Surge protectors with UPS, household use?

[tinpanalley]

I just moved into a new place and need some surge protectors since I'm back in North America (Canada) for the first time in 4 years. You get enough bizarre power behaviour over the years and you start to realise a few good surge protectors would have been a lot cheaper than the crap power strips you've bought in the past.

I have a handful of things that need plugging in by my desktop, a handful that need plugging in by my TV. For everything else, there is a need for multiple outlets but not for massive consumption all at once as with the prior two. Is it standard practice or would it be advisable for me to have UPS surge protectors for TV and desktop or are good quality surge protectors sufficient. I don't think my area is highly susceptible to brownouts.

sidebar: are USB ports just a ridiculous marketing add-on on surge protectors whose functions should be handled on their own or is it perfectly fine to have them on there?

Thank you!

 

[NutBucket]

I like having everything on an UPS. We have very few brown outs here too but it's cheap insurance. In decades past I've had equipment damaged by brown outs.

 

[tinpanalley]

I like having everything on an UPS. We have very few brown outs here too but it's cheap insurance. In decades past I've had equipment damaged by brown outs.

I imagine it would have to be at least the Wattage of my PCs power supply, right? So in my case 650W?

 

[NutBucket]

Yeah, a 1000VA UPS is under $100.

 

[bryanl]

An electrician can install a surge protector for the whole house in the circuit breaker box, and it will likely provide better protection due to its more direct ground connection. By stating that, I am not trying to revive an an angry thread about this topic.

 

[NutBucket]

Surge protection is good but generally speaking I think brown outs are more common and just as damaging.