5 Cheap Amazon Tools Every PC Owner Should Have In Their Collection – BGR

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Owning a PC involves more than just hunting down the best graphics cards, CPU, RAM, cases, and storage options; it also means ensuring you put these parts together in the most efficient way possible and managing both the external and internal components so they last longer. Fried motherboards, lost screws, throttled performance, and mid-build panic attacks are all scenarios you can avoid by investing in the right set of tools. Don’t worry; you don’t have to splurge $75 on a full-blown toolkit. There are loads of affordable options that rival their premium counterparts and don’t leave you wanting for more.

It turns out that an anti-static wrist strap, a magnetic tray, cable ties, 99% isopropyl alcohol, and a magnetic screwdriver set, all in the $5 to $12 range, are all you need, whether you’re a first-time builder or a seasoned PC tinkerer. Together, they offer safer and more convenient assembly and maintenance, as well as a clutter-free workspace. The best part? You can easily find all these gadgets on Amazon, which offers fast delivery and hassle-free returns if you’re not satisfied with the product.

Ever felt a zap when you touch a doorknob or pick up an object from your table? That’s your body releasing built-up static energy. While it may be just a tiny, inconsequential shock to you, it’s powerful enough to fry sensitive PC components like CPUs, RAM, and motherboards. That’s because under normal circumstances, these components inside your PC carry around 12 volts of charge, whereas the static discharge from your body can reach up to 3,000 volts. You can prevent this from happening by using an anti-static wrist strap.

It contains a built-in resistor (1 MΩ) that slows down the flow of your body’s static charge, and an alligator clip that attaches to a grounded object and safely flushes that charge without harming anything you’re holding while doing maintenance or building work. Even though it protects PC parts worth hundreds and thousands of dollars, an anti-static wrist strap retails for just $5.50 on Amazon. Make sure you pick a strap according to your wrist circumference. While the regular size will work for most people, if you have a big wrist (between 8 and 10.5 inches), go for the extra-large variant, which costs just $1.50 more.

Using an anti-static wrist strap is super simple: Just wear the strap on your wrist and tighten it using the velcro. Next, attach the metal connector to the wristband and clip the alligator clip to the metal case of your CPU, which is grounded. Rest assured, an anti-static wrist strap won’t limit your movement. It comes with a coiled polyurethane cable that stretches up to 9.8 feet, so you can move around your desk and workspace comfortably.

A sudden gush of wind, an accidental nudge of the hand, or just the unevenness of the surface is enough to cause tiny parts like screws, fasteners, bolts, or pins to fall on the floor or roll behind the monitor or under the CPU. And once they do, finding them can be an absolute nightmare! Not to mention the unnecessary time and effort you’ll have to pour into it. A magnetic tray will help you keep these tiny parts in one place and organize them for a hassle-free build or repair job.

Now, magnetic trays come in various shapes and sizes, but we believe the $10 RcThjia Magnetic Tray is the right size for most PC owners. At 3.86 inches on either side and weighing just 90g, it’s not too big or bulky, so you don’t have to worry about storing it. Plus, it comes with three compartments: two small squares and one larger rectangle, so you can keep separate parts where they belong.

It’s also an incredibly handy purchase if you’re someone who tinkers with more than just PCs and likes building model vehicles such as cars or boats. Mobile repair geeks will also find it a must-have. But don’t let its super-affordable pricing fool you; the RcThjia Magnetic Tray has been precision-crafted to last you a long time. It’s built from strong aluminium alloy that won’t attract rust, and you can trust its magnet to retain its strength for years, keeping your workspace tidy.

One of the telltale signs that a PC owner actually cares about their setup is how they handle the cables. Depending on your setup, you may need to manage a long HDMI cable for your external monitor, another HDMI cable for your gaming console, and even an AUX cable for your speaker. Even with a minimal setup, you still have to tackle the clumsiness of a charger and your keyboard’s USB cable (if you use a wired one). Sure, you can use an under-desk cable management tray to store all the power plugs, but you’ll also need to ensure the cables run cleanly across your desk.

