Does Touching Metal Actually Protect Your Pc From Static?

For Decades, PC builders have relied on a simple trick to help protect their hardware from static discharge: touching the systems metal case,. But does that trick still work on a modern PC? Sadly, no older computers mothers Boards were relatively simple compared with today’s. When you turned off the power your motherboard shut down all of its components except for the CMOS clock, which kept chugging via a small battery. You could rely on your PC,S connection to the AC outlet in your wall to ground your machine safely and carry small levels of static electricity away from your body. Modern motherboards on the other hand are constantly drawing power as long as the power supply is connected to the wall outlet. To prevent the current in your body from damaging your hardware as you work on it, you must unplug the system, though this disconnects the PC from its ground as well as its power source. Since you absolutely must unplug your computer from the wall before handling its components, the current has no exit path from your system case to a proper ground. So, no touching the case isn’t likely to do you much good if you’ve unwittingly built up a significant static make certiain that you’re grounded is to use and antistatic wrist strap connected to an actual ground, such as the AC ground in you home.