General

[quote=malapo]@BobR:
I just bought an anti-static wrist strap. Where am I suppose to clip it? When you mentioned plugging in the computer (with the PSU off) while working on it, is it wrong to work on it with everything unplugged?[/quote]

(Short answer)
Clip the strap to the metal fan guard on the back of the PSU.
Second question is a little unclear- you want the PSU to be plugged in, but nothing else when you start using the wrist strap.
In other words, plug in the PSU first, and wear the wrist strap BEFORE working on anything else.
However- read this*

The entire point of an anti-static wrist strap is to bleed off the high-voltage charge that builds up on your body when you move around normally.
To do that, the strap has to be connected to something that itself is connected to an "earth ground" (which literally means connected to the Earth).

The best way to do that when building a computer is to do what I posted above.
With the PSU bolted into the case, and the PSU plugged into a grounded outlet (with the PSU switched OFF), the case itself will be grounded safely.

Then you clip the anti-static wrist strap alligator clip to a bare metal part of the case. You have to be careful to choose something out of the way so you're not always knocking it loose- I usually clip mine to the vents of the PSU on the side or top of the PSU where the vent slots give a good place for the clip to grab onto. Or you can clip it to the metal fan guard on the back of the PSU. That way the clip will stay attached to the metal and do its job.

With the PSU installed, the cord plugged into the wall and the strap connected to the metal of the PSU, any static on your body will pass safely through the cord to the wall socket ground, which is connected to an Earth ground.

That should be done BEFORE you plug anything else in or install any other components in the computer.
That way when you take things out of their anti-static bags or packaging, they'll be protected from any static charge on your body.
(Never take anything out of its anti-static packaging until you're ready to actually install it- the packaging protects it from static until it's safely into the computer.)
. .
. .
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. *Also be SURE to turn the Power Supply OFF before you work on anything inside the computer.
If you leave it turned on, it will supply voltage to the motherboard connectors when you plug them into the motherboard, which can cause damage to the components on the motherboard, and can damage memory modules if you plug them into the motherboard while power is applied.

Even if the computer SEEMS to be "off", there is STILL voltage on the motherboard connector when the Power Supply is turned ON.

Turning the switch on the back of the PSU OFF will shut it completely off, while still allowing the ground connection to protect the computer from static electricity IF it's plugged into the wall socket.

cmon it's just 6 bucks for one. wouldn't wanna risk it. plus you could use it for future builds

[quote=BobR]"Touching metal" does nothing to help with the problem unless the metal is GROUNDED to a solid earth ground.

A water pipe or faucet, yes. A metal chair or the cover of the computer case, no.[/quote]

Never mind, thanks for the help

[quote=NoobLyph]or you know, you could just touch a piece of metal before you work on it.[/quote]
"Touching metal" does nothing to help with the problem unless the metal is GROUNDED to a solid earth ground.

A water pipe or faucet, yes. A metal chair or the cover of the computer case, no.

If you don't buy a strap, I think it'd be safer to build your computer naked.

Idk, I was just very careful and nothing bad happened.

You pretty much have to be bad luck Brian for static electricity to fry one of your parts nowadays, and if you just RMA the part most of the time 90% - they'll just give you a new one if you say it was DoA.

Depends. Do you have lots of money to replace new parts if the manufacturers determine the damage was caused by improper assembly and deny the warranty claim on components damaged by static discharge..?

In other words... do you feel lucky..? Well do ya..?

Static electricity is a definite danger to electronic components, especially in an environment conducive to static buildup like having lots of carpets.
Most people manage to get everything put together without damaging anything, even if they don't take precautions, but the question is- why take the chance..?

A (properly grounded) static-wriststrap is the best protection, but you can achieve much the same result by taking some basic precautions.

First of all, install the power supply into the case first. (This is normally one of the first steps anyway.) This will connect the case of the power supply (and thus the earth ground from the power cord) to the computer case. Then turn the power switch on the back of the power supply OFF. This will prevent power from being applied to the motherboard when you plug it in. Next plug the power cord into the back of the power supply and then plug it into a grounded wall socket.

This will connect the computer case through the power supply to the earth ground of your house.
Then all you have to do is touch the metal of the case or the power supply FIRST, before you touch anything else inside the case, or pick up any of the components.
This will drain any static charge on your body to the ground, and will protect the static sensitive components from damage.

If you have a static wriststrap, clipping it onto the case or power supply would be even better, but just touching the metal of the case (as long as it's plugged in and grounded) will do pretty much the same.