anti static wrist strap really necessary?

[chickenbeef]

They should have this on Mythbusters

 

[TheRift]

I have never used one.

I would suggest if you there are carpets and not tiles.

Would suggest checking what you are wearing too. Killed my logitech dinovo on my jersey. Easy to ground yourself working on a PC, but when it's just some arb internals of a separate peripheral which cannot be plugged in it becomes worthwhile having an anti-static strap. But then you still need to have the strapped connected to something that's properly grounded.

 

[ic]

I have never used one.

I would suggest if you there are carpets and not tiles.

They should have this on Mythbusters

Click here...

 

[AxField]

Static discharge into a piece of sensitive electronics is a real and frequent danger. Why do you guys think your pc components come in these fancy bags? Surely the manufacturer will use cheaper bags if they could?

Anyway, yes, today the threat of messing up your new fancy card is not nearly as much as it would've been 20 years ago. Also, the issue was more with CMOS based devices than with TTL (as used in computers). Today's devices are designed to be safe against "normal" discharge, but make no mistake, if the charge is large enough it will destroy it.

But I still wouldn't be assembling a PC wearing my leisure suit on a dry winters day on a shag rug. This is the way I got used to doing things in the "old" days and will continue doing so in future. Anyway, it's not like a wrist strap costs a fortune, why take a chance?!

 

[TheRift]

But I still wouldn't be assembling a PC wearing my leisure suit on a dry winters day on a shag rug.

Yeah babyyy

 

[Pooky]

I have been fiddling around with my pc adding/removing components etc. for many years...

I just grab the nearest screwdriver and start tinkering away. I have had no problems.

 

[dudleygb]

yeah, the last time I replaced my processor I rubbed the pins against a flannel cloth to get them clean from dust and slapped it right back in and it was 100%