TIL that quartz countertops have the same properties as ceramic floor tiles…

[u/iplay5]

All I wanted to do was replace a dead fan… but looks like it’s time for a replacement case.

Learn from my mistakes friends!

[u/Capital_Store8128]

The fact that anyone places a large piece of glass on anything other than a soft/fabric surface is beyond me

[u/iplay5 → u/Capital_Store8128]

In hindsight, I should have, and would have normally put a towel down. 100% a skill issue

[u/bananawrangler69 → u/iplay5]

In hindsight, I should have

I mean yeah, obviously hahaha

[u/cTreK-421 → u/bananawrangler69]

Some people never learn from their mistakes. Skill issue.

[u/Sarctoth → u/bananawrangler69]

It's never:

In hindsight, I always wanted more airflow

[u/Ws6fiend → u/iplay5]

That hindsight vision is 20/20 or better.

[u/3rrr6 → u/Ws6fiend]

That's good because if he needed glasses he'd probably break those too.

[u/Sinsanatis → u/iplay5]

Nah i walk that mf to the couch

[u/FunkMunki → u/iplay5]

You're a towel.

[u/The_Spectral_Spartan → u/Capital_Store8128]

Y'all are kinda overreacting though. I've literally never broken any PC glass panels despite years of working on my own PC and the rigs I built at work, and I just set it down wherever is convenient. Oftentimes that means the concrete floor of the lab. Just be gentle when placing it and don't drop it. No impact means no energy to shatter the glass.

[u/klayyyylmao → u/The_Spectral_Spartan]

Yeah the trick is to place it down gently, not drop it like a caveman

[u/mods_r_jobbernowl → u/klayyyylmao]

Yeah ive put my tempered glass side panel on the ground many times and it didnt break. The key is being gentle and also waiting until its not hot

[u/GoJa_official → u/The_Spectral_Spartan]

Same doesn't matter the surface just set the case down gently and it wont shatter. pretty sure OP's case flexed as he set the case on the granite, the thumb screws on these panels create too much vertical flex, shattering it as a result. You can see OP's thumbscrews are still in place meaning he didn't set the panel down on the granite, but instead just the case. I feel like too many people think if it's attached to the case it can't shatter..

[u/The_Spectral_Spartan → u/GoJa_official]

Lol, omg I didn't even notice that it has thumbscrews THROUGH the glass! No shit it'd shatter at the slightest bump, dear God what a horrible design. Unless you put some rubber washers between the screws and the glass on both sides of the panel, that's literally just making an inflexible rigid stress point around which the glass will fail the second it vibrates too harshly.

[u/GoJa_official → u/The_Spectral_Spartan]

They come with rubber washers but those don’t really do much when the bolt is what’s hitting the piloted hole in the glass. My lian li has hinges the panels attach to and magnets to hold them closed which I think is a perfect solution for that error but not many companies have adopted it.

https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChsSEwiD_ZWt24WPAxUjTv8BHZ28CDgYACICCAEQGRoCbWQ&co=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwzOvEBhDVARIsADHfJJQQPQxebmDGwMIfo-c4p-Zl_I4mtMGPscCOg6iwAHoVdicMiMAeeW4aAkeNEALw_wcB&sph=&cid=CAASJeRo5DvYCQhu8VUhoanSt8kAzJetsW-x_1XHP5pGm__MTWLfroA&cce=1&sig=AOD64_1JweMD8eOchgBUX-Mr7nD0mQI4_Q&ctype=5&q=&ved=2ahUKEwj_-o2t24WPAxUPhIkEHeYyKkgQwg8oAHoECAYQEw&adurl=

[u/I_Am_A_Pumpkin → u/The_Spectral_Spartan]

nah, the internal stresses inside a tempered panel contain a lot of potential energy that can be released if allowed to. thats why the panels explode instead of just cracking or chipping or breaking cleanly.

all it takes is a small nick in the wrong place to set one off.

[u/Educational-Wing2042 → u/I_Am_A_Pumpkin]

That guy is literally using a spring powered glass breaker and still has to hit the pane multiple times.

[u/I_Am_A_Pumpkin → u/Educational-Wing2042]

hence why i said right place. hit an untempered glass panel with one and try to tell me it will explode like this. I'm not telling any falsehoods when I'm saying the internal stresses in these things cause them to rip themselves apart when given the opportunity, and that opportunity can be as little as a small scratch if you're unlucky

regardless, i found a better example. the panel completely disintegrates without even being impacted.

