Sometimes I wonder with generic PC parts if the whole ESD thing is really all that necessary or not.

I have had old PC parts, Raspberry Pi's, and even microcontroller that have been lying around under desks gathering dust for years. I've never taken any antistatic precautions with any of them, and I'm never had anything fail after me touching it.

Maybe my house just just isn't dry enough, but the risk of killing electronics with static seems to be really, really low.

Of course, nobody wants to be the guy that feels a zap and then finds that the $1000 card/chip doesn't work.

Sometimes I wonder with generic PC parts if the whole ESD thing is really all that necessary or not.

I have had old PC parts, Raspberry Pi's, and even microcontroller that have been lying around under desks gathering dust for years. I've never taken any antistatic precautions with any of them, and I'm never had anything fail after me touching it.

Maybe house just just isn't dry enough, but the risk of killing electronics with static seems to be really, really low.

Of course, nobody wants to be the guy that feels a zap and then finds that the $1000 card/chip doesn't work.