Looking for a new surge protector...

[AFurryReptile]

A recent power surge took out all three surge protectors in the house, and I need a suggestion for replacements. Power surges are somewhat common here where I live, as is low power(probably once or twice each year), and I was wondering if I should get surge suppressors with battery backup, because I am not sure how low voltage affects a computer.

If anyone can help me, possibly give me an idea of what I should be looking for, and maybe give me a suggestion, for as cheap as possible, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

If you are interested in doing it as cheap as possible, I'd find the smallest unit with AVR (automatic voltage regulation). The smallest (smaller VA = cheaper) UPS should provide you with enough time to automatically shut down your PC as well.

 

[Zepper]

I'd definitely suggest a UPS - I'd say one with 700VA (about 450 Watts) would be good for your system - give you a fair amount of uptime before having to shut down. AVR is a good idea for those whose PSU lacks the top end features of full-range voltage compensation and active Power Factor Correction. Watch your nearby big box store ads (including Staples, OfficeDepot, BestBuy, CompUSA, Circ.City, MicroCenter, Fry's etc. etc.) as UPSes are often on sale plus you'll save a lot on shipping. Good brands are Powerware (a merger of several, old-line backup makers or divisions: Best Power, Exide, Sola etc.) which was recently snapped up by Eaton (one of those huge, faceless conglomerates out there), APC and Tripp Lite - decent brands are CyberPower and maybe Opti (but I'm not that familiar with them). Buy from a company that specializes in power protection - specifically avoid Belkin power products if you value your computer system.
. The mfr's say not to plug a UPS into anything but the wall because devices (mainly MOVs) within the surge strips can fail in ways that will cause the UPS to go to battery unnecessarily, or the switch on it could accidentally get turned off, again causing a switch to battery power, but I plug mine into another surge supressor anyway for an added layer of protection as well as for extra outlets - you couldn't believe the rat's nest of power cords and Wall Warts I have. Guess what ended up not being connected to a battery-backed outlet when the first power dropout happened after I installed the new UPS?.. Both the backup and surge suppressor strip are by CyberPower. I figure that most UPSes also have MOVs inside them that can fail in the same way - six o' one/half-dozen of the other. I also have a plain power strip (no active parts inside) on the downstream side - I know, I just love living dangerously. What's a battery backup for, anyhoo? I turn my system off when I'm gone from the house anyway.
. Anecdotal evidence: Anyone I've talked into using a good UPS has had far less hardware problems in general than those whom I couldn't convince...

Tip: You can get a Kill A Watt meter from Newegg and elsewhere that will tell you the actual power usage of your system so you can accurately size your UPS. I choose a UPS with 50% more output capacity than the reading the KAW gives me. My system uses about 200W from the wall, so I bought a 300 or so Watt unit (about 550VA).

.bh.

 

[corkyg]

"What's a battery backup for, anyhoo? I turn my system off when I'm gone from the house anyway. "

Zep, there are some folks who actually do word processing and other work on their computers, and the battery backup allows one to gracefully save and shut down when there is a total outage, and to not lose work if there is a mementary power hiccup.

 

[Zepper]

Hey corky,

What I meant was, I don't leave some process running when I'm gone. I do depend on my UPS to keep me going if the power goes out while I'm actually working and if I accidentally flip the switch on the upstream surge strip, the backup kicks in thus protecting me from myself. The downstream power strip is hidden, so I doubt I'll hit its switch when things are running. If I do, then it's only myself to blame.

.bh.

 

[corkyg]

That's cool, Zep. I generally follow the same procedure. When I am gone on a trip I unplug everything - even the UPS's. We have a lot of lightning here this time of year, and I did get a direct hit once. Fortunately, all the computer stuff was disconnected - but I lost my security system panel.