Please explain stand-offs between mobo and case

clemenzina · 24 Apr 2006 at 10:04

Excuse me starting a new post, this is still on the subject of non-POSTing GeForce 6100 + Sempron + 512mb DDR400. I'm just desperate for attention!

Besides the user-review saying that the board won't POST with DDR400, I've also found one saying (I'm paraphrasing):

"Make sure you have a metal screw in every standoff hole in this board. I put a plastic stand-off in one and the board wouldn't POST until I replaced it with metal".

So did that reviewer have a case like mine (GlobalWin 802) which does not have a standoff positioned under one of the holes in the mobo? How can I improvise? I don't have a washer to use if I put a screw up thru the underside of the mobo to hold the screw tight to the mobo...

... and if anyone could explain what the little orangey washers do and exactly where they should go... mine are between the standoff screws and the mobo, it's always worked OK like that. Someone must have told me to put them there a long time ago, but it's been suggested that, if one uses them at all, they should go between the screws and the metalised rings around the holes in the board.

There's only 2 things left to try before writing off this board as DOA, and that's DDR266 or 333 (neither of this I have) and the replacement of the plastic standoff I've had to use.

Yours beggingly,

clemenzina

Jimbo Mahoney · 24 Apr 2006 at 10:27

They're grounding points.

And yes, I've had a few problems with mobos not posting because of them before.

welshtom · 24 Apr 2006 at 10:29

Can do away with the orange washers too

Tom

Steves_pc · 25 Apr 2006 at 02:18

Never used the washers and quite often fire the board up ontop of the mobo box before i even fit it in the case! and thats after a good few years of pc building, biggest problem fault finding is not having enough spare parts to try.

errata · 25 Apr 2006 at 23:28

Washers protect the pads on the board when you twist the screw in. Dont need them unless you intend to install and uninstall the baord a lot.

Do use a metal post for every hole on the mobo and make sure thers no extra ones fitted in the case tha might contact something they should not.

metal standoffs can be bought or taken from scrap systems unless your case uses special ones.

One plastic stand off should not stop a sstem from working unless others are missingas wel

PinkFloyd · 26 Apr 2006 at 08:10

If standoffs are required how come my system worked fine before it was in a caase and the motherboard was just led flat on my desk ontop of the foam that it came on then?

errata · 26 Apr 2006 at 14:12

there are requred in a metal case else fizz bang

I nearly always test new boards on the foam before installing them, never had one not work

Skilldibop · 26 Apr 2006 at 16:33

PinkFloyd said:
If standoffs are required how come my system worked fine before it was in a caase and the motherboard was just led flat on my desk ontop of the foam that it came on then?

It will work, but there's no escape for any Static charge. If ANY static were to contact the board it would shoot back to the PSU down the 0v traces VIA (and probably frying) delicate components on the way.