Help a Complete Moron Build Their First Computer

[Turtle]

Right, as I posted in the Premo rant thread, my computer died and I've given up on any hopes of repair. During finals week. While working on my first of three online finals for the day.

It was not fun.

But hey, I always wanted a desktop anyway. I was planning on buying my own car before building a computer but I guess you don't need to pay insurance or fuel bills with a PC, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

So what I'm looking for: Something that can handle Photoshop and modern games at 60FPS@1080P on higher settings. Preferably around the $1500 mark including Windows, a monitor, and a keyboard.

I've put together a list on PCPartPicker for you to look at here, so tell me any recommendations you have and tell me if there's anything I'm missing. My biggest fear is getting halfway through the build and realizing that I don't have a necessary cable.

I used this build from one of the website's staff members as a benchmark and guide, but I made a number of changes:

First, I went from a 7500K to a 7600K. I wanted something just a little more capable, but if I go with the 7500K I'll stay under my price limit when factoring in the cost of the cooler needed for the 7600K.

Second, I went with two hard drives as opposed to a hard drive and an SSD. A 7200 RPM hard drive is fast enough for me, and I need the extra space for my expansive library of music, photos, and not porn. I'll probably add SSDs later.

The last major change is that I went with a huge case. I'm still looking at alternatives, but I like this Nanoxia one a lot.

So let me know if all that checks out. I'm terrified of getting parts that don't work well together, and I had a really tough time choosing some parts like the motherboard, as much of that info goes over my head.

Also, any particularly good guides and videos on actually putting the thing together would be appreciated.

 

[dice1998]

Linus has some really really good videos to help you. You could always add an SSD later though you may as well do it now and use it for windows plus some other files..at least that's how I have mine set up.

Also, do you really need a wifi card? If you plan on doing PC Gaming, I recommend looking into powerline adapters though I'm sure others will say "yeah don't listen to this fool because wireless gaming is perfectly fine and dandy and you won't lag and you'll be top 1337 haxors!!!!"

 

[Turtle]

Linus has some really really good videos to help you. You could always add an SSD later though you may as well do it now and use it for windows plus some other files..at least that's how I have mine set up.

Also, do you really need a wifi card? If you plan on doing PC Gaming, I recommend looking into powerline adapters though I'm sure others will say "yeah don't listen to this fool because wireless gaming is perfectly fine and dandy and you won't lag and you'll be top 1337 haxors!!!!"

I thought about an SSD for Windows, but I think a decently fast HDD will be good enough.

And yes, for now I think a Wifi card is a better solution than powerline. I can't play many games online because my router couldn't be farther from my room, and I don't really even have an extra outlet to put a powerline adapter in. There's a good chance my family will end up moving within the next year, so if that hapens I'll be able to use a wired connection.

 

[Darla Starch]

Only comment I can make is the 1070 perhaps being a bit overkill for 1080p gaming. Whatever, personally I love going slightly overboard with this stuff.

 

[Lion-Face]

I would recommend getting an SSD in there rather than the dual HDD setup. You will see much better all round system performance from picking up an SSD.

You are looking at an i5-7600 instead of the 7500 for more performance, but that money is better spent in the SSD. You are only going to gain a small amount of performance from the 7600 which in most cases probably won't be noticeable, where sticking with an HDD is the bottleneck of the system. Doesn't matter how fast your CPU is, if the HDD can't load things quick enough, it's just wasted power. It will be much easier to add a 3rd HDD later on down the track for the extra storage, as it won't involve moving programs/windows to an SSD if you did that second.

 

[Nexus]

If you want to overclock - https://pcpartpicker.com/list/PH8YtJ

• Picked a slightly better CPU cooler
• Changed the motherboard to a Z270 mobo, you need a Z series to overclock
• Faster RAM
• Added an SSD (like @Lion-Face said, you'll see a much bigger performance boost with an SSD)
• Picked a better quality Power Supply

If you don't want to overclock - https://pcpartpicker.com/list/wXJ8sJ

• Changed the motherboard to a B250 mobo, as it supports faster RAM and will work with Kaby Lake CPU's out of the box (B150 mobos might need a BIOS update)
  
• Cheaper CPU cooler
• Picked the fastest RAM that the motherboard supports

Only comment I can make is the 1070 perhaps being a bit overkill for 1080p gaming. Whatever, personally I love going slightly overboard with this stuff.