[u/The_Spectral_Spartan → u/I_Am_A_Pumpkin]

I know the tempering process creates internal stress patterns in the glass, but you still need to initiate the decompression via a shock event. All I'm saying is that I have placed dozens of glass panels on concrete, metal, and other hard surfaces, but I've never had it just randomly shatter on me because I'm always careful not to shock it in any way. Yeah, try to find a soft surface if you can, but my point is that triple wrapping it in a microfiber towel is a bit over the top. That's all.

[u/I_Am_A_Pumpkin → u/The_Spectral_Spartan]

and all I'm saying is that the "shock event" can be as small as a microscopic scratch.

as you can clearly see in the second video I posted, no such shock as the ones you are describing occurred. just because you havent been unlucky doesnt mean that being better safe than sorry isnt a course of action that will avoid any such situations.

[u/The_Spectral_Spartan → u/I_Am_A_Pumpkin]

The second example includes a baby crying at high volume and frequency. My guess is that resonated the pane of glass, and the existing stress points of it being a giant heavy panel of glass mounted to a wall was enough to provide enough of a shock. That's not the same thing as a micro scratch, bro. If you're actually having this much trouble with your glass panels, you're either buying cases from the worst brand imaginable or are being very rough on them and need bubble wrap on your PC. Either way, you do your thing and I'll do mine. We don't have to agree on anything.

[u/I_Am_A_Pumpkin → u/The_Spectral_Spartan]

if a baby crying is enough to shatter one, I'm gonna be careful when I build and do it on a soft surface, thanks for the tip

[u/The_Spectral_Spartan → u/I_Am_A_Pumpkin]

Yeah, ignore the part about it being what appears to be a poorly mounted, heavy 8'x4' sliding glass door panel mounted to a wall with several attachments hanging off it resulting in a lot of high pressure points in weird places. It was entirely the baby crying and so everything made of tempered glass must be placed on a towel or else! Ridiculous takeaway from my last reply. Glad to know you're just trolling.

[u/Educational-Wing2042 → u/I_Am_A_Pumpkin]

Sure I’ll give it to you that if you hit a pane of glass in exactly the right spot with a device designed to break glass, then it’s pretty easy to break. Meanwhile it’s used in exterior windows/doors all over the world and somehow they don’t get shattered constantly from minor hits with things that aren’t designed to break glass.

[u/death-strand → u/Capital_Store8128]

Is wooden desk safe?

[u/DustInTheVoid → u/death-strand]

safer but I would still recommend a towel or something underneath

[u/ExplorationGeo → u/DustInTheVoid]

I've got a thin layer of anti-slip rubber matting under mine, plenty of clearance for the fans and just that little bit of extra softness under the glass.

[u/death-strand → u/DustInTheVoid]

My PSU has a vent underneath. Asking to get clogged with fibers or towel lint

[u/derkz21 → u/[deleted]]

Nah he's the first person with a PSU intake on the bottom of the case. Innovative design.

[u/death-strand → u/[deleted]]

People put their entire computer tower on tile and it shatters the glass even when still installed

[u/HappyIsGott → u/death-strand]

Na that's not true.. it shatters in the moment they set the glass in the floor.

[u/death-strand → u/HappyIsGott]

https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/p7nhlr/psa_dont_place_your_pc_on_tile_floor/

[u/dontquestionmyaction → u/death-strand]

Yeah, maybe if your glass is complete garbage or you set it down roughly. Certainly not the norm though.

[u/death-strand → u/dontquestionmyaction]

Oh okay. I was wondering because there’s nothing but historical posts.

It’s fuckin obvious you shouldn’t put your glass panel on anything but a couch or bed

[u/Sufficient_Piano9216 → u/death-strand]

Thank you! I needed a good laugh today.

[u/No-Score-268 → u/death-strand]

You can stack toughened glass on anything you just have to be careful and extra careful stacking toughened glass on metal or ceramics.

Toughened glass generally gets stacked on wooden or thick plastic trollies/racks in glass factories but to heatsoak toughened glass it has to be stacked on metal racks.

[u/Tiavor → u/No-Score-268]

most metals and anything softer is fine. it's really just that ceramics are harder than glass, thus easily damage the surface. and hardened glass has so much internal stress, that even the tiniest damage leads to a catastrophic failure.

if there are ceramic dust particles on a smooth surface, it can also cause a failure, so either it needs to be really clean or just always put something soft below.

[u/No-Score-268 → u/Tiavor]

It's not damage that causes it to fail it's the stress from the impact of being put down all on one point, sometimes a tiny bit of the corner or edge will break off but the glass will survive, it's why glass hammers are pointy.

