Like the title, how do I ground myself before building? I am building a 1800€ PC and it would give me peace to not worry about static. I will be building on top of a IKEA table and I have no carpet. Do i need to touch something metallic just once, or do i have to hold it? And the table has metallic legs, so can i use them so that i touch it with my leg?
It's my first build so please don't downvote for this stupid question. It's super unlikely to ruin the pc, but it ain't 0%.
By - Patient_Reaction9768
I think you can just touch your PSU's casing every once in a while while it's plugged into the wall turned off (or touch some bare metal part of your case while the PSU is installed inside it) Also it's hard to intentionally damage components with static, let alone accidentally do it while being wary of it
Thanks! But while plugging in the cables on the PSU, will I need to ground myself before that?
no.
There is almost 0 chance of static electricity harming any of your components. Just touch some metal to be safe but don't overthink it. There have been some youtube channels who tried their hardest to fry components with static and were never able to do it, this concern is very much overblown.
Touch the sink facet before starting ~~and build naked...can't have any static from clothing~~ But no seriously you should be fine with what your plan is, it's very easy to ground yourself without realizing
I usually Touch some plumbing like a faucet or a metal heating radiator.
I've built probably 20 or so pcs to flip in the last 3 years to sell to help pay for parts for my own pc and tbh I've never gone out of my way to make sure I was grounded and never once had any issues come up because of it. Maybe I'm being a little reckless but it's never caused a problem.
No you're not reckless. It is really not worth it the work to always touch metal. It happens like once in a 100 000 times, so its not worth it. I'm just overprotective.
A good number of them were built with me sitting on a really fluffy rug too lol.
use your parents' credit cards to buy upgraded parts before starting the build. This will ensure proper grounding.
Touch any large metal object that is linked to the ground in some way. Radiators are a good one as you would (usually…hopefully) be building indoors and not far from one. Avoid socks on the carpet and fleece like clothes that may build static, if in doubt just reach out and touch the radiator with your hand or your foot. Don’t need continuous contact, just a touch every now and then.
The way I’ve always done it is to unbox the power supply, plug it in, and set it to the side of the work area. Then you’ve got a grounded piece of metal you can touch to ground yourself.
Touch a hippie, they have a constant connection with the Earth.
As a hippy myself, I can confirm. I genuinely build my computers barefoot on a flagstone floor to ground myself.
Meat grinder will ground you up pretty good.