how to protect ur pc?

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Charbel Bernaba

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I moved to usa and i build a new gaming pc but there's an idea was in my head for a while like what happen to power electricity? Is theres any protection? Or how should i protect my pc?
 

chilly2468

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If you are worried about power surges damaging your parts then I suggest getting a surge protector. Sadly I personally know little about them so I won't give a answer as to which specific one. If another forum member doesn't respond to your post I will research the topic and return with an answer.
 

Charbel Bernaba

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Thats an expensive ups the electricity now is good and no problems theres no power outages or anything but i just want something to protect me from electricity like sudden problems..and etc like little protection so i wont lose any component that ups is expensive a simple power surge protector wont work?
 

drockinwv

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Cheaper won't even buy a surge protector. It will buy a power strip with power reset. Which by itself would work fine for a small DVD unit and possibly a 27" flat screen. But I wouldn't trust my worst enemy's PC on it.

Save up, power down when expecting thumderstorms unplug from the wall to make sure your system is safe and get a reasonably capable UPS that includes surge protection.
 

Charbel Bernaba

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But i dont need any ups like i said where i live is theres no power outage or any problem with electricity so no need for big ups i think a power surg protector would do fine? And when theres snow and thunderstorms ill unplug my pc ? Is this enough?
 

drockinwv

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No, I use this same unit and I have a 750 watt PSU. The surge protector shuts itself off when there is a spike in electrical current, thus cutting power to everything you have plugged into the unit. It shuts itself off to protect the sensitive electrical components you have plugged into it.

If you were buying a UPS you would then take your PSU into consideration.
 

lodders

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Who says you need a surge protector or UPS?
Sounds like an salesman is trying to get you to buy more stuff than you need.
We have hundreds of PCs at work, none of them require surge protector or UPS
If you were moving to Africa, you would need it, but USA? I think not.
 

drockinwv

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I dont see how I could be considered a salesman. There was a question posted and I answered to the best of my ability. Computers DO NOT require you to own a surge protector it is more of a fail safe to protect your investment from harmful spikes of current that could and do damage electronic components. But the statement that because you live in the US you dont need a surge protector is a little ridiculous.
 

lodders

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I was not criticizing you. I wondered where Charbel got the idea.
Trying to upsell a customer into buying a surge protector, monster speaker cable, gold plated monitor lead etc is a typical PC world sales tactic.
PC power supplies have their own surge protector built in.
 

rgd1101

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Surge protector are cheap, and the different between home and office is usually work have better electrical, some home might not.
 

westom

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This engineer will be demonstrating that many (maybe a majority) make recommendations without sufficient electrical knowledge. Worse, none posted numbers. A minority (lodder) was closer to reality.

Anyone can read specification numbers. Most who recommend protector only hear advertising; ignore numbers. Your computer (like all other appliances) already has robust protection internally. A hundreds joules surge will be converted by that computer into stable and low voltage DC to safely power its semiconductors. Advertising (what most use for knowledge) forget to learn about existing internal protection.

Again, numbers. How many joules does that protector claim to absorb? Hundreds? A thousand? Potentially destructive surges are hundreds of thousands of joules. Those numbers explain why some plug-in protectors have created fires. And why so many recommend a protector that fails on the first surge.

An adjacent protector must either 'block' or 'absorb' a surge. Obviously spec numbers say it will not 'absorb' a surge. How does a 2 cm part inside that protector 'block' what three miles of sky could not? Plenty of numbers routinely not found in advertising - the source of most previously posted recommendations.

For over 100 years, facilities that cannot have damage have always earthed a 'whole house' protector. This completely different device may cost about $1 per protected appliance. Remember, if anything (ie computer) needs protection, then everything needs protection. What protects a dishwasher, GFCIs, clocks, TV, dimmer switches, LED bulbs ... and what most needs protection during a surge - smoke detectors. Only the 'whole house' solution does that.

Surges are never 'blocked' or 'absorbed' as so many want to believe. A potentially destructive surge (that can overwhelm protection inside appliances) must be earthed BEFORE it can enter a building. A surge current that is not inside does not damage anything.

More numbers - numbers separate informed from naive consumers. A direct lightning strike can be 20,000 amps. So a minimal 'whole house' protector is rated at 50,000 amps. Because no protector must fail with any surge. Because effective protectors remain function for decades - after many surges. Numbers demonstrate how and why that is done.

Finally, no protector is protection. Protection is defined by by what harmlessly dissipate hundreds of thousands of joules (a critical number that other did not know). That is single point earth ground. A protector is only a connecting device to what does protection. It must connect low impedance (ie less than 10 feet) to single point earth ground. Earth absorbs that energy. Then no surge is inside hunting for earth destructively via your computer and all other appliances.

Again, the difference. Most who recommend protectors do not even know what one does. Only a minority know this stuff. Numbers separate the informed from others only educated by advertising and hearsay.

UPS is only temporary and 'dirty' power during a blackout. Anyone can read its numbers. It does not claim effective surge protection. Most ignore reality - claim a UPS does surge protection. Well yes. Near zero protection. Once we add numbers, an answer completely changes.

BTW, the most important component in a surge protection system is not a protector - it is single point earth ground.

AC utilities intentionally wire to commercial and residential buildings so that 'dirtiest' power goes to commercial buildings - 'cleanest' power goes to residential homes.
 

lodders

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Nice to hear my opinion confirmed by expert knowledge. I am also an engineer, but I'm a mechanical engineer...... Interesting to understand a little better.
 


While I am not an electrical expert I have been working with PCs for a very long time and while most decent PSUs have built in protection not all do and not all are equal. Considering that a surge can vary from a small spike to a massive spike it is not a bad idea to have additional protection since most decent computer parts are not "cheap" by any means.

There is no "typical PC world sales tactic" unless you consider sales people at stores who may or may not have any real world computer sales, they are pretty much just sales people. I don't believe in the Monster cable BS either, I worked at a shop that had HDMI cables for 25% the price of a Monster cable that worked just as well.

OP, if you are worried then I suggest getting a decent surge protector. I have seen surges, and not just spikes from lightning, pass through a PSU after killing it and killed motherboards.
 
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