Have you ever wondered what will happen to your motherboard if you end up touching it by mistake? Will you end up frying it? Or will your board keep working as intended?
Touching a motherboard won’t affect its functionality, given that you’re properly grounded or are wearing protective equipment. To be safe, you should touch the motherboard at the corners, as there are no circuits present. Generally, be careful as any blunt force will harm your motherboard.
In this article, we will be shedding light on exactly what will happen when you touch your motherboard, alongside the right ways you can make contact with it if needed.
Where Can I Touch The Motherboard?
Electrostatic Sensitive Devices are components of your motherboard that can end up getting damaged by a common static charge. While touching your motherboard, the main caution you need to remember is that you don’t touch any ESD-sensitive part on your keyboard.
Transistors, integrated circuits, and capacitors are ESD-sensitive devices that can be found on your motherboard. So, if you plan on touching your motherboard, you should try to avoid these. Once you are familiar with your motherboard’s layout, you can try evading the location of ESD components on your motherboard.
However, if you are using rubber gloves or are properly grounded, touching it won’t end up damaging your motherboard. Lastly, if you want to touch your motherboard in the safest way possible, holding it from the corners will suffice as there isn’t any circuitry present on the sides.
Moreover, if you plan to install components such as RAM or a GPU to your motherboard, try not to touch the board. By applying excessive force to your board, you can end up damaging your slots. Therefore, before installing these components, it is very important that you look up how to line them up on your motherboard appropriately.
Can You Touch A Motherboard With Bare Hands?
Yes, you can. However, before you go into touching it, there are two things you need to keep in mind. Firstly, evade the ESD-sensitive devices present on your board. Secondly, make sure you don’t have any static charge build-up on you. You can ensure that by grounding yourself with the help of an anti-static wristband.
ESD-sensitive components can be damaged by as little as 6 volts of electricity, and a charged human body can generate a lot more than that. Therefore, by touching it barehanded, you are at great risk of frying up your motherboard. Moreover, if you are touching a motherboard while your PC is turned on, there is always a chance you can get electrocuted.
Lastly, the temperature of your motherboard components, such as your GPU / CPU, can vary between 86 and 194 degrees Fahrenheit which is too hot for your skin to handle/touch. So, even if you use rubber gloves, turn your computer off for at least 30-40 minutes before you touch your motherboard.
Can You Fry Your Motherboard by Touching it?
Theoretically, you can end up frying your motherboard by touching it. However, the chances of your motherboard frying up on touch is very low. The ESD-sensitive components on your board are sensitive to charge. But, the human body, in general, does not have such high quantities of charge built up unless you have a quick dancing session on your carpet and then immediately touch your motherboard.
However, you can bypass this frying problem by ensuring that you don’t have any static on you. You can do so by using an anti-static mat or a wristband while touching your motherboard. To further ensure your motherboard’s safety, you can ground yourself after every few minutes, so no charge builds up on you.
Can you Touch Your Motherboard While It Is On?
Touching your motherboard is never a good idea, let alone touching it while your PC is turned on. If you touch your motherboard while it is on, you are at a high risk of electrocuting yourself.
Moreover, touching your motherboard can also result in your board frying up or your HDD / CPU / GPU dying. In some instances, you can also face software-related issues due to faulty hard drives. So touching your motherboard when your PC is turned on can corrupt your data.
Conclusion
These days there is enough protection built into motherboards to protect themselves from frying on touch. However, touching an electronic circuit is never a good idea as there is always a risk of static transmission that can end up frying your motherboard and electrocuting you.
Therefore, we recommend that you ground yourself appropriately with the help of anti-static mats and wristbands before touching your motherboard.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Touch The Top of a Motherboard?
Yes, you can touch the top of your motherboard. But, make sure you are using the correct equipment, such as rubber gloves, antistatic mats, and wristbands. If you are going bare-handed, ensure that your hands don’t come in contact with the capacitors, resistors, or integrated circuits.
Does Scratching a Motherboard Ruin It?
Yes, depending on the depth of the scratch and its location, your motherboard can stop working as it was intended. However, If the scratch didn’t end up damaging the integrated circuits, there is a high chance that your motherboard won’t get ruined and will function as intended.
What Happens If Metal Touches Your Motherboard?
If a piece of metal touches your motherboard while your PC is turned on, there is a high chance that the static transmission will fry your motherboard. However, if it’s turned off and the piece of metal doesn’t have any charge on it, you are in the clear.
Is it OK for wires to touch the motherboard?
Yes, as long as the wires that are touching your motherboard are covered with plastic, your board won’t face any issues. However, if any of the wire that is touching the motherboard is naked, your board can end up dying.