For 1080P 60Hz gaming, yes. They aren't overkill for 1080P 144Hz gaming though.

 

[Turtle]

Thanks, @Lion-Face and @TwinTurbo LM.

I think I'm going to end up pushing my budget a little farther than the $1500 I was aiming for. I originally planned to start ordering parts tomorrow and try to get the thing put together over spring break, but since I'm a complete moron, I forgot that banks are closed on Sundays, and I have multiple checks to deposit. I'll just take my next paycheck in as well. At this point, might as well go all in, I've already come to terms with having to part with some of my camera gear.

I'll probably go with the non-oc build @TwinTurbo LM suggested, but may still go with a 7600.

A couple quick questions: most of this motherboard nonsense goes over my head, does anyone have a good resource that goes beyond "the motherboard is basically the body/nervous system" which I've read twenty times? Most of the other things I can sort of understand on a basic level but motherboards are beyond me right now.

Second, do I need anything else for running a second monitor? I want to have a second, more color-accurate one in the future when I have the money and the space for it.

 

[Nexus]

A couple quick questions: most of this motherboard nonsense goes over my head, does anyone have a good resource that goes beyond "the motherboard is basically the body/nervous system" which I've read twenty times? Most of the other things I can sort of understand on a basic level but motherboards are beyond me right now.

This video might be helpful.

Second, do I need anything else for running a second monitor? I want to have a second, more color-accurate one in the future when I have the money and the space for it.

Most GPU's have multiple video outputs, so all you need to do is get another cable and plug that into your GPU.
Also, for this particular monitor, you'll need to use either DVI or DisplayPort to take advantage of the high refresh rate.

Edit: Forgot to mention a few things earlier. An aftermarket CPU cooler won't be necessary if you won't be overclocking, but they will perform better and look nicer than the stock cooler.

I don't know how many Sata cables that motherboard comes with, but mine came with two. Maybe buy two cables separately, just in case the motherboard doesn't come with enough.

While it is a bit cheaper than the retail version, you won't be able to transfer the licence with the OEM version of Windows. As far as I'm aware, it'll be tied to your motherboard. Just something to keep in mind.

 

[sesselpupser]

With regards to motherboards, there are three types for consumer-grade Intel CPUs (as opposed to the enthusiast and server-grade CPUs); Z, H and B.

Z boards are the "pro gamer" (ugh) or overclocking ones, they typically have the best features and components designed to cope with the high temperatures caused by overclocking the CPU. They also tend to be the only boards with BIOS (which is now actually known as UEFI in the majority of boards) firmware that allows overclocking, but there are exceptions to that rule. They're usually designed to allow SLI or Crossfire dual graphics card setups so there'll be a pair of PCIe x16 slots with a slower slot between them. They also tend to have the best audio DAC, sometimes an extra hard drive controller chip, the most USB 3.0/Type C/eSATA/M.2/other flavour of the month cutting edge I/O ports available on a motherboard and stupid stuff like RGB lighting and there are even some with ports for controlling RGB strip lights. Because, of course, nothing says "pro gamer" like pretty colours.

H boards are gaming boards that don't allow overclocking (again, there are exceptions). There's not a lot to say about them, they're designed for use with just one graphics card like some sort of pleb and are generally good, just less flexible than Z boards.

B boards are generally for business use, meaning they're as cheap and basic as you can get. I've seen some older ones with I/O ports (like the front panel USB 3.0 header) placed so that you can't use them with basically any higher end (i.e. dual lane width) graphics card installed so it'll be worth looking at pictures to make sure they're ok.

The other consideration is the size; ATX, mATX or mITX. The best for general purpose use is mATX; it's nice and small, has four PCIe slots (of which you'll be able to use three, maybe two if you have a Zotac Amp Extreme graphics card like me) and at least four SATA ports. ATX is pointless for most people because basically no one needs so many PCIe ports without a pretty specialist application and mITX boards are extremely cramped and inflexible, they're only really for people who are targeting the smallest possible physical size.

At the end of the day, as with any component, you get what you pay for and whatever you buy will at least work, all you get for your money is more options.

 

[Turtle]

Thanks again, guys. Just another thing I need clarified: The case I want has 3-pin connectors for the fans, and the motherboard @TwinTurbo LM suggested has 4-pin slots. Google says it should be fine but I just want to be sure.

