Reddit reviews Rosewill Anti-Static Mat with Grounding Wire. ESD Mat Size 23.6 x 23.6 Inch. 10 Feet Coiled Grounding Cable with Alligator Clip ESD Desktop Mat RTK-ASM
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Dimensions: 23.6" x 23.6"Length of grounding cord: 10ft.Top Layer - Anti-Static PVC (Ivory)Bottom Layer - PVC Foam (Black)Resistance: 10e7 - 10e9 Ohm
When an anti-static bag is closed, electricity flows on the outside of the bag, not touching whats inside. When you put something like a video card on the outside of the bag, the video card becomes part of the circuit, and electricity can freely pass through it. You can read more about Faraday cages here http://science.howstuffworks.com/faraday-cage.htm
What you want is an anti-static rubber mat like this, with a connected wrist strap. The rubber is not conductive, and the wrist strap gives a path of least resistance for any static to flow away from the mat.
Turning the anti-static bag inside out nullifies the Faraday cage, because only 1 side of the bag (the outside) has the actual cage. Don't throw away the bags either, if they are in good condition they can be used again to store different PC parts or electronics. The bags aren't ruined when they are opened, but in order for them to work properly, the PC part needs to be inside of it, and the bag needs to be closed.
A wrist strap makes damage from static discharge highly unlikely but its not required. I have built about 20+ pcs and most of which was on office carpet at a conference table and all i did was touch the metal of the case to ground myself.
Here’s another option: Rosewill Anti-Static Mat with Grounding Wire. ESD Mat Size 23.6 x 23.6 Inch. 10 Feet Coiled Grounding Cable with Alligator Clip. Rosewill ESD Desktop Mat RTK-ASM https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004N96WQ0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_xxmaBbFVK6G25
If you aren’t break dancing in socks on a carpet with a wood stove on full blast while building a pc you can get away with just touching the metal of the case. If you find that every time you do touch the metal of the case you get a noticeable shock, an ESD device may not be a bad idea.
http://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-RTK-ASM-Anti-Static-Mat/dp/B004N96WQ0
Open and place all components on here before building. Touch mat before building.
Mid 2011? If you don't have a warranty, I'd go ahead and open it up, take some cotton swabs and compressed air to the internal fans/heatsinks. You won't break anything, so long as you do not force anything but don't be afraid to use SOME force though, some of those plastics will need a little bit of leverage. Follow this guide as far as you need to, to remove the covers.
Then once you've uncovered the fans, just get all that dust and stuff out, and you're good! I would recommend you do this on an open table/working area without synthetic fiber clothing on, preferably in a non-carpeted area. If you have an anti-static wristband, yay for you. Do it on a garage workbench if you've got one, or something of that nature. Just don't build up static electricity. If you can see or hear the arc from built up static electricity, it's far beyond enough to fry things. No pressure!
http://blog.parts-people.com/2012/08/01/dell-xps-15z-l511z-heatsink-removal-and-installation/
You'll definitely need a small screwdriver, but these I'd also recommend on principle:
http://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-Anti-Static-Components-Other-RTK-ASM/dp/B004N96WQ0/
http://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-RTK-002-Anti-Static-Components-Yellow/dp/B004N8ZQKY/
If you're feeling up to the task and want to reseat your CPU heatsink:
http://www.amazon.com/Arctic-Silver-Thermal-Compound-Grams/dp/B000OGX5AM/
Good luck and have fun! :)
Get a mat too
Rosewill Anti-Static Mat with Grounding Wire. ESD Mat Size 23.6 x 23.6 Inch. 10 Feet Coiled Grounding Cable with Alligator Clip ESD Desktop Mat RTK-ASM https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004N96WQ0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_kodaCb2EHMA2A
Got the mat and wristband on Amazon, both made by Rosewill:
Rosewill Anti-Static Mat Components Other RTK-ASM Black, Ivory
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004N96WQ0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_nMa.wbKGH1TGY
Rosewill ESD Anti-Static Wrist Strap Components RTK-002, Black/Yellow
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004N8ZQKY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_ZMa.wbPZ78YZA
would an anti-static mat be acceptable?
Because I like to over-do everything I use one of these:
But really that's unnecessary. You'll find that you can do everything with just the case and the motherboard box.
Typically you fit the CPU and cooler to the motherboard while it's still in the box, transfer that directly into the case, and every other component goes directly into the case. Nothing needs to be sitting around on the table.
Tip: if possible ground the case before you begin. If you're in a country where wall plugs have a ground pin (e.g. the UK) then install the PSU in the case and plug it into the wall socket (socket switched off) - this will ground the case for you.
Then you make sure to touch the case frequently during the build to discharge yourself (extra important if you're standing on carpet).
It's also very good practice that whenever you touch any computer components with your bare hands to have an ESD on your wrist at all times. Static buildup from you can discharge onto the very tiny electronic components and fuse the nano circuits of a computer. You would never feel or see it either as it takes fractions of what it would take for you to feel. It may not destroy your computer, but it'll rob you of a lot of performance that you just paid top dollar for. That's just my $.02. I work in IT and have A+ certification.
ESD mat for your work top
ESD wrist strap to be clipped to the case to ground you
edit- I forgot to say how fucking cool your setup looks btw. I love the ingenuity.