surge protector size

Get the highest you can since you are throwing a lot of money in possibly the most expensive piece of hardware in your home.

Hi,

Most PSUs have internal surge protection so there's no real need for an external surge protector. Having an external one won't hurt though.

When shopping for power conversion and safety equipment the capacity is not what is most important, even the most highly marketed product can fail under extreme circumstances and leave your appliances and devices useless. Instead, make a product selection based on brand reputation and the equipment protection policy that the manufacturer offers against damage.
APC By Schneider Electric (formerly American Power Conversion) is one of the most popular brands out there and offers an extensive and comprehensive lifetime warranty against damage. APC power bars can be found quite easily for as low as $30

Best protection already inside electronics can make irrelevant even surges that can overwhelm and destroy adjacent protectors. Read that protector's joules number. Destructive surges can even be hundreds of thousands of joules. How many joules does that power strip claim to absorb?

You concern is the rare surge that can overwhelm existing appliance protection. Another, completely different, and effective solution (for about $1 per protected appliance) will absorb hundreds of thousands of joules. And remain undamaged. Unfortunately that undersized power strip and another superior device are both called surge protectors - to maintain the confusion.

One 'whole house' protector is provided by companies with better integrity including Siemens, General Electric, Syscom, Polyphaser, Leviton, Ditek, Square D, ABB, Keison, Cutler-Hammer (Eaton) and Intermatic. But again, these do not absorb surges. Instead, these connect hundreds of thousands of joules harmlessly to what actually does absorb surges - does the protection - single point earth ground. Connects direct lightning strikes to earth without protector damage.

Yes, direct lightning strikes without damage are routine when the other and proven solution is used. But a power strip protector failing on the first surge gets the naive to recommend it. Effective protection means nobody even knew a surge existed.

Protectors are simple dumb science. Should be large enough (ie 50,000 amps) to conduct a direct lightning strike (typically 20,000 amps) without damage. And must (this is most important) must make a low impedance (ie 'less than 10 foot', not inside metallic conduit, etc) connection to single point earth ground. All four words have electrical significance. Protectors are simple dumb science. ‘Art’ is earth ground. Ineffective protectors will not discuss earth and have no wire for that low impedance connection.

Direct lightning strikes without damage occurred even 100 years ago. However most are educated by advertising and hearsay (not science). Therefore will recommend and buy plug-in protectors that do not even claim to protect from typically destructive surges. And will somehow absorb hundreds of thousands of joules?

A protector is only as effective as its earth ground. Protection is about hundreds of thousands of joules. Those lesser surges (actually only called noise) are made irrelevant by superior protection already inside every appliance.

Dude, forget about surge protectors, of any brand and model, nothing can stand against the power of nature. You can use a single one just for relief of conscience, but the only sure way to protect your PC is just to plug it out from the grid when the storm comes. There's one "surge protected" motherboard which came in my workshop 2 days ago:

The Asus anti-surge technology is not a real surge protector, it's simply a software/DSP product that monitors the voltage levels and shuts down the PC if it rises too quickly.