Discuss I'm not an electrician but I some clever heads together in the UK Electrical Forum area at ElectriciansForums.net

If it's EMI that's cooked those PCBs then you would have been microwaved by now! I must admit I'm confused by this one. All I was thinking is that if you could power your PC up in another house somewhere it may help to eliminate things. Daz
 
If it's EMI that's cooked those PCBs then you would have been microwaved by now! I must admit I'm confused by this one. All I was thinking is that if you could power your PC up in another house somewhere it may help to eliminate things. Daz
Yes and that is a good thought
I lived in my previous house for 20 years and I probably had only three or or 4 pcs in that whole time
As soon as I moved here I go through 8 brand new PC s per year with over 4 different companies and nearly 30 to 40 replacement componants
I have considered moving house but that is not really an option
 
Just thinking about the sparks from switches on sockets - cheap sockets can do this, especially when switching high power or inductive loads. This is not the case with a PC and I would not expect this to happen.
The destruction of computer components is presumably due to excess voltage, possibly as spikes. For this to happen would need quite a big surge because as others have said above, the PSU would probably take the hit first. Possible though.
You need the services of someone who is not your average sparky. Further analysis of the power supply over many hours (not the idiot test though :) ) and also checking of any earth currents that may be present. Also worth checking the potential differences between the various computer parts and every part of the electrical system in your house also.
Keep us informed of any further happenings or if you get anybody in to look at it. It's a good one.
Daz
 
PSU power supplies can have a large inrush current and hence the spark when first plugged in.(many chinese copys have little protection and are worse)
 
True, but wouldn't expect a spark at the switch of the 13A socket when it was switched on. Daz
 
I have a few thoughts.

1) I would be tempted to try a Z reading between Live and neutral at the incomer of the consumer unit and outgoing connectors of the RCD to ensure there is not a high resistance fault somewhere in the neutral. It is a test that is not necessarily recorded as part of an EICR (Electrical Inspection). If the value is bad, then the PFC reported on the form will be the reading between Live and earth and a high neutral resistance may be missed. I am not sure a high neutral resistance would cause this but I know neutral problems can have odd effects and most things have been ruled out.

2) Is undervoltage a possibility? The 230 Volt regulators will prevent overvoltage and spikes, but will it do anything if the voltage drops to an unacceptable level? Less voltage means higher current, and more heat. I know many PC power supplies can cope with a wide range of voltages, but are the computers that have burnt out using power supplies that can run on 110Volts (American standard) or ones that require 230Volts? There are posts on PC web sites that suggest prolonged undervoltage can damage PC’s (mostly power supplies) and I understand that things like washing machines have a significantly reduced lifespan if the voltage is regularly lower than acceptable (one job I worked on had prolonged periods where one phase was at 195 Volts, one at 215 volts, and the third phase at 235 volts, so it can happen).

3) Is the supply listed on the electrical inspection described as TN-S, TN-C-S or TT?
TN-C-S with neutral supply problems may create problems.
 
another thing to look at -
floating ground to some equipment? due to things getting overcomplicated the computer is not grounded properly, causing ground loops thru usb or other communication cables...
 
I'am inclined to believe that the GPU is just being pushed beyond it's limits,
sort of like an over clocked CPU, it will put up with it for a while
But eventually it will die !
What are you processing ?
Can you instal better cooling on the GPU ?
like a bigger CPU fan.
 

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