Grounding self whilst cleaning PC

[filoux]

Hi guys,
About 9 months ago, a friend built me my first ever system for music production and gaming. The machine is pretty high-spec so I'm very conscious of the need to keep the components clean and dust-free, but my experience of dealing with PCs is very limited. As such, I have yet to open it up and clean the small layer of dust that's accumulated inside, although I have been reading around the cleaning process as much as possible to ensure safety when I do get round to dusting.
I'm pretty confident I can get inside the case and not screw anything up, however one thing troubles me. The computer case I went for (the Fractal Design Define R4) has NO bare metal parts, either inside or outside. Looks like I sacrificed practicality for the sake of looks! As such, I'm worried about how I'm going to ground myself whilst cleaning it. Do you think it's wise to invest in an anti-static grounding mat (like this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Anti-Static-Universal-Earth-Grounding-700mm/dp/B00KTB4D3K/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1436486721&sr=8-4&keywords=anti+static+mat)? I'm very nervous about opening the case up without ensuring that I'm properly grounded!
thanks

 

[Reyaz123]

Yes, anti static ground mats are very good to use and I highly recommend one. They work just as good as antistatic wrist straps or better.

You will be completely safe from esd as long as you remain standing on the mat while working.

 

[PCBuilderProbs]

4 solutions for grounding:

1. Buy an anti-static wrist strap for $7. What most people who care about ESD usually do.
2. Buy an anti static grounding mat, like you've shown. Most people don't do this but it still works like the wrist strap.
3. Keep one hand on the case at all times. Most computer cases are generally grounded so keeping one hand on the case removes static from your body. Works best with cases that have metal insides and frames.
4. Not care. This is my method, even working on a $2k Titan X build for my friend. Not recommended.

 

[Martell1977]

Cleaning out the dust is not that complicated and doesn't require you to remove anything other than the side panel. Just take the opened PC outside and using a can of compressed air or an air compressor, using short bursts, blow out the dust and focus on the fans (CPU, GPU, PSU and case fans). You will want to do this outside as you don't want to blow the dust into your house. Static is only an issue if you are going to actually touch something other than the case, which this should not.

 

[computertech82]

THE best way to clean a computer is USING A CAN OF AIR. That pretty much guarantees you don't damage the computer.

 

[PCBuilderProbs]

THE best way to clean a computer is USING A CAN OF AIR. That pretty much guarantees you don't damage the computer.

that's not necessarily true because if you blast the fans without holding them down they'll spin faster than their intended RPMs and while most of the time they still work fine, this runs the risk of a fan developing a coil whine issue. This has happened on both my friend's stock cooler and mine, both of us not holding down the fans while we blasted the dust out of our PCs.

I only mention this for OP's sake: hold down the fans while you blast them, or you run the risk of damaging them. They're pretty cheap to replace though

 

[Reyaz123]

I made that same mistake when I first started working on a PC. Absolutely blasted the compressed air and the fan stopped working. You live and learn I guess lol