Building my first PC.

[Aviv]

What is a safe working surface ? should I put all the parts on a towel while i build the PC ?

How do I ground myself effectively ? should I build the PC bare foot ? how I properly ground myself (have no idea what grounding myself means) using the PSU or some suggest using the PC case ? any keys to escape common mistakes that lead into harming the hardware with electricity of some form ?


What are the common mistakes while building a PC ?

Some tips and guide lines to how hard/loose I should screw the different kind of screws ,standoffs backplates and all that stuff ?


I did some work on really old and low value PC parts , but this is the first time I work with experience investment of mine so i really want to do all things the right way.


Thank you all for the help.

 

[holyrage]

will what i did when i built my pc was put it on a hard surface i was bare foot

also dont forget to touch the case metal to discharge any static electricity and correctly install your motherboard standoffs and don't forget your CPU cooler back plate if u have one u don't want to put everything together just to find out u have to take it back apart to install the cpu cooler

 

[rezeile008]

stay away from carpets
have plenty of space
use a hard surface
wear shoes preferably
don't wear fleecy stuff (this is prone to static)
stay away from liquids
you can put the motherboard on top of its box (somehow it helps for me, for some reason)
you can make use of the bubble or rubber wraps to put down your components on, when not yet needed
get a bowl (for your screws so you don't lose them)
don't over tighten the screws (just make a snug fit, there is no benefit of having over tight screws, unless your computer is in a van and you travel around with it)
the pro advise is to wear an electrostatic wrist strap (i don't do this but then i'm no pro. If you spent hard earned cash and bought the most expensive stuff, maybe you'd want to be safe and get one, you can buy those cool rubber mat things while you're at it (the one they put in the table and they do the assembly on it)
you might also want to try connecting everything first, then powering the system on, before attaching the motherboard and everything else to the tower. (we do this to check first that all the parts are working before we do the building, it's frustrating having built everything only to find out that the power supply is spoiled)

happy building!

 

[Aviv]

Thank you all , so it is safe to put the motherboard on the motherboard box while running outside of the case in order to check everything is working , if i put it on a towel will it be better?

what is the best (safe) surface to put the motherboard on while running it outside of the case ?

 

[rezeile008]

Thank you all , so it is safe to put the motherboard on the motherboard box while running outside of the case in order to check everything is working , if i put it on a towel will it be better?

what is the best (safe) surface to put the motherboard on while running it outside of the case ?

The safest surface is the anti-static mod-mat, if you're into it, check one out, it has grounding clips and anti static straps and stuff, costs about 30+ dollars. but it's usually only used by pros and enthusiasts.

For ordinary guys the box is fine. its non-conductive, the level it gives helps you snap down the parts firmly and the box edges makes it easy and comfortable to attach the jumbo cards. You can turn it on while its on it, should be no problem.

Never saw anyone using a towel before. If you do it should be completely dry, not moist, the components could also hook on to the fabric so its probably not the best option.

Oh by the way don't put the mobo on top of the shiny wrapper things and turn it on, those things are conductive.

 

[Aviv]

Thank you rezeile008 , can you please share me some tips/guide lines about how I should handle the motherboard while I install the backplate of the CPU cooler.

 

[rezeile008]

Thank you rezeile008 , can you please share me some tips/guide lines about how I should handle the motherboard while I install the backplate of the CPU cooler.

install it first, before even the processor, forgetting it is a common frustrating mistake. as for tips, there's nothing much really, since your mobo is still bare you can just flip it and attach the backplate, then proceed as normal. The order of building should be starting from the hardest to reach first going to the easiest ones. Also, do the out of case build first, then test the system, then do the in-casing build.

I find myself touching the casing often since i'm too lazy to buy a wrist strap. touching the casing should remove the ESD from you, as you may have experienced in carpeted offices. touching another person works as well. =p