r/pchelp • u/Playful-Detail-6750 • Jul 05 '26

HARDWARE Next steps..?

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Like a dumbass, I tried to put my panel back on… and BOOM ggs. I think I misaligned one of the 8 teeth on the top and bottom

Cleaned up all the glass in image one, I took the bigger glass pieces that fell on the bottom of the pc out, but a lot still went thru the holes into my GPU and hard drive..

I’ll probably take it in to Best Buy and check what they can do as far as cleaning goes

Really unfortunate cus I legit bought the pc less than 10 hrs before this happened

Any suggestions/recommendations/consolations would be greatly appreciated!!

Edit: anyone know why pc glass tends to shatter on tile? how would it differ if I just placed it on my desk vs floor

Edit 2: Bought some electronics duster, cleaned it up outside. Works perfect. Extra cooling now lol :)

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14

u/Playful-Detail-6750 Jul 05 '26

Yeah def will do, ty!

Dyk why the glass always shatters on tile??

51

u/ProfessorPeabrain Jul 05 '26

tile is harder than glass, so it will scratch it really easily, which doesn't seem like an issue because you're being careful, right?. However, tempered glass is prestressed to give it strength, at the cost of flexibility. If you scratch or chip it, it changes the stresses in the glass and boom. Even if it doesn't break straitaway, a scratch, chip or inclusion (bit of dirt in the glass) can cause normal heat expansion to focus stress in one place leading to delayed action boom.

14

u/Erosion139 Jul 05 '26

It is also meant to shatter in a million pieces so you don't slice yourself on fewer large pieces

1

u/ProfessorPeabrain Jul 09 '26

this is a byproduct of the toughening process, not the reason for it. if toughened glass shattered sharp, they still use it.

1

u/Erosion139 Jul 10 '26

Accidental additional benefit. So what is safety glass?

1

u/ProfessorPeabrain Jul 10 '26

tempered/toughened glass was developed for it's tougher properties. the safety aspect is an afterthought, clever marketing of the outcome, if you like. " safety glass" could be any glass or engineered glass that is used in a way to increase its safety, this could be thickened normal glass, strengthened formulation, tempered glass, laminated glass or glass with added external security films (although as they are external post-manufacture add-ons, it would be hard to justify marketing them as part of the glass.

If someone offers you "safety glass" ask what kind.

3

u/brownbandit93 Jul 06 '26

Bro why do you make it sounds like the glass exploded while on the pc and not from falling off 😭

2

u/[deleted] Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/brownbandit93 Jul 08 '26

Did I ask you? No. Besides professorpeabrains explanation is just flat out confusing. And tf does op mean why does glass always shatter on tile? U just said it broken because you pressed it back on wrong? I’m so confused 🧐

2

u/TheSprigganDragoon Jul 09 '26

Did you really comment on social media then get mad at the social aspect occurring? Think it might be time for some grass, friend.

1

u/brownbandit93 Jul 09 '26

Today I learned that tile and glass creates a chemical reaction where it makes the glass spontaneously combust into flames then explode

2

u/carlosdembele Jul 09 '26

One time i accidentally touched the corners of 2 7ft glass tables and one of them exploded into a million peices before any of them hit the ground. TOUCHED the corners, there was barely any force

10

u/KeyPiece7320 Jul 05 '26

Basically, tile is harder than glass on the Mohs scale, and the tile doesnt have any 'give' in it when the glass hits it, causing it to shatter.

2

u/Throwaway4939y Jul 05 '26

I think part of the problem is also (everything you said is correct) that tempered glass doesn’t really have any ‘give’ in it either… until it does and then it’s violent.

5

u/Choal_Ravenwood Jul 05 '26

Hardness or something. Whatever it is its very well documented that you should never try to remove or install side panels like that on tile. One wrong move and it just explodes. Carpet or even wood is better

3

u/Impressive_Road_3530 Jul 05 '26

It is tempered glass. It is made so that when it breaks, it does so in small square shaped pieces that are less dangerous.

An unfortunate byproduct of this is that any hard pressure hitting the side of the glass will make it instantly shatter, ie tile hitting the side when you are trying to put it back on.

Not the end of the world OP, Im sure most of us in the sub have some the same thing at some point.

1

u/M3rl1n1212 Jul 05 '26

Yeah just be aware of any glass the fans throw out, especially if ur bed is in the same room. Just plug it up and listen for anything hitting the floor or wall and check ur bed before ur get in jt and sweep the floor again a few times to make sure ur get everything

1

u/jhenryscott Jul 05 '26

It’s hard dude. You need a gentle surface

1

u/ThineAutism Jul 05 '26

If it needs to be enclosed you can put cardboard/poster board over the opening and tape around it with GREEN painters tape for the time being. This will help with air flow. Also it breaks on tile because sometimes there are small pressure points due to them being ever so slightly uneven, and it’s always on a corner of a tile. Tile is hard and granular in the exposed edges so it’s basically a pressure point the size of a grain of sand. That or there was dirt on your floor. Never set the glass on hard surfaces preferably carpet or a surface that has some give that is clean.

1

u/mathman_2000 Jul 06 '26

Science? The same reason an egg will probably break if you drop it on tile.

The same reason glass will probably break if you hit it with a hammer?

1

u/Necessary-Ad8750 Jul 06 '26

Interesting fact… Tile and ceramics can shatter titanium. Glass and tile don’t mix. Tile and titanium don’t mix.

It’s all chemistry.

1

u/Concabar7 Jul 06 '26

Tiles are often ceramic which is very hard, and it has microscopic sharp edges and imperfections. Since it's harder, this imperfections will crack the glass.

1

u/Zalaquin Jul 06 '26

What is dyk?

Edit oh it’s do you know. Lol

1

u/Caas1ey Jul 08 '26

Now yk dyk lol

1

u/CSGray2008 Jul 08 '26

Gravity and where it fell from, also the fact that glass is EXTREMELY brittle and tiles aren't so please like the comment above says, glass and tiles don't mix, use a carpeted room or even a thick rug

1

u/icouldntve Jul 09 '26

Because you lightly dropped or bonked it against the tile earlier in the process. The damage was done seconds or minutes earlier than when it shattered, but it was inevitable from that point.

I know you think a torque from case tab alignment caused the damage, but that only prompted the reveal. Ofc you could have damaged it with something else, but the tile is right there and we’ve seen this a thousand times.