However, if you choose to ignore my strong warning, take precautions to protect yourself, your hardware, the universe, and everything. For safety reasons, you should never work on an open computer case that is plugged into a powered AC receptacle. There is a danger of severe electrical shock, fire, hardware damage, radiation exposure, and other hazards. Please note that most technicians ignore this advice to their own peril. Research this matter thoroughly before proceeding.
Static electricity can permanently damage computer parts of any type.
Before touching any computer hardware, you must take precautions to ground yourself properly. You should wear proper grounded wrist straps and take other proper anti-static precautions. You should wipe your hands on a properly grounded metal case at the very least. The computer case's metal sides are grounded when the power supply is plugged in. Research this matter thoroughly before proceeding.