Also I sure hope that "hi-fi" audio doesn't mean cranking the bass into infinity like it usually does, or it can at least be disabled.

Edit: Now that I'm less sleepy I can process a little more of what @neema_t said. Should I look for a Z270 board instead of a B250?

 

[AlvaroF]

Of the little I know about computers, in my opinion, the 1070 is a bit overkill for decent 1080p gaming, I belive the 1060 is good enough and. Also I think the Z170 is enough, it might have a few less features than the Z270, but it should be fine. I also went for a SSD-HDD combo, SSD for a boot drive, for either OS or programs. A better, slightly more powerful PSU. I went also for a cheaper case and a cheaper (although it is personal opinion, because I prefer MX Browns for typing) keyboard. Check the part list here.

For the computers pros/nerds out there if there's anything I got less right please correct me!

 

[sesselpupser]

Yes, 3 pin fans work with 4-pin fan headers, the extra pin is for PWM control (basically a way of varying the speed, I don't think I've ever actually encountered one).

Edit: Now that I'm less sleepy I can process a little more of what @neema_t said. Should I look for a Z270 board instead of a B250?

I'd suggest an H270 minimum, get a Z270 if you get a 7xxxK CPU so you can overclock it but if you don't get a K, there's not much reason to choose a Z motherboard over an H. The Z170 boards will work with Kaby Lake with a BIOS update but there's not really much reason to deliberately choose an older generation of motherboard, I don't think there's much difference in price.

Edit: some more reading about which motherboard to buy: https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Z270-H270-Q270-Q250-B250---What-is-the-Difference-876/
Also I'd like to draw attention to the bit at the bottom:

For example, while the H270 chipset may sound like the ideal choice for the majority of our customers, we have found that the Z270 motherboards are often a better fit even if a customer doesn't need the extra features present in the Z270 chipset. The main reason is that motherboard manufactures tend to add more additional ports, headers, and features on their Z270 motherboards since that is what is considered the "premium" chipset. Often times, just a couple of additional ports can make the difference between a motherboard working for a customer out of the box or needing to use add-on PCI-E cards to get the wanted functionality.

Meaning that just because a chipset can support x amount of y ports, it doesn't mean the manufacturer will actually implement them. Additionally, manufacturers can add additional I/O controllers for more ports than the chipset supports, though they'll likely operate slower.

 

[Turtle]

@AlvaroF I think your link may be broken, it keeps going back to the list I'm working on.

Also, I'm still messing around with the second draft of my parts list, but I changed my keyboard to a Corsair Strafe with MX Browns. I tried a mechanical keyboard for the first time the other day, and I didn't like the feel of the Reds all that much. Very vague.

@neema_t Thanks! I think I'm beginning to wrap my head 'round all this motherboard stuff. My current parts list now has an MSI Z270M Mortar but I'll take a look at some H270 boards when I get back from work.

It's so exciting beginning to understand some of this.

 

[Nexus]

I would personally go with either a B250 or a Z270 motherboard, the pricing of H270 boards is way too close to entry-level Z270 boards IMO.

Of the little I know about computers, in my opinion, the 1070 is a bit overkill for decent 1080p gaming, I belive the 1060 is good enough

The RX 480 and GTX 1060 are good for 1080P 60Hz, but the 1070 is more suitable for 1080P 144Hz, which is what the monitor @Turtle has selected is.

 

[AlvaroF]

@Turtle, hm, I based it on your list, but I guess it didn't save. Anyway, I listed the changes I made. I actually own a MX Brown keyboard and it's an awsome experience and very easy to type. The Blues feel the same as the browns but make that clicky sound. To me those are solid choices for an all-rounder mech keyboard.

@TwinTurbo LM I understand, thank you for the clarification. This is way I wanted to join this thread, so I can learn more and more.

 

[Turtle]

I'm actually only getting that particular monitor because it has a fast response time, low price, and is reportedly at least somewhat color accurate after calibration. 144hz is just a bonus.

 

[Danoff]

So what I'm looking for: Something that can handle Photoshop and modern games at 60FPS@1080P on higher settings. Preferably around the $1500 mark including Windows, a monitor, and a keyboard.

I'm actually only getting that particular monitor because it has a fast response time, low price, and is reportedly at least somewhat color accurate after calibration. 144hz is just a bonus.

If that's the case, I'd back off on the CPU.

