Question A bit dumb question but...

[Spacekeleton]

Hello, I've built my PC a year ago and after some time after that I read somewhere that vibrations may cause screws unscrew themselves - not exactly in PCs, I only saw examples like consctruction screws under metro railways, etc.

And after that every time I take off or on my case's side panel to clean or check things, I am worried that I can affect any screws (like standoffs, or CPU cooler ones - mine is NH D15 so not the lightest one) just by putting side panels on or off and sometimes measure if anything didn't start to sag. The case is Corsair 5000D airflow if that matters.

So the question is if it is possible for screws in PCs to screw themselves off if affected by weak vibrations like moving side panels on and off? Anyone ever heard of something like that? Or am I just overthinking it?

 

[hotaru.hino]

You're overthinking it. In the past, I dunno, 20 or so years of tinkering with computers I've had no screws undo themselves because of vibrations. Or really for any reason.

 

[Vic 40]

You're overthinking it.

+1
__

 

[Gam3r01]

You said it in your first line. Not in PCs
Screws/bolts can back out under high vibration situations, nothing you would ever find in a PC.

 

[Math Geek]

same experience here as well. Never seen it happen in many many years of working with pc's

hell half the time those tiny little screws end up too tight and are a pain to take out

 

[dwd999]

Hello, I've built my PC a year ago and after some time after that I read somewhere that vibrations may cause screws unscrew themselves - not exactly in PCs, I only saw examples like consctruction screws under metro railways, etc.

And after that every time I take off or on my case's side panel to clean or check things, I am worried that I can affect any screws (like standoffs, or CPU cooler ones - mine is NH D15 so not the lightest one) just by putting side panels on or off and sometimes measure if anything didn't start to sag. The case is Corsair 5000D airflow if that matters.

So the question is if it is possible for screws in PCs to screw themselves off if affected by weak vibrations like moving side panels on and off? Anyone ever heard of something like that? Or am I just overthinking it?

If it will make you happy and allow you to rest easy you could use screws with built-in lock washers that are specifically designed to resist vibrations.

McMaster-Carr

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www.mcmaster.com

 

[hotaru.hino]

You could also use something called Loctite Threadlocker. It's a paste-type product that you put on the threads of the screw.

 

[Gam3r01]

You could also use something called Loctite Threadlocker. It's a paste-type product that you put on the threads of the screw.

It is very important to distinguish between the types of loctite. Especially when using it in the context of PCs.
Blue loctite is safe to use, it holds the threads in place but can be "broken" loose with relative ease. Its commonly found on laptop screws to prevent them falling out the bottom.
Red loctite is generally considered permanent, and wont remove easily, if at all.