Magnetic or Normal Screwdriver for PC Build?

[aussie123]

Question is thread topic, just want to know whether to use a magnetic screwdriver or a normal one?

 

[RetiredChief]

Your choice, I normally use a magnetic one - hate to have to look for screw when I drop one in the case. Don't need to worry about the magnetic field, as it is WAY to weak to bother anything.

 

[aussie123]

Kk, thanks, probs go with the magnetic one then.

 

[Shappo]

Doesn't make a different haha.

 

[jsc]

I've heard that, and it's pretty reasonable. The magnet in the voice coil positioner in the hard drive is pretty powerful and it's close to the drive platters. Still, I do not use magnetic tools around computers.

I use a mechanical screw starter.

 

[RetiredChief]

The strength of the magnetic field to revease a domain on a plater is very strong. Ptimarily this is do to distance. The heads are VERY close to the plater and the strenght of a magnetic field is inversly proportional to the square of distance. Even using a magnetic screw diver for puting the screws into the side of a HDD would have absolutly no evect on HDD platers, Bear in mind there is a magnetic shiled on HDD. This can be verified by leaving the magnetic screw driver siting on top of a 3.5 in Floppy disk and check for corrupted files.

jsc - your approach is just as good.

Old story. When I was in junior high they demonstrated magnitizing a nail with a couple of "D" cells and a coil of wire. I thought, great let me try this at home with a larger voltage - 120 VAC. Wound my coil around a large nail and plugged it into an outlet. Needless to say my dad was not to happy replacing a AC outlet and the fuse. Live and Learn.

@nd story. My wife will never let me forget. Before my entry into electronics. !957 Mercury with push button transmition. Used the lock-out relay as a anty theft device. The wire came loose while driving (ground lead. Told my wife to stick back on ground. She asked will I get shocked - I responded - NO (like 12 volts). She did as instructed and promply got hit by several thousand volts. she was not pleased!

 

[capt_taco]

If you have the choice, use the magnetic one, unless you like fishing around in the case to find all the screws that fall in.

Bonus points if it falls on the motherboard and you get to squint for it among all the tiny components. Double bonus if the screw nicks something by landing exactly wrong, or if you damage something with your clumsy hands while trying to get it out.

 

[False_Dmitry_II]

I actually use a powered screwdriver. God is it faster than any manual one. Especially on motherboard screws.