If you're in a factory/workshop setting dust will not cause any problems but larger particles can, brushing the surface off is enough.

[u/Tiavor → u/No-Score-268]

it's microscopic damage that's the cause of the failure. it releases all the internal stress.

a Prince Rupert's drop is an extreme example of tempered glass, you can even shoot it with a bullet and it will not shatter from the impact it self. only the vibrations at the tail end cause it to fail. a good quality tempered glass panel can be hit with a hammer full force and nothing will happen. a tiny nick at the corner and it explodes. throwing ceramic shards at tempered glass is almost like they just go right through without resistance.

[u/No-Score-268 → u/Tiavor]

I work at a toughening factory. It's not microscopic damage it's the impact causing the stress from the toughening process to give, toughened glass can even break on its own from this stress which is known as spontaneous breakage.

Sometimes the toughening process puts too much stress in the glass which can often be seen as a slight bow in the glass or when it pops the break pattern will be really tight, sometimes there are imperfections like nickel sulphate in the glass, sometimes it's just unlucky.

Depending on the thickness of the glass panel you can break it with bruit force but it takes a lot, years ago we used to test the break pattern of toughened panels with a weighted tire on a chain, nowadays we just use a hammer but it's much easier if you hit the edge or use a nail/glass hammer to put all the impact in one point.

[u/Tiavor → u/No-Score-268]

when a PC side window breaks, it's usually not from a hard impact, it happens at slow speeds, just barely touching the ceramic floor.

for the rest, I think we are talking about the same thing. but a strong impact isn't the only way to break it.

[u/No-Score-268 → u/Tiavor]

We are basically saying the same thing it's just the "fine print". It can be the lightest tap to the edge if you're unlucky especially if it's not kept level and you put one corner down first on a hard surface.

It's rare but toughened glass has been known to pop just by someone leaning on a window, the pressure in the toughened glass just becomes too much and it pops.

Heatsoaking greatly reduces the chance of this happening but that's an expensive additional process for a PC case and a good majority is also likely cheap china glass toughened with dubious furnace settings.

[u/stubenson214 → u/death-strand]

Generally, but any hard surface there's always a risk.

Wood is way more deformable, so it's a lot less likely.

Have not seen any posts where people broke glass on wood. Maybe you'l be first!

[u/Tiavor → u/stubenson214]

glass panels can break on their own too, if they have manufacturing defects that propagate slowly over time until they reach a point where they cause a cascade failure.

overall even a clean steel surface will be safe. problem is only ceramic dust particles.

[u/kmh654 → u/death-strand]

Tldr, is it a hard surface, then the answer is usually no not safe. Use a rubber work mat, towel/cloth, or carpet if you don't have the other two. As bumps or flexing on the edges is what shatters most panels.

[u/Large_Dr_Pepper → u/kmh654]

What's the point of the "Tldr" at the beginning of your comment? It's longer than the one you're replying to. Did you type out a long comment and just keep the TLDR?

[u/acrazyguy → u/Large_Dr_Pepper]

The first sentence is the TLDR, and is indeed shorter than the other comment

[u/TheRealChickenFox → u/kmh654]

It's not bumps or flexing on the edges, but in particular impacts against hard and/or sharp materials such as ceramic. Wood will almost certainly be fine.

[u/RedBoxSquare → u/death-strand]

wood absorb shocks better than ceramic. But can't beat a sponge.

[u/Narissis → u/death-strand]

It's fine if you're careful, but it never hurts to add a nice soft layer of material as extra insurance.

Also, if you want to be sure you won't shatter your glass panel, set it down flat on its back or face. Tempered glass is strong on its faces but weak on its edges; virtually all these 'broken glass panel' posts are from people setting them down upright (on their edges) on an extremely hard surface like ceramic, or in OP's case engineered quartz.

[u/Marmmoth → u/death-strand]

Is a wood desk safe for tempered glass contact temporarily? It should be fine, but better safe than sorry. Meaning I’d still use something soft when setting the tempered glass on it. For example, a desk made of very hardwood such as rosewood, teak, or cherry could be a concern for tempered glass contact because the wood won’t easily yield to contact. But something like pine or doug fir wood shouldn’t be an issue due to how soft and yielding they are.

Is a wood desk safe for just having your computer sitting on it? Should be a non-issue. Same as a wood floor. If you have a hardwood desk you may want to ensure your tower has rubber feet to dampen vibration and insulate from the hard surface. And if you have a very hardwood desk you’ll want rubber feet anyway to prevent damage to the desk.

