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Gaizokubanou

Is bathroom best common room to build a PC in?

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As the thread title says.  Because it's winter here and I'm suffering from massive amounts of static shocks and I have to build a new PC in few days when parts arrive.

 

All of my house has carpet other than the bathroom.  Bathroom also has the highest humidity.  Other than the strangeness, it just sounds like the room with least static electricity?

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Yeah the case is built to absorb that shit, and that's how I've always handled building pcs on carpet. Never fried any hardware myself, across four or so complete pcs plus various upgrades.

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That's after I install the PSU and plug it in (while turned off of course) so that it can ground properly, right?

 

I saw sparks from my hand once BTW.  It's getting crazy static.

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Although I haven't read story about building pc in bathroom, I think there's nothing wrong to try. Just be careful in any water leak.

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Alternatively, if you have any cardboard lying around, put that down on the carpet and put the PC on that. You can even use plastic bags if the sound won't drive you nuts.

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If you build PCs on the regular, I would just suggest a grounding bracelet but honestly, just tie your hair back and touch your fingers to the case every so often. I've built computers on rugs, with a cat (IN A HAT, ON A TRAIN, ON A PLANE) with long hair and haven't had any parts fry. 

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I'm just worried that a static buildup in your bathroom might end you up with a zapped mickey some day.

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I mean if you're feeling crazy paranoid a grounding strap is fine, but in my opinion it's just a waste of money unless, as Apple suggests, you're doing it on the reg. PC building all day every day. You are a PC factory incarnate.

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I have a grounding strap simply because it came with the toolkit I bought.  I have never used it and have never accidentally zapped a component, even while sitting on the carpet in the middle of winter in a fuzzy sweater with the heat running (that's not an exaggeration).

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I have a grounding strap simply because it came with the toolkit I bought.  I have never used it and have never accidentally zapped a component, even while sitting on the carpet in the middle of winter in a fuzzy sweater with the heat running (that's not an exaggeration).

 

That is also why I own a grounding strap, and my experience with it. I'm just saying if you are really feeling cautious, it's always an option. Honestly, as long as you're handling computer parts like they actually are electronics, they're pretty hardy these days.

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I've never messed up computer parts that way, but I have messed up an original Xbox controller.  Back before there were wireless controllers and you had a long ass cable tethering you to your console, I used to get shocked all the time when I picked up my controller.  After a while it started doing weird things like phantom inputs I never did or drifting one of the analog sticks to the right.  Eventually it just died altogether, but by that point the 360 existed and I ceased caring.

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i "fry" my headphones pretty frequently at work

 

 post-33948-0-90164600-1422301600_thumb.jpg

 

I have a HIFI Man external sound device so my headphones (Klipsche S4) don't pick up the electric noise of the computer fans, phones charging, etc.  It is plugged into my keyboard's extra USB ports to get even further away from interference.  This also lets me play music through the speakers & a second audio device for podcasts / web content

 

But in the winter I pick up a lot of static on the carpet and if i sit down and put my headphones in i'll get a nice zap to the ear canal...but also "shorts" out either the DAC device or headphones.  Either way the whole thing requires an unplug/power cycle to get working again

 

Not as bad as frying a stick of RAM...but the static shock is real!

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I mean if you're feeling crazy paranoid a grounding strap is fine, but in my opinion it's just a waste of money unless, as Apple suggests, you're doing it on the reg. PC building all day every day. You are a PC factory incarnate.

You're probably right that it's a waste of money, but it's a waste of not very much money, so if it'll ease an unnecessarily nervous mind, perhaps it's the way to go.

I have a grounding strap from an electronics toolkit that I got from my dad who I think stole it from his former place of work, along with a couple of office phones and an outdated laptop. I'm not sure about that, but they certainly seemed pinched. If I'm building a PC I use it because I have it, but I don't think the risk is particularly great. I don't always put it on if I'm tinkering around (swapping out RAM or whatever).

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I've never actually heard of anyone frying computer bits from static electricity but people always seem so worried about it all the time. Does anyone know anyone who has actually blown up stuff?

 

When people post about how their parts are DoA, I wonder how much of that is attributed to being careless with static or manufacturer's fault?  Damage from static doesn't have to be visible from what I've read.

 

But at the same time I also read that most modern parts are built to ground quite a bit of shock themselves...

 

Edit: Amusingly I just remembered my old trick I used to build my other PCs... I just kept base contact with the case with my feet (barefeet at home anyways), leaving arms very much free.

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I think I got a Belkin grounding strap for $4. Cheap for peace of mind, though I guarantee you'll lose it if you're not insanely organized. I ended up stashing mine in the motherboard box of whatever is currently in my main computer so I at least know where it is at all times.

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One thing about damage from ESD is that it won't necessarily straight up fry anything; it could also damage something so that its lifespan is reduced, or even just make it prone to random errors like BSODs and memory errors, data corruption, etc. I do the thing where I just hook up the PSU and fondle the case, and I've had very few hardware problems, but I do wonder if the busted RAM stick I had that one time could've been my fault.

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I've never actually heard of anyone frying computer bits from static electricity but people always seem so worried about it all the time. Does anyone know anyone who has actually blown up stuff?

 

I have fried a stick of ram once. A lot of it has to do with your climate. Here in the pacific northwest, it's generally damp enough for it not to be a huge concern. In drier climates, especially if your house doesn't have decent climate control, it can be a huge problem. And yes, touching the case only does a marginal amount of good unless the computer has a power supply and is plugged in. My last job before this I replaced laptop and desktop parts about 4-6 hours a day, every day. In the end, I wear a wrist band because then I just don't have to think about it.

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