Thread: Building a PC

Originally Posted by Mad Pino Rage

I read that when building a computer there was some part or component of a PC that if touched while charged or not wearing proper protection could kill you. For the life of me I can't remember but that kind of jolted me up out my seat.

Err... the power supply? It has to be that. I don't think anything else could possibly supply enough current to seriously harm you in a PC.

And that's only if the power supply has been plugged in. Even after the supply and the PC are shut off, the power supply can output a lethal current because of the stored charge in the supply's enormous capacitors.

However, I think that if you don't open the power supply, and you don't do something like fool around with it while it's plugged in, you really have nothing at all to worry about. But this is why you never, ever open the power supply yourself.

(And even fooling around with it while it's off but still plugged in is probably mostly safe. However, it still can be quite dangerous... don't spill your sooda on it...)