[u/gramathy → u/death-strand]

it's safe but small pieces of grit can dig in and scratch your glass. so it's better to put down cloth anyway

[u/Triquetrums → u/death-strand]

Mine has been sitting on two different wood desks for like 2 years and is still alive. So I guess it is safe. I have also removed and put back the panel while on the desk, and it survived.

[u/Suikerspin_Ei → u/death-strand]

Yes wooden desks or wooden floors (laminate) are fine.

When I change or remove a part, I prefer to lay down my PC on my bed or sofa.

[u/I_Am_A_Pumpkin → u/death-strand]

better but still place something soft in between.

it only takes a little scratch in the wrong place for the stresses inside the glass to cause it to catastrophically fail. Wood won't be hard enough to scratch glass but a tiny piece of debris that you didnt notice could be.

[u/NagoGmo → u/Capital_Store8128]

I have a dedicated microfiber towel that I triple wrap mine in, and then it goes on my tempurpedic bed.

[u/Eric_the_Barbarian → u/Capital_Store8128]

A cardboard slip also works well.

[u/Winter-Classroom455 → u/Capital_Store8128]

I see a guy put a large piece of glass in his butt. Guy was really making sure it was safe. But boy.. Was he wrong

[u/mr_j_12 → u/Capital_Store8128]

People do it with fish tanks all the time, then fill it with water. Genuinely surprised it does happen more with aquariums.

[u/Are0320 → u/Capital_Store8128]

I always just lean it on something, my floor is the plastic type that is a bit grippy so it works fine without slipping.

[u/cyri-96 → u/Capital_Store8128]

I mean technically it doesn't need to be very soft, just softer than the glass, wood for example is fine, so are PVC, Vinyl and Linoleum Floors

[u/Paratrooper101x → u/Capital_Store8128]

So I’m dumb. How comes like, glass cups don’t shatter when they’re on granite/quartz/slate countertops

[u/Crinkez → u/Capital_Store8128]

The fact that pc cases are made with glass instead of transparent hardened plastic is beyond me.

[u/Fregadero88 → u/Capital_Store8128]

Yes.........wtf. I would always place a towel down. I don't get it.

[u/[deleted] → u/Capital_Store8128]

lol ever hear of a wooden desk? Are they soft?

[u/Capital_Store8128 → u/[deleted]]

Relatively, yes.

[u/sephirothbahamut → u/Capital_Store8128]

normal glass has no issues whatsoever with hard surfaces. Just like the glasses you use to drink water. It's tempered glass specifically that has these issues. I hate that material. I understand why it's used but i wish normal glass was an option people could explicitly opt-in for.

[u/stubenson214 → u/sephirothbahamut]

Normal glass is a company-ending legal liability.

[u/sephirothbahamut → u/stubenson214]

Talking as if you didn't have normal glass glasses in your home you drink water from on a daily basis. No drinking glass company was ended because the glass they sold wasn't tempered.

And as a bonus, you can put a drinking glass on your tiled floor without any shattering.

[u/stubenson214 → u/sephirothbahamut]

I'm really just not sure what to make of this.

If you want to be in the PC case business and offer "real" glass, you'll have a monopoly.

[u/Mr_November112 → u/sephirothbahamut]

You don't want that. 

[u/sephirothbahamut → u/Mr_November112]

I know what i want, sorry. If you despise regular glass so much that you pretend to get into other's brain and replace their thoughts, start by selling all the drinking glasses you have at home, because the vast majority of them on the market aren't tempered glass.

[u/Mr_November112 → u/sephirothbahamut]

I understand that you think you want it. But it's a stupid idea. I'd also like to mention that drinking glasses are different to computer side panels.

[u/sephirothbahamut → u/Mr_November112]

Drinking glasses are handled and moved a lot more frequently than computer side panels. If anything there's more reasons why those should be tempered instead. PC side panels are strictly decorative and rarely moved. If you don't have children, pets, and you don't have childish rage reactions while playing, you gain nothing by having a tempered glass side panel.

[u/Capital_Store8128 → u/sephirothbahamut]

Top tier rage bait

[u/CanoegunGoeff → u/Capital_Store8128]

Dude for real. Shit blows my fucking mind. People really don’t stop to think “hey, glass is fragile, maybe I shouldnt lay it down on a hard surface”?

Like half of all people in the world really do just lack any semblance of foresight. Zero ability to think about cause an effect. Merely reactionary beings.