Do I really need a surge suppressor?

[mshan]

Does a computer really need to be protected by a surge suppressor, or is this just a lot of marketing hype?

Also, should a surge suppressor include in and out connections for the telephone / modem?

 

[daniel49]

yes on both counts . Get one.
actually saw a problem with the phone line blow out a modem once.
when phone lines in neighborhood came back up the modem didn't

 

[Alex]

dude... YOU NEED ONE!
like just get a power bar that has that built in... but you can severely damage parts by just connecting your computer straight to the wall if theres like a power spike or shortage or whatever
the phone jack thing is optional IMO... if you use dialup your modem can get fried (happened to me before) but cmon... who uses dialup these days 😛

 

[daniel49]

Originally posted by: franguinho
dude... YOU NEED ONE!
like just get a power bar that has that built in... but you can severely damage parts by just connecting your computer straight to the wall if theres like a power spike or shortage or whatever
the phone jack thing is optional IMO... if you use dialup your modem can get fried (happened to me before) but cmon... who uses dialup these days 😛

a lot more then you think. once you get a few miles off the beaten track high bandwidth service dissapears.

 

[ribbon13]

Covad DSL availability determines where I will and won't move.

 

[mshan]

Is there any difference between different brands of surge suppressors? (if so, which ones to get)

Also, are there minimum ratings that I should look for?

 

[ribbon13]

You can get nice ones cheap at costco

 

[Navid]

This is just one option, including a UPS for when you are flashing the BIOS or burning DVDs.
http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=21743&pfp=BROWSE

 

[MrControversial]

I'd do that one better and get a UPS. It protects your hardware and your software.