A few notes from somebody who built his first computer as a 486 with ram measured in megabytes.
- Wifi is terrible for gaming. You've got a decent chance of getting weird lag spikes randomly, especially with windows drivers. Whatever money you have to cut out of your computer build to get a wire for internet is worth it. Skip the power line, run cat5e or cat6.
- SSDs are amazing... it is the most transformative element in the computer. I can't believe I don't have one in my desktop.
- Dual monitors are amazing. If I were building from scratch, I'd sacrifice a lot to get dual monitors.
- Mechanical keyboards are amazing (mine is daskeyboard).

Don't get too hung up on processor or GPU specs. They'll be outdated before you can blink.

 

[Turtle]

Right, before it gets too much closer to my part ordering day, I want to run my revised parts list past you all. You can see it here. I'm considering ditching one of the 1TB drives and upgrading the SSD to a larger capacity but haven't decided yet.

What I've changed from my first draft:
Removed the thermal paste, as the cooler comes with some already.
Went from a B150 board to a Z270.
Chose slightly faster RAM.
Including a Samsung SSD (You've all sufficiently swayed me).
Now have a 650W power supply, up from 550.
Non-OEM Windows 10.
Changed keyboards from the K70 to the Strafe.
Added the following tools and cables: Electrostatic wristband, magnetic screwdriver kit, DVI-D cable, and two extra SATA cables because all of the builds I've watched only had two to begin with, and I'll need 4.

Anything I'm forgetting? Do I need extra SATA power cables as well?

@Danoff I'm very aware of how bad wifi is for gaming, but I don't typically play too many games outside of single player, and it really just isn't possible for me to get a wired connection. Like I said earlier in the thread, I will likely end up moving in the coming year, and since I'm the only one in the house that would have a desktop, I'll be able to move to a wired connection at that point in time.

One thing I am slightly worried about concerning the wifi card is that on the motherboard I have selected it looks like there's no place for it to mount above unless I put the graphics card in the 'lower' PCIe x16 slot, so it would be slightly impeding the graphics card's fans.

Finally: Yeah, it's a bit overkill for what I wanted, but I have a habit of not buying what I really want at first, and then upgrading to what I originally wanted later. I'd rather have something over the top than something underwhelming. I'd like to not have to do much upgrading again for a while, save for adding two more sticks of RAM and an M.2 SSD, both of which are pretty easy to add later.

 

[Nexus]

@Turtle I think you linked the wrong parts list, it's directing me to a previous version.

On the topic of SSD's, the Crucial MX300 275GB is a little bit cheaper than the 850 Evo 250GB. It more storage space, and you probably won't be able to tell the difference in speed. It does have a 3 year warranty though, compared to the 5 year warranty of the Samsung. Both are good options though.

I'd also swap out the DVI cable for a DisplayPort cable, this video explains the difference between different display connectors.

 

[Turtle]

@TwinTurbo LM You're right, wrong link. Does this look right? Thanks for letting me know about the DisplayPort cable, I'll be sure to pick one of those up instead.

 

[Nexus]

Yep, that looks good to me. I'd pick a different CPU cooler, something like the Be Quiet! Pure Rock or the Cryorig H7 would be better options than the 212 Evo.

 

[Darla Starch]

@TwinTurbo LM You're right, wrong link. Does this look right? Thanks for letting me know about the DisplayPort cable, I'll be sure to pick one of those up instead.

This is gonna sound really weird, but when I checked out the original link you posted, I wasn't even directed to your build, but rather my revamped dream build (1080Ti + 4K monitor ahoy).

Anyway, yours. At this point, I'm mainly curious about the dual 1TB hard drives. Seperate or a RAID setup?

 

[Turtle]

Yep, that looks good to me. I'd pick a different CPU cooler, something like the Be Quiet! Pure Rock or the Cryorig H7 would be better options than the 212 Evo.

Awesome. What makes you recommend those two coolers over the Cooler Master? I only chose it because it's very popular and has the bonus of coming with its own thermal paste.

This is gonna sound really weird, but when I checked out the original link you posted, I wasn't even directed to your build, but rather my revamped dream build (1080Ti + 4K monitor ahoy).

Anyway, yours. At this point, I'm mainly curious about the dual 1TB hard drives. Seperate or a RAID setup?

Nope, not weird at all. Pcpartpicker is a little finnicky, it seems.

