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Can ESD damage a processor like a Pentium processor for a computer and will the effects be shown immediately? - Anonymous, Huntsville, AL

ESD can damage a processor like a Pentium processor and the effects can be shown immediately, but typically the damage is latent. Latent damage means that the unit has been damaged, but not enough to cause an immediate malfunction. It is the cumulative ESD latent damage that reduces the life of the processor, sometimes to just months. Less frequently do you have an ESD catastrophic damage where the unit is immediately damaged beyond use.

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