Why should we all use surge protectors for our computers?

[GeminiZi]

???

 

[arpa]

because an electrical surge is a potentialy fatal event for PC Hardware.

 

[microAmp]

1) Brownouts. If your PC is on and is doing any HDD accessing it could damage the HDD since it is an unexpected shutdown.
2) Power sugres, like arpa said, having a computer on during a thunderstorm can prove very fatal to your computer.
3) Power surges from phone lines, same as #2 or close to it....

A few people here (forums) have gotten fried from power surges. Best to spend @$40 to protect your $300-$4000 investment.

 

[GeminiZi]

I have a regular surge protector that has 6 outlets with an on/off switch. My printer, monitor, computer, and speakers are all plugged in the same surge protector. When I shutdown my computer, I would turn the surge protector off. The next time I use my computer, before I turn my computer on, I would turn the surge protector switch on. I would see my dvd burner and floppy drive lights trying to turn on before I even turn on the computer. The lights would come on for about a second, and make like a power on/off noise. What exactly is it doing, is it actually protecting my components? Is this the left over electricity from the computer? Are my hardware being harmed by this?

If I take the computer plug out of the surge protector and plug that to a wall outlet, that doesn't happen.
So should I plug it in the surge protector or wall outlet?

 

[Amber]

GeminiZi,
Most of the new computer hold some volts in them , and when you shut off your surge protector it is not getting any power
just don't shut off the surge protector, and why are you any how??

also most surge protector are junk, get a cheep UPS about $40 find 1 with a rebate it will save your computer

 

[GeminiZi]

Originally posted by: Amber
GeminiZi,
Most of the new computer hold some volts in them , and when you shut off your surge protector it is not getting any power
just don't shut off the surge protector, and why are you any how??

also most surge protector are junk, get a cheep UPS about $40 find 1 with a rebate it will save your computer

My lcd monitor power adapter would get really hot and the green light would stay on. So that is why I turn off my surge protector. Is it safe to leave the surge protector on?

An ordinary UPS WILL give you a high level of protection, but you should still use a surge protector. A UPS will stop most surges from reaching your computer, but it will probably suffer severe damage itself.

 

[Joker81]

Umm how can surge protectors protect against brownouts(under current)? do they just turnoff right away .Wouldn't that still cause the problem of shutting down unexpectedly.

 

[Joemonkey]

it also amazes me that people seem to think "power strips" and "surge protectors" are the same thing

also amazes me how people get surprised when the $5 surge protector they bought doesn't stop a huge power spike and their PS ends up fried...

 

[arpa]

Originally posted by: Joemonkey
it also amazes me that people seem to think "power strips" and "surge protectors" are the same thingq]

Sort of like how the term "Power Supply" is used for computers, although it doesn't supply the power for the machine.

 

[amdskip]

All of my pcs run on APC surge/battery backups. Power is not clean and these sources of protection take the hits of the power changes insted of your valuable computer. It's almost like spending $10 on a generic 300w power supply to power a $1000 computer which is pointless.

 

[GeminiZi]

So are you guys saying that I'm getting that flickering on my dvd and floppy drives when I turn on my surge protector is because I have a cheap surge protector?
Is it normal to get those flickering lights?
Do you guys leave your surge protectors on or off when you shutdown your computers?

 

[GeminiZi]

What's the difference between Strip Surge & Surge Protector?

 

[Joker81]

I even put my Tivo cable modem wireless router on a ups. with my computer with its own ups. why you ask the router and cable modem. If the power goes out hopefully the cable isn't out and I can keep on downloading at least till the ups fails. Although most of the power outages i have experienced is because of my old roomate who would have a heater all his crap on and then his girlfriend would use a hair dryer and the breaker would trip. arrgh I hated that woman she was annoying.

 

[alm4rr]

i think my external modem is fried from a surge in the phone line....

 

[gdtaylor]

Most people don't bother with surge protectors until after they have had something fried. These days many household appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, microwave ovens etc. contain electronics which could be fried by a power surge. Personally I use surge protection on all my major electronic/electrical appliances.

A good quality surge guard will cost you more than $5.00 at K-Mart. For my computers I use Panamax surge protectors. The Panamax MAX 8 Series offers very good protection for your computer. I use the Max 8 Tel model with modem protection which retails for around US$60.00 and includes a $5,000,000.00 connected equipment protection policy.

This article on How Stuff Works explains the basics of surge protection.

If you absolutely cannot afford to have down-time on your computer then an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) will provide power to your computer long after the mains power has failed. A cheap UPS does not provide the same level of protection as a good quality surge guard so if you are purchasing a cheap UPS I would use it in conjunction with a good quality surge guard. The American Power Conversion Corporation (APC) offer a range of good quality UPS solutions. They have a UPS Selector which will help you find the right UPS for your requirements.

 

[HappyCracker]

Originally posted by: GeminiZi
So are you guys saying that I'm getting that flickering on my dvd and floppy drives when I turn on my surge protector is because I have a cheap surge protector?
Is it normal to get those flickering lights?
Do you guys leave your surge protectors on or off when you shutdown your computers?

It's your motherboard getting power for the first time. When I flip on the switch to my power supply, all the fans turn a notch and all some lights light up real quick also. This is normal I assume. I think it depends on the motherboard. My MSI didn't do this, but my Abit does