my hands will be still charged. Won't this affect the components that are still outside of the case once I touch them and transfer my charge to them?

Assuming that leaving the UPS plugged in is indeed dangerous... how about touching the end of a laptop cable that is plugged into a surge protector which is turned off? Doesn't the converter make it almost completely harmless, especially in relation to a PSU? Would that allow me to ground myself properly and more safely?

Thank you once again!

AnUnusedUsername · Mar 7, 2017

It doesn't work like that, at least not for products that make it to consumers. Either you totally fry a component, or you do no relevant damage to it. You only need to worry about sparks strong enough that you can feel (i.e. static). Anything less than that will not hurt anything. As such, touching an otherwise ungrounded case, or anything metallic, is more than sufficient. The heat produced by using your system is a far greater factor in it's lifetime than static. Overclocking a component has a noticeable impact on it's lifespan, even when properly cooled, but even given that most components will far outlive their usefulness. As a general rule, if a component isn't broken within a week of installation, it will last for years.

A plugged in PSU is more dangerous than one that isn't plugged in, and plugging it in serves no useful purpose. So why do it? More relevantly, it will just get in the way while you're building.

mrmike_49 · Mar 26, 2017

AnUnusedUsername :

WRONG! ESD can indeed damage an electronic component, reducing its lifetime and/or performance

WRONG again: Plugging PSU in gets you an actual ground, instead of a floating charge sump that will only accept a limited amount of charge build up

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