Giant Bottle Tree

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I don't think he opened the casing of his CPU, which is tiny and unopenable. I think you mean that he opened his computer case.

"...casing of his computer’s CPU..." No such thing as that. And unless you open your Computers PSU or submerge it under water there is absolutely no way you can electrocute yourself with your computer... I call this urban legend.

I call it urban legend too.

Its impossible to be electrocuted by a computer, unless you're going for a Darwing Award :) ... in that case you deserved it.

First, the wirings are always insulated, and touching them is not a risk. I've done it.

Second, no personal computer I've heard of uses 380 VOLTS. It might have been 380 WATTS, which is quite different from 380V. Actually 380W is a quite common value for PSUs, specially for older computers.

The currents in the Power supply Unit (aka PSU) are rather high, but the voltages are low (12V max). A working PSU can give you a shocking experience (pun intended!), but not enough to kill. You either have low voltage and high current or high voltage and low current.

Touching the electronic circuits in the computer (like motherboard) will not kill you, and the motherboard will be damaged before you even feel the shock (I've been there!!). Voltages in the motherboard vary from -12V to +12V, so, if he was extremely unlucky, the most voltage he could get from the motherboard would be 24V.

In a 110V shock, studies show that you need at least 4 mA to even starting feeling the "tingling". A real shock starts at 300mA. An average size adult man needs at least 5A to die from a 110V shock. anything below that might not kill you, but might give you varying consequences, from brain and heart damage to severe burns.

Not neat, not accurate, not unusual. Happened to a friend of mine, except he lived to tell the tale.