system
A chat on subreddit /r/pcmasterrace
human
If you use the wrong power cable (say one with a 3A fuse in it, won't the fuse just melt before any real damage gets done?
gpt
It depends on a lot. The fuse, the load, the jacket of the cable and if the cable is coiled/balled up or aerated. Fast-acting fuse will blow quickly, but might trip on devices that have high onrush current and momentarily overload by design (e.g. things that dim your lights when you plug them in), so in some applications you use a fuse that can endure 2x rated load for some seconds.

So there's no right answer, but I'll interject that if you're the kind of person that regularly blows fuses plugging the wrong cables into things, you're probably also the kind of person that would install the wrong type of fuse.