system
A chat on subreddit /r/pcmasterrace
human
Yeah, circuits can only be loaded to 80% of their actual rating most of the time. You'd think a 15A circuit could handle 15A continuously, but not so, actually!
gpt
I think it is to prevent nuisance trips. A 15A breaker might eventually trip at 15A, it might not.
Theoretically if the computer is not expected to pull &gt;12A for 3 hours continuously it doesn’t fit the definition of a continuous load and can run on a 15A circuit.  For good measure it should probably be on a 20A circuit if you are using a &gt;1200W supply and actually need it, and you should also use a 16AWG or larger cable instead of the standard 18AWG for C13 cables