Quake3World

Wow, how old is your house that you still have fuses in the panel?

I don't think I'd even plug in a computer to an outlet that's connected to that wiring.

House's that have fused circuits usually have many things wired to one fuse (because nothing drew that much current back then). You should really look into what kind of wiring is in your house and if installing a new service is possible. You should really have a panel with circuit breakers. I would also recommend installing a few new circuits for different recptacles (ie. where you plug in your PC).

For now, follow Torm's advice and try unplugging something else. Preferably something on the same circuit as your PC (ie. something else that shuts off when the fuse blows).

I don't think he's talking about the fuse in the panel. Or is he?

his cable has a fuse in it ,i'm tempted to say just use a normal cable plugged into a power bar but i also don't want to be responsible for burning down his house.

either the cable is defective or you have a wiring problem inside your computer or your houses electrical socket.

all plugs in england have a fuse?

i just asked my Limey roomate and she says they don't

Yeah, then something's definitely up with your comp. Start unplugging stuff to see if you can isolate the fault.

what's the amount of amps (A) that fuse can take at what voltage(V)?
could be that the computer is using slightly more power then the fuse can take. In that case the fuse slowly starts to glow and blows out a while later. (that would explain it blowing mid-game)

That seems unlikely, fuses are generally rated for a good bit more current than is likely to be drawn under normal conditions.

Since you've already tried a different power supply, I would suggest carting the PC to a different area of the house, temporarily, and attempting to run it on an entirely different mains outlet.

If you can go to a section of the house that's under a different circuit breaker, this will ensure it's on a completely different loop. However this may not be possible as some smaller houses have one single socket loop for the whole house - Larger houses will divide the sockets by floor and larger still may do it by room. Check the breaker box in your basement/under the stairs to see how many socket breakers you have, and what areas they cover.

I really can't see it being a part of the PC that's causing this, if you've tried swapping the PSU. Everything within the PC draws power via the PSU and a component causing excessive drain would not in turn cause the PSU to blow your plug fuse.

Who's got that address of the site where he can go to figure out what size PSU he needs based on his systems components. Maybe the PSU is just too small for the PC he has.

Although, a 500watt PSU, running at 120volt will only draw just over 4 amps at full load. If he's popping 13 amp fuses, his problem may be much worse.

BTW, if you're putting bigger fuses in to keep them from blowing, you'll eventually burn up the equipment.

wait a tic, isent england on 240V rather then 120? or am i mistaken...

220 I believe.

240 so it's drawing a bit over 2 amps.