Probably just going to keep the drives separate, but I haven't totally decided. I don't have a very thorough understanding of RAID setups, so I need to do some researching before deciding.

 

[Dave A]

Although I'm unfamiliar with that website, there are much faster out there than the Samsung Evo 850's right now. They are good, and fast, but a SM961 is around 4 times faster and a PM961 is not much slower than that. The 960 Pro is the fastest though and looking at that site, not that much more expensive at the moment either.

Actually the 256gb 960 is cheaper than the 256gb PM961, odd, but anyhoo, they're fantastically fast drives. If you can afford one of those I would go for it and install windows and any apps that run on start up on it.

Think read speeds of up to 3500MB/s and that's what you get with the 960 pro over 540MB/s from the 850 Evo.

 

[Nexus]

Awesome. What makes you recommend those two coolers over the Cooler Master? I only chose it because it's very popular and has the bonus of coming with its own thermal paste.

The 212 Evo is a decent cooler, but it's a bit overrated to be honest. Those other coolers perform a bit better, while also producing less noise.

Spoiler

https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/beQuiet/Pure_Rock/
[/SPOILER}
No need to worry about getting thermal paste, most aftermarket coolers have that pre-applied.

 

[SVX]

I'd be interested to see how this build holds up. I have similar requirements for my future computer so it will be good to see how the components deal with them.

 

[Danoff]

Added the following tools and cables: Electrostatic wristband, magnetic screwdriver kit, DVI-D cable, and two extra SATA cables because all of the builds I've watched only had two to begin with, and I'll need 4.

You don't need a magnetic screwdriver kit, any screwdriver is fine. I actually don't like using magnetized tips because you're inducing current in the nearby circuits. Not much, of course, and I've never had a magnetic tip cause any problems, but it's ever so slightly better to not have one.

You also don't need an electrostatic wristband, just try to lay part of your arm on the case while you're working on it. Better if you're standing on a hard floor rather than carpet, but I've done motherboard installs on carpet with no wristband and not hurt anything.

DVI cables are outdated and irritating. Get HDMI, they're cheaper and more forward compatible. If you don't have an HDMI port on your graphics card or monitor, get a DVI-HDMI adapter and run the HDMI cable between.

Every motherboard I've bought recently comes with plenty of SATA cables. It's not a horrible idea to have extras, but it's probably not necessary.

Anything I'm forgetting? Do I need extra SATA power cables as well?

Your power supply should have SATA power. If you somehow run out of SATA power cables you'll need a molex-SATA adapter, but I don't think you'll run out. One thing to check, and this is not going to be easy to check, is to make sure that your power supply has the right connector for your main motherboard power. I've had problems with power supplies not having the right power connector. Here's an example of someone who is missing the extra little bit (sometimes it's a separated cable) to connect up their motherboard.

Another one to worry about (and this is also hard to check ahead of time), is the CPU power

That's a 4-pin connector for the CPU. ^^

I haven't checked your motherboard, but I'm guessing (just based on that it's new and it's an i7) that it takes 8. So your PSU needs an 8 pin or 2x4pin connector.

Finally: Yeah, it's a bit overkill for what I wanted, but I have a habit of not buying what I really want at first, and then upgrading to what I originally wanted later. I'd rather have something over the top than something underwhelming. I'd like to not have to do much upgrading again for a while, save for adding two more sticks of RAM and an M.2 SSD, both of which are pretty easy to add later.

While it's true that it's generally a bad idea to get less than you want and then keep paying for incremental upgrades - for most things in life... computers aren't really one of them. It's a deflationary market. Computer components go nowhere but down in price, and pretty fast. The longer you can put off buying any of them, the better. I can only think of 2 caveats to that. One is the motherboard - because if you upgrade your processor you may get pushed to a new motherboard, and the other is the operating system. I try to stay with the oldest operating system I can when it comes to windows. I'll even do that if it costs more to do so.

I don't know if Win7 can still be gotten, but I'm currently favoring it over W10 for my computers.

Regarding motherboards, I find that I upgrade infrequently enough that I just have to get a new motherboard every time no matter what. If you wait even like... 3 years.... which isn't that long, you'll probably need a new MB no matter how hard you try to futureproof.

@Danoff I'm very aware of how bad wifi is for gaming, but I don't typically play too many games outside of single player, and it really just isn't possible for me to get a wired connection. Like I said earlier in the thread, I will likely end up moving in the coming year, and since I'm the only one in the house that would have a desktop, I'll be able to move to a wired connection at that point in time.

