Installing graphics card - static problem

Hello

I have a potential problem and I don't know where else to post it.
Anyway I recieved a graphics card (a radeon 9800 xt) yesterday after
buying it from ebay (intending to install it myself after hearing from
a friend what a peasy task it is). I proceeded to rip open a bag of
chips as I was quite hungry before installing it. After I finishing, I
washed my hands (with anti-bacterial soap) and dried my hands on a
t-shirt (made from 100% cotton - I am a lazy male and could not be
bothered finding a towel). Then I hastily opened up the box and
packaging -completely forgetting to ground myself to rid myself of
static charge - to have look. Only then with the graphics card in my
hands ( I was studying it for around 45 seconds - it looked
magnificent), did I remember about the static precaution.

Well... thats the epic over. Now, I am quite hesitant to put a
potentially faulty graphics card in my computer incase it causes any
damage. What are the chances of damage from static electricity from my
inexperienced handling of this computer hardware, and are there any
chances of my computer being further damaged by putting such a
potentially damaged product in it. Sorry if I'm being silly, but i
don't want to damage my new computer. Appreciate any help.

NN

On 15 Jun 2005 16:23:29 -0700, "Interplanetary Pirate"
<Nahide.TakeThisOut@talk21.com> wrote:
 >I have a potential problem and I don't know where else to post it.
 >Anyway I recieved a graphics card (a radeon 9800 xt) yesterday after
 >buying it from ebay (intending to install it myself after hearing from
 >a friend what a peasy task it is). I proceeded to rip open a bag of
 >chips as I was quite hungry before installing it. After I finishing, I
 >washed my hands (with anti-bacterial soap) and dried my hands on a
 >t-shirt (made from 100% cotton - I am a lazy male and could not be
 >bothered finding a towel). Then I hastily opened up the box and
 >packaging -completely forgetting to ground myself to rid myself of
 >static charge - to have look. Only then with the graphics card in my
 >hands ( I was studying it for around 45 seconds - it looked
 >magnificent), did I remember about the static precaution.
 >
 >Well... thats the epic over. Now, I am quite hesitant to put a
 >potentially faulty graphics card in my computer incase it causes any
 >damage. What are the chances of damage from static electricity from my
 >inexperienced handling of this computer hardware,

Pretty slim. Static electricity can be a problem, but it's relatively
rare. If your neck of the woods is anything like around here it may
also be fairly humid this time of year, again reducing the chances of
any sort of ESD damage.

Given that you purchased the card on e-Bay, I'd say that chances are
about 100x more likely that any potential problems with the card would
have been caused BEFORE it arrived in your hands, grounding or no.

 > and are there any
 >chances of my computer being further damaged by putting such a
 >potentially damaged product in it. Sorry if I'm being silly, but i
 >don't want to damage my new computer. Appreciate any help.

If, by some rather unfortunate chance, you did damage the card it is
still quite unlikely that it would cause any further damage.
Computers are pretty good about protecting themselves from faulty
equipment. While there's never any 100% guarantee, you're probably
pretty damn safe.

Long story short, go for it. Throw the card in.

-------------
Tony Hill
hilla <underscore> 20 <at> yahoo <dot> ca<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->