That’s why cable ties are one of the most important investments you can make toward your desktop setup. For maximum value, we recommend getting a pack of HMROPE cable ties, which contains 60 pieces and costs just $4.50. For the same price, you can also grab a pack of cable ties in multiple colors (red, blue, green, yellow, etc.) to crank up your setup’s funkiness with minimal investment.

In case you were wondering: No, zip ties won’t cut it! They make it look like you’ve punished the cables rather than arranged them with love. Built from soft yet strong microfiber cloth, the cable ties by HMROPE feature a slit in their tails, so you can simply pass the head through it (like a belt) and tighten accordingly. Unlike the anti-static wrist strap, you don’t have to worry about size when buying cable ties. Although they’re each six inches long, they can be joined together. This also makes them useful beyond just tidying up PC cables; you can also use them to arrange yoga mats, stationery items like pens, pencils, and crayons, and even plants.

A clean PC isn’t just shiny and organized on the outside, but also neat and tidy on the inside. Experts suggest you should deep-clean your PC every six months. Agreed, dust buildup is the biggest villain in PC cleaning; it can choke airflow, increase heat stress, and kill the efficiency of components like fans and the GPU. But eliminating dust is relatively simpler, as it hardly stands a chance against a triple whammy of compressed air, brushes, and a microfiber cloth.

However, when it comes to removing old, gooey thermal paste from the CPU, GPU, RAM, or heatsinks, or stubborn adhesive residue left by stickers or labels, you need 99% Isopropyl alcohol (IPA). Unlike other cleaning agents like ethanol and acetone, IPA is capable of eating through gunk and oily, greasy flux. On top of that, it doesn’t conduct electricity, leaves no spots, and evaporates almost instantaneously (no need to wait!). It’s also just $12 for a 32-ounce bottle.

Note that our recommendation is to use 99% IPA, the purest cleansing agent for this purpose. More diluted versions of the solution, such as 70% or 91%, are also available, but they’re better reserved for cleaning monitor/tablet screens, TV remotes, or door handles instead of delicate PC parts. Also, since pure IPA is highly inflammable, make sure your workspace has good ventilation, there are no sparks, and your device is unplugged and off.

There’s hardly any PC building or upgrading you can do without a screwdriver. If you’re a new PC owner, it’s worth remembering that a single screwdriver won’t cut it. That’s because different PC components use different screw types. However, it’s also ill-advised to drop hundreds of bucks on multiple screwdrivers. The best option in this case is to get a screwdriver set that includes multiple screw heads you can attach and detach depending on the part you’re working on.

We’ll do you one better: the AXTH magnetic 25-in-1 screwdriver set. As the name suggests, it comes with 25 screwdriver heads ranging from flat and hex to swivel torx and the most common Phillips, including Phillips #2, #1, and #0. Even though the entire kit costs just $9, each screwdriver head is made from super-strong bearing steel, boasting top-notch hardness and resistance to wear and fatigue.

Arguably, the highlight of this tool is its magnetic tip. Thanks to its magnetic properties, the screwdriver head attaches to the shaft magnetically. Plus, the tips of all 24 heads are magnetic, making it easy to handle tiny screws when working on a PC. They’re less likely to fall or roll away. It also comes with a pen-like grippy area near the middle, making it easier to hold and work with. Finally, as with most of the tools on this list, the AXTH magnetic screwdriver can also be used with other devices, including phones, tablets, cameras, watches, and gaming consoles.

For this guide, we wanted to cover a wide range of PC tools that, if bought together, can offer a well-rounded toolkit that covers all the basics. We analyzed the reviews and ratings of dozens of products and only chose those that are truly useful, either by making the building and cleaning process more secure and effective or by simplifying the arrangement of their workspace.

Of course, our primary motto was to only pick tools that are super affordable (under $12) yet have long-lasting build quality, belong to reliable brands, don’t feel cheap, and most importantly, do exactly what they promise. We also made sure to only include products from Amazon, since it’s the most widely available marketplace. So, no matter where you’re from, you’re likely to have access to the above-mentioned tools. We strictly avoided tools that are either out of stock or may go out of stock in the near future, ensuring total accessibility.