I don't know how much of a gamer you are, but if you think you're not that much into games, let me tell you what I have:

i5-4670, 8 GB Ram, Windows 7, GTX-460. It plays overwatch and diablo 3 just fine. If I needed to play more intense games I'd just upgrade my GPU.

 

[sesselpupser]

Although I'm unfamiliar with that website, there are much faster out there than the Samsung Evo 850's right now. They are good, and fast, but a SM961 is around 4 times faster and a PM961 is not much slower than that. The 960 Pro is the fastest though and looking at that site, not that much more expensive at the moment either.

Actually the 256gb 960 is cheaper than the 256gb PM961, odd, but anyhoo, they're fantastically fast drives. If you can afford one of those I would go for it and install windows and any apps that run on start up on it.

Think read speeds of up to 3500MB/s and that's what you get with the 960 pro over 540MB/s from the 850 Evo.

I personally think the difference between an 850 Evo and 960 Evo, while huge on paper, doesn't really translate to a £100 difference in practice (explained below). I personally have an Intel 600p boot drive which is only slightly more expensive than the 850 Evo (I also have three 850 Evos and an 840, though) and I think the the difference is worth the price in that case.

The reason I don't think the 960 Evo is worth it is because on non-Enthusiast boards, you get 16 PCIe lanes that go straight to the CPU and they're typically only available through the two PCIe x16 slots on the motherboard; either 16 for one graphics card or 8 each for two. M.2 ports are, I think, routed through the PCH which multiplexes all of the other I/O on the motherboard - USB, SATA, M.2, etc. - through just four PCIe lanes called the Direct Media Interface (DMI 3.0 on LGA 1151 boards). That means you get just under 4GB/s of bandwidth, so the 960 Evo will never be able to perform at the advertised speeds on 'consumer' boards. There may be motherboards designed so that you can choose to run your graphics card at x8 speed and then have 8 lanes left for M.2 media, but I'm not aware of any. Enthusiast CPUs have far more lanes so you can connect an M.2 SSD directly to the CPU's own lanes, though, bypassing the PCH.

Also the SM and PM961 are OEM drives so you don't get a warranty with them, I think. If you were to have any issues with them Samsung would just tell you to speak to whoever built your PC, which would be you, and... Yeah.


As for the 212 Evo, I think it kind of depends on its reputation as the go-to cheap cooler but that's not to say it's not good, it's just not the best there is. If you don't want to think about it you won't be losing out on much at all if you settle for one. I've probably massively overpaid for my cooler (a Noctua NH-U9S) but it's quieter than the 212 Evo I used to have and my CPU temperatures have never risen enough for it to become audible, either. Also the fan is beige.

In my opinion, as long as nothing is getting hot enough to cause thermal throttling, it's better to prioritise noise over cooling performance. Like, there's only a certain level of cooling performance that'll actually benefit you, beyond that it's unnecessary and if you're trading quietness for extra cooling performance on top of what you actually need, you're doing it wrong. That said, the bulk of coolers these days are both quiet and good enough for most people, so it's not a big deal.

 

[BobK]

Excellent advice overall, @Danoff, but I disagree strongly on one thing:

You also don't need an electrostatic wristband, just try to lay part of your arm on the case while you're working on it. Better if you're standing on a hard floor rather than carpet, but I've done motherboard installs on carpet with no wristband and not hurt anything.

ESD can be funny. You'll stand on the carpet in the middle of winter installing a motherboard and nine times out of ten you won't have a problem. That tenth time, however... Worse, you don't know what problem(s) it may have caused. It may not be something obvious such as being totally dead, and it may not manifest itself until quite some time later.

ESD wristbands are cheap insurance. You can pick one up for five dollars or less.

 

[Danoff]

Excellent advice overall, @Danoff, but I disagree strongly on one thing:



ESD can be funny. You'll stand on the carpet in the middle of winter installing a motherboard and nine times out of ten you won't have a problem. That tenth time, however... Worse, you don't know what problem(s) it may have caused. It may not be something obvious such as being totally dead, and it may not manifest itself until quite some time later.

ESD wristbands are cheap insurance. You can pick one up for five dollars or less.

Yea, but if you just make sure you're in contact with the case... they're pointless. All it does it put you in contact with the case.