I’m curious about whether motherboard standoffs should be electrically conductive or insulated. Does the type of standoff have any impact on the motherboard’s protection against electrostatic discharge, especially from outside the case?
3 Answers
Honestly, this is a bit irrelevant since the charge doesn’t really travel through the motherboard either way.
Electrostatic discharge (ESD) usually isn’t a big concern today. Most modern motherboards are built to handle ESD pretty well. Just be careful when installing; make sure that none of the standoffs are shorting the board out and that you’re using the right screws.
So, are you saying it really doesn’t matter whether they’re conductive or not since the screw holes might not even connect to the motherboard circuitry?
Most modern motherboards are pretty resilient against ESD. Back in the 2000s, I had a friend who fried a few boards due to ESD, but today’s tech has come a long way. There’s actually a cool video from LTT where they test ESD effects—definitely worth checking out!
That’s pretty interesting! I guess it makes sense to shield exposed component leads on the underside of the board, mainly around the standoff holes.