I/O shield necessary or not???

[koolman007]

hi guys,
i just bought an old BFG 680i SLI motherboard
but the problem is it didnt come with an I/O shield.
now the question is will it work without an I/O shield if yes great. if not than what could be the alternative.
Any suggestion from u guys will be highly appreciated.
thx

[SiM]

Well it will work, but it is not optimal to use like that as dust may gather up in awkward places.

Btw, welcome to hexus

[Mithrandir]

Yes, it will still work without the shield.

[staffsMike]

There's no real problem not using it.

What you will find though, is that if you have a TV in your room, freeview etc.. the signal might be effected when your PC is on due to the electrical noise.

Other than that though it's fine. I've had to take mine off due to a little mod

[koolman007]

hx for the quick reply guys.
wat bout static charge?? i have read some where that i/o shield is required to discharge the buildup of static electricity??
as for the dust problem i can use the packaging tape to cover the gap.

[koolman007]

thx for the quick reply guys.
wat bout static charge?? i have read some where that i/o shield is required to discharge the buildup of static electricity??
as for the dust problem i can use the packaging tape to cover the gaps.

[Guy]

My pc's been running for over a year without any I/O shield in place, t.v reception is uneffected

Dust is a bit of a problem but it usually gets opened fairly regularly so I just give it a quick blast with some compressed air.

Cant say ive heard anything about excess static building up without one. Although the metal bit on the PS2 k-board/Mouse slots are there to keep them grounded/to stop them shorting or something iirc?

[Agent]

hx for the quick reply guys.
wat bout static charge?? i have read some where that i/o shield is required to discharge the buildup of static electricity??
as for the dust problem i can use the packaging tape to cover the gap.

The motherboard will be grounded in several places. You won't build up static by not having an I/O shield.

[Rainmaker]

How old is 'old'? It wouldn't hurt to try BFG to see if they have spares to sell/give away You can buy spares/extras/accessories from most mobo manufacturers so it shouldn't be a problem for someone as big as BFG.

[cpemma]

Think of clear plastic cases and explain why interference should occur with just a 160mm x 45mm bit of metal shielding missing.

Biggest danger is mice getting in the case.

[heyuptiger]

it would annoy me... i would send it back... but thats just my opinion. contact the mobo manufacturer... im sure theyll send u one..

[Skyboat]

Might be worth contacting BFG, they might send you a replacement. I know that Gigabyte's UK RMA is very good, as they did the same for I/O shields or any small items that were missing with your motherboard.

[kalniel]

The I/O EMI shield does exactly what it says on the tin - shields the rest of the world from electro-magnetic interference caused by your computer components. They are technically a requirement of operating an electronic device in the EU and as such you should demand one if it's missing.

Consequences of not having one are pretty minor - the EU won't notice. There's a chance of interferring with your own radio and TV which is your own business, but there's also a small chance of interferring with your neighbours in which case you are committing some kind of offence (can't remember what type though) and if they ever discovered it you could be fined.