Is A UPS Necessary?

[Twijn]

Is a UPS considered a requirement for a gaming/desktop PC/monitors/etc?

My PC has a 750W power supply, although PCPartPicker claims my build only needs a maximum of about 383W.
( http://pcpartpicker.com/list/vwhskT )

I live in the midwest, so there are usually a few tornadoes each year, some of which will result in power outages. A powerline nearby my house has also been hit by lightning before, and ruined a few electronics in my house, however that was a while ago - about 5 years - and I luckily did not have my old laptop plugged in at the time.

I'm debating about getting a UPS, and if I want one, which one to get. I'm not sure if it will be used much, or if it'll just sit there the whole time just wearing down until it dies.

If it is a good idea to get one, which one is considered best? What kind of output would I need, as I would be putting 2 montiors, the PC in the list above, along with a printer - and maybe more.

I've been currently looking at this one, although it only has 600W output. It may be a good idea for me to get this one instead, since it has a 780 W output, and also is only $20 more expensive.

 

[Dunlop0078]

No. I would just get a GOOD surge protector, maybe with a line conditioner in it if you want to spend some money and call it a day. I would only recommend a UPS on critical systems that cant be shut down or cant be shutdown abruptly like a server. For a gaming pc its absolutely not required in my opinion, your money would be better spent on the pc itself. A good surge protector and that power supply should be more than enough to protect your components.

 

[R_1]

UPS's will have two sides, the battery protected side and the surge side. Make sure the protected side has enough plugs for the three devices needing power. (monitors and PC)
On the UPS's battery side you will just want the monitors and PC plugged in. the UPS is there to give you a few minutes, and only minutes, to shutdown the PC safely and disconnect it from the mains. the printers and other items will plug into the surge side. it is better, IMHO, to get a UPS with more protected plugs as surge protectors are relatively cheap standalone items.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16842101381
this one will give you 5-6 minutes runtime.

 

[Twijn]

No. I would just get a GOOD surge protector, maybe with a line conditioner in it if you want to spend some money and call it a day. I would only recommend a UPS on critical systems that cant be shut down or cant be shutdown abruptly like a server. For a gaming pc its absolutely not required in my opinion, your money would be better spent on the pc itself. A good surge protector and that power supply should be more than enough to protect your components.

Which surge protector is considered good?

Also, isn't the above UPS only 420 watts and probably not enough for my PC, Monitor, Etc?

 

[R_1]

No. I would just get a GOOD surge protector, maybe with a line conditioner in it if you want to spend some money and call it a day. I would only recommend a UPS on critical systems that cant be shut down or cant be shutdown abruptly like a server. For a gaming pc its absolutely not required in my opinion, your money would be better spent on the pc itself. A good surge protector and that power supply should be more than enough to protect your components.

Which surge protector is considered good?

Also, isn't the above UPS only 420 watts and probably not enough for my PC, Monitor, Etc?

suggested based off of the 383W total usage number you provided. the unit will connect to the computer and auto shutdown at a time determined by you ( 1/2/3 minutes after power drops) so you really do not need the monitors on the battery if you trust the software to shutdown for you.
if you want to manually do the job then yes get a bigger unit for the monitors.

 

[Dunlop0078]

He doesn't need a a UPS for a gaming pc lol. Whats the point? Do you really need to be absolutly sure your gaming pc shuts down gracefully? I have had my pc hard shutdown more times than I can count, its fine. This is not a priorty server its a gaming pc. Anyway I linked some good surge protectors below.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000AI0N2/?tag=thewire06-20&linkCode=xm2&ascsubtag=WC28180

https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0040723CC/ezvid02-20

 

[Twijn]

He doesn't need a a UPS for a gaming pc lol. Whats the point? Do you really need to be absolutly sure your gaming pc shuts down gracefully? I have had my pc hard shutdown more times than I can count, its fine. This is not a priorty server its a gaming pc. Anyway I linked some good surge protectors below.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000AI0N2/?tag=thewire06-20&linkCode=xm2&ascsubtag=WC28180

https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0040723CC/ezvid02-20

It's not quite that I only do gaming on it - yes, it is the big thing I do on it, however I do also do other things which could be not fun if the PC shuts down while I'm editing an image or writing unsaved code.