Question Is a surge protector sufficient or should I get a UPS for my PC ?

[Infirms]

Hi all not sure if this is the right place to ask but recently my surge protector stopped working due to the power going out multiple times earlier in the morning essentially taking out my surge protector, but thankfully all devices are working properly. Currently a UPS is slightly out of budget since most I've seen are pretty expensive. Would picking up another surge protector from tripplite/apc do the job at protecting my PC ?
I'm not familiar with these things so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

My desktop specs if this matters are:
CPU: i5-12400f
GPU: 6950 XT
Storage: 2TB SSD and 1TB M.2 SSD
PSU: MSI MPG A1000G Gold 1000w
Displays: 1x 27 inch monitor 1440p @ 165hz, and an old 24 inch 60hz monitor.

 

[Ralston18]

The purpose of a UPS is to provide power to its' hosted computer and devices just long enough for an end user to gracefully shutdow when power is lost.

Not to keep working, gaming, watching videos, etc..

UPS's can and do provide surge protection which is measured in Joules.

However, that protection is quantitative and consumed. Protection being lost with just a few big power surges or many smaller power surges.

Most UPS manufacturers do not recommend the use of separate surge protectors, power strips, etc. along the power path to the served devices.

Another surge protector may help but I suggest doing some additional research.

Why is power going out during the mornings? Is that a common occurence or was it a one-time sort of event? Like a storm?

Is the home and its' electrical system properly grounded? Any overloaded circuits? Take a broader look at the electrical system.

= = = =

There are many products available so I suggest start by reading more about surge protectors per se along with perusing the reviews.

For example:

https://www.tomsguide.com/best-picks/best-surge-protector

You can easily find other similar links with explanations, diagrams, and things to consider.

Key is to address what may be some root problem and fix that problem. Even if a bit more costly up front there will likely be some savings further on. I.e., not buying a new surge protector every X amount of time.

 

[Infirms]

Interesting thanks for the info, yes power went out seemed to be a one time thing. The home I live in is really old if I remember correctly it was built around the 40s. My old surge protector from belkin went connected had a light indicator showing both protected and not grounded. Would buying a surge protector again be sufficient in my case or should I hold off?

 

[SyCoREAPER]

I would get a UPS. As mentioned above, they have surge protection as well. While the UPS can't sustain usage due to the high power draw, you at least have time to save, quit, etc.. whatever you're doing and safely do a normal shutdown.

 

[Infirms]

I would get a UPS. As mentioned above, they have surge protection as well. While the UPS can't sustain usage due to the high power draw, you at least have time to save, quit, etc.. whatever you're doing and safely do a normal shutdown.

If it's out of budget at the moment are there any alternatives? I read on another form that getting a cheap ups could sometimes do more harm than good.

 

[SyCoREAPER]

If it's out of budget at the moment are there any alternatives? I read on another form that getting a cheap ups could sometimes do more harm than good.

You'd have to go eBay or AliExpress Saturday special to do harm. A mainline UPS is perfectly fine.

I honestly wouldn't stress a UPS if budget doesn't permit it. Get a good surge protector that shows if the protection (usually a little light) is still good. Some are resettable as you go up a bit in price.

Any protection is better than none. If your electrical situation in your house is good overall (everything is properly grounded, proper wire gauge, breakers ratings) while still possible, permanent damage is slim if you have a surge protector.

UPS' just makes sure as mentioned that you have time to shut everything down properly and let the system shut the power off and make sure your drive isnt being used. Unless you spend the big bucks some UPS' aren't even instantaneous enough that the PC might not restart on you.

TLDR: Buy a surge protector with a protection indicator. If it's not resetable and the protection light is out, it's landfill waste, usually the cheapest models.

 

[Infirms]

You'd have to go eBay or AliExpress Saturday special to do harm. A mainline UPS is perfectly fine.

I honestly wouldn't stress a UPS if budget doesn't permit it. Get a good surge protector that shows if the protection (usually a little light) is still good. Some are resettable as you go up a bit in price.

Any protection is better than none. If your electrical situation in your house is good overall (everything is properly grounded, proper wire gauge, breakers ratings) while still possible, permanent damage is slim if you have a surge protector.

UPS' just makes sure as mentioned that you have time to shut everything down properly and let the system shut the power off and make sure your drive isnt being used. Unless you spend the big bucks some UPS' aren't even instantaneous enough that the PC might not restart on you.

TLDR: Buy a surge protector with a protection indicator. If it's not resetable and the protection light is out, it's landfill waste, usually the cheapest models.

Thanks for the info just for future reference after putting some money aside what ups model would you recommend based on my computer specs? As there are various models I'm not sure which to look towards.

 

[bill001g]

So kinda bad news you will likely have to spend quite a bit more than I suspect you think.

So first you have a fairly large power supply in your machine. It is likely you are not actually using anywhere near the full 1000 watts but it has the potential to run that much. You can damage a UPS if you do not match them.

There are 2 numbers on UPS. The most common one you see is a VA number but this only to a point matches the watts. Most UPS also tell you the watts they can pull. In general you are going to be looking at a UPS that has a 1500 VA number. Read the fine print to be sure it can also handle 1000 watts, some are like 800 or 900.

So if that is not bad enough you really should be using what is called a true sine wave UPS. Modern power supplies like your that have bronze/gold/platinum ratings get these by being very power efficient. Problem is they also need a very clean power supply coming in to do this. The cheaper UPS put out square wave or simulated sine wave. Some power supplies do not like this and will shut off when on the UPS. You can also damage some power supplies. How likely this is to happen is hard to say you technically only are on the UPS when the main power is out.

Not recommended to use these cheaper UPS but a lot of people do it because of the cost difference.

As a example of a very popular UPS that would meet your needs is this. This one is linked for USA based power. It is a example of what you should be looking for.

Amazon.com