I/O shield necessary or not??

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koolman007

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hi guys,
i just bought an old BFG 680i SLI motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813189003
but the problem is it didnt come with an I/O shield.
now the question is will it work without an I/O shield if yes great. if not than what could be the alternative.
i have searched ebay and found this ( http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ABIT-I-O-SHIELD-AB9-AB9-PRO-AN-52-KN9-KN9-S-KN9-SLI-1_W0QQitemZ170255605923QQihZ007QQcategoryZ16145QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262) as an alternative, but i am not sure if it will fit my mobo and casing.
Any suggestion from u guys will be highly appreciated.
thx
 

bc4

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It will still work, it is there basically to keep dust out and maybe (just a tad) to support the ports. If you have a dusty environment you could just use packaging tape and cut out the ports yourself
 

cliffro

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The ebay shield doesnt match up to the connections on your motherboard...so it will not work.

if it helps, up until my current mobo, i didn't use a shield and they worked fine...

lol I am lazy, first setup was my first build...and didnt realize i had to put it in before i put the mobo in the case, but i had everything already hooked up and didnt feel like doing it agian...and since i also have a poor memory...repeated the process multiple times...till this build where i actually remembered....
 

cliffro

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like bc4 says it does help keep dust out...mine got pretty bad over the years with both cases..... but if you blow it out occasionally it shouldnt be too bad...or use the tape like he says.
 

koolman007

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thx for the quick reply guys.
wat bout static charge?? i have read some where that i/o shield is required to discharge the buildup of static electricity??
 

bc4

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that shouldn't be a problem. I'm thinking all the ports are grounded through the wiring. But I guess there is always the .0000001 chance of frying something by plugging it in...... don't worry about it.

I was thinking, tape might not be the best thing 'cause it will collect dust, but you could easily make one out of thin cardboard or plastic ---- basically whatever you feel comfortable cutting
 

koolman007

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bc4 i was thinking of the same thing to make a cutout of a cardboard. but i can always cover the sticky park to the tape to ensure it wont collect dust. but anyways i do appreciate all ur help
now i can peacefully assemble my new pc.
thx alot again
 

cliffro

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Again i had 3 setups without a shield and all 3 were in perfect working order when i replaced them....and still work to this day even...

except an old Compaq AMD Mobo with a Athlon 750 some of the traces on the mobo got scratched and it stopped working...although when i pulled it, it was working...
 

Nik_I

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the i/o shield only grounds if you don't take off the little metal tabs that touch the ports. i accidentally took all those off so not only is the motherboard not being grounded by that plate, but it's only being held up by the ports on the motherboard. but you should have zero problems without a plate. it's there more for aesthetic reasons than anything else. mostly to fill the hole that's left in the back of the case.
 

kaysara

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I buy a lot 2nd user MB , and they always seem to arrive no sheild . so i get aluminium tape , commomely sold for air con , and air duct pipe sealing , i place tape out side and inside , main case then cut out for ports , with modeling knife , very sharpe ! take care ,so the tape is strong , and anti static as its metal , if you turn over one corner so its silver touch case , its grounded .
 
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