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I'm building my very first PC and I'm happy to say all the components are on their way! (I checked and double checked they'd be compatible first).

I've read and heard from my friends all about this "static electricity" that people think could destroy my components. Is this a real thing? If so, how much of an issue do you think it is?

I also have the option to buy a cheap anti-static wrist strap with a crocodile connector. Where would I connect this to?

Sorry if these questions seem stupid, but I want this to go smoothly.

David
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    Its a real issue. You should take all proper steps to prevent it. Do your research. The best option is an anti-static wrist stap connected to an anti-static mat that is connected to a ground. – Ramhound Nov 08 '13 at 19:23
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    Consider this: the voltage flowing through your PC components is ~12v but a static shock can range from 3,000-12,000 volts if I am not mistaken. Although it probably doesn't happen often you will certainly be sorry if it does so just suck it up and buy the wrist strap and use it properly. – MonkeyZeus Nov 08 '13 at 19:26

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As long as you're not on shag carpet with fuzzy socks, you should be ok. Simply connect the alligator clip to something metal inside the case. There is usually some metal still around the frame and the hard drive enclosures.

Also, it helps to start with the power supply, and have it plugged in and turned off. In this way, there is a path to ground.

Pang
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ScottAndrewRogers
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    Then you forget you're clipped to the case, phone rings, you walk away without thinking and take the computer down with you XD – Anthony Miller Nov 11 '13 at 14:22
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It's like getting in trouble. It only matters if you get caught. In this case it only matters if you shock a component.

I've never used a wrist strap for the last 8 years building and maintaining computers. However, before I go reaching my hand into the case to touch any component, I touch any metal part on the chassis to ground myself and discharge any electricity I may have built up in me. Haven't had a component fry on me so I must be lucky ;)

Anthony Miller
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    In winter, my chair at work with its fuzzy backing can easily accumulate enough static to produce quite a jolt when I eventually ground myself, just by shifting in my chair -- so I habitually touch a piece of metal on my chair arm rest somewhat frequently. But that's to avoid shocking myself, not for the sake of the electronics :D I get the concept of being lucky though, same here! – allquixotic Nov 08 '13 at 20:28
  • Fuzzy chairs... almost as bad as shopping carts that build up static and randomly shock you as you're pushing along. – Anthony Miller Nov 11 '13 at 14:23
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If your humidity is not too low (<30%), you shouldn't be too bad off. If you don't use an anti-static clip, then be sure to touch the chassis frequently and before you touch any bare components. You can attach the anti-static clip to chassis if you get one.

Alex
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Electrostatic discharge or ESD happens when there is a difference in electrical charge between you, your equipment and ground (literally, the actual ground). All anti-ESD precautions are geared towards gradually balancing this charge, rather than having it suddenly arc across the delicate electronic components in a computer.

It is a genuine problem, but so long as you take basic precautions, you should be fine:

  • Use a wrist strap, if you don't have one, touching the case between installing every component works almost as well.
  • Handle parts by their edges (especially RAM, as it is small and sensitive).
David
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    I've seen more than one person handle a hard drive with grasping against the exposed PCB on the bottom. Never do this! Always by the edges. – LawrenceC Nov 08 '13 at 20:03
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With care, you can use your body as a resistor to prevent issues. Let's say you are installing the motherboard in the chassis - you touch the chassis, and at the same time you touch the bag the motherboard came in (and is still in at this point.)

Then you open the bag and get the motherboard out - which means you don't still have a hand on the chassis unless you have three hands - so before you put the motherboard in the chassis, you hold it in one hand, and touch the chassis with your other hand before bringing the two into direct contact. You do the same thing when installing memory, etc. So long as you remember to be careful, you can do the whole job without a strap, and without a problem.

OTOH, a cheap wrist strap adds a degree of insurance - it's the third hand in touch with the chassis. A proper table mat adds another. The wrist strap is cheap enough that it makes sense for building one PC. The mat is expensive enough that it probably does not - and in assembling a PC, you really are mostly installing components into a conductive chassis, so the function of a mat is not really needed, so long as you transfer components from their anti-static packaging to the chassis without laying them down on the table. The mat is of more use when you actually need to lay things on the work surface (ie, you're soldering them or otherwise "doing work on them" rather than "putting them together.")

Ecnerwal
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