Mounting Screws

brycematheson712

brycematheson712

New Member
Just a quick question. When you guys are installing a motherboard into a new build do you use mounting screws first or do you just screw the motherboard into the case directly? It seems like whenever I don't use mounting screws (like the ones shown below) the motherboard shorts out and I end up having to get a new one.

People don't ever mention using these much, though. Just wondering if anybody else's have ever shorted out by not doing this.

screws_mb_mount.jpg
 
If you are installing boards by securing them right to the frame of the case all you will see is ZZZAAAPPP! good bye board! Look any prebuild or custom build to see brass colored standoffs are first spaced apart to match the openings found on the type of board going in(atx, at, micro atx).

Then fasteners are used to secure the board down onto those after. You will note the used of non conductive washers included in the small plastic bag that comes along with cases and boards. Plus the silver circle around the holes in the board itself.
 
I think that sort of made sense, but I'm not exactly sure. Is there any sort of picture that you could show me or maybe try to explain it in a little more detail?

And is the way that I'm doing it with mounting screws wrong? Basically what I got from that post was this: On the mobo itself around the screw holes, on the underside of the motherboard there will be a non-conductive brass piece. If the mobo has this, then it's okay to install it in the case along with rubber o-rings?

^^Is that completely off? Thanks for your help.
 
The board itself is kept completely electrically isolated from the chassis of any case. Only the recessed areas surrounding the screw holes are in the negative area while still seeing the small isolation washers used. The thing you need to do is review a few basic articles with one having just the right photos you can click on to enlarge to see how things are done like the first one at http://www.gen-x-pc.com/build2.htm

A more lengthy 3page article with not enough photos included is seen at http://www.pcbuyerbeware.co.uk/MBoard.htm
 
You must ALWAYS use the standoff, which you have pictured. Place the stand offs onto the motherboard tray, according to the manual of the motherboard, or where they correspond to the mounting holes in the motherboard. Make sure to fasten them to the mother board fairly tight, but not so tight you strip the threads.

Sometimes you will see plastic or rubber washers in the parts bag for the motherboard. Place those onto the screws and then screw into the stand offs. The plastic washers are to keep the screws from shorting out on the motherboard circuitry. Tighten the screws tight, but not so tight that it will crack the motherboard.

The idea is to isolate the motherboard from everything. It should never touch the case, which could very well short out and destroy the motherboard.

Is that clearer?
 
brycematheson712 said:
I think that sort of made sense, but I'm not exactly sure. Is there any sort of picture that you could show me or maybe try to explain it in a little more detail?

And is the way that I'm doing it with mounting screws wrong? Basically what I got from that post was this: On the mobo itself around the screw holes, on the underside of the motherboard there will be a non-conductive brass piece. If the mobo has this, then it's okay to install it in the case along with rubber o-rings?

^^Is that completely off? Thanks for your help.
Click to expand...

You have to use risers/spacers if you dont have a case with preformed risers on the boards tray 95% of cases dont. You only install the risers/spacers under the grounded screw holes in the board
05-mobo_fasten.jpg



mounting.jpg
 
How tight do spacers have to be? I was screwing my motherboard into the spacers and it seemed that they would not tighten. They would get pretty tight, then they would go all the way slack... they would never stay in the fully tightened position. Is this okay?
 
Hey! Thanks for all your help guys. I think I've got it. So just as long as I use risers/spacers and then the rubber rings when possible I should be alright? On my first build, nobody had ever mentioned those and I had constant problems. In more recent builds, however, I've used the spacers and haven't had any problems. I just wasn't sure if there was a more 'proper' way of doing it and the way that I was doing it was just getting me by.

Thanks for all your help!!
 
When first getting a new case you have to line the board up you are going to use to make the stand offs are lined up. The gaskets are used on both top and bottom of the board to insure you have complete isolation. Sometimes people forget one and have grounding problems realized when they first go to start up a new build. Never use metal washers!
 
Are the 'rubber o-rings' gaskets? Is that the technical term? So first I'm going to place the spacers in the case in reference the the holes on my motherboard. Then, I'm going to take the rubber gaskets and put one beneath and one above each screw whole on the motherboard and then secure it in with standard screws?
 
The spacers as they are called are not rubber but a form of thin fiberboard almost paper type. Those are commonly found in things like portable am/fm radios at times and other consumer electronics since they made of a non conductive material. Rubber can see an esd(electrostatic discharge) factor at times. Open up a box for a board, new pc case, and look at the enclosed hardware pack to find those with a few extra thrown in.
 
I think I may have described something wrong to you above. The spacers are the brass pieces that lift the motherboard off of the case. That's correct right?

And the rubber o-rings I was thinking of look like this:
4e35764e614d634735546761473958436d4367-100x100-0-0.jpg
 
brycematheson712 said:
I think I may have described something wrong to you above. The spacers are the brass pieces that lift the motherboard off of the case. That's correct right?

And the rubber o-rings I was thinking of look like this:
4e35764e614d634735546761473958436d4367-100x100-0-0.jpg
Click to expand...

When you first posted the silver screws there you knew you didn't look hard enough for a picture of the typical brass stand offs used. The pictures at the links and what was posted earlier clearly show why they are used in the first place to lift the board away from the matel chassis. The small washers are generally a brownish cranberry color to some degree and are certainly made of a "non conductive" type of material in order to electriclaly isolate the board itself from the stand offs as well as any other metal surfaces.
 
Isolating the standoffs from the motherboard is not part of the design. The motherboard is ment to have this kind of contact with the chassis.
 
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