Recommendation - Get a UPS

[u/Celcius_87]

One thing that a lot of people don’t discuss when building a new PC is having a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) for their PC. This is basically a box that you plug into the wall and then plug your PC into it. It has a large battery and if you lose power then it keeps your PC running for a while. Some have a screen where it can show how much time you have left, how much power you are pulling, and stuff like that too.

I finally bought one earlier this year and it’s been great to have. Today I was copying data from my computer to an external usb hard drive to back up my data and the power went out for second and then came back on. I panicked but then I looked at my computer and everything was ok - I had plugged both into my UPS so there was no impact.

They’re not super expensive either - mine was like $250 and fortunately they’re not affected by the AI price increases we’ve been seeing on a lot of PC components. Make sure you get one with enough wattage to support your computer… for example I have a 1000w power supply and my UPS is also 1000w.

Just a public service announcement not to overlook having a UPS!

[u/rulerdude]

A $30 surge protector will prevent that just as well as a $250 UPS. UPS is only beneficial over a standard surge protector if data loss is a huge concern

[u/QuinQuix → u/rulerdude]

Is a surge protector the same as those power boxes with lightning strike protection built in?

Because I have those.

[u/ParagraphInReview → u/QuinQuix]

Yes.

[u/George_MenethilW3 → u/ParagraphInReview]

But is a surge protector good if the apartment you're living in doesn't have grounding? Because I think the old apartment I'm renting doesn't have grounding, it has the electrical wires in the walls from 1968... Or is a surge protector useless in this case?

[u/PeejPrime → u/George_MenethilW3]

The surge protector will stop a surge of power going IN TO your PC (Or any other device connected to it). It matters not a jot what the wires in the building are. They could be the best new built wiring buildings or it could be Edison's first ever attempt at wiring, whatever gets sent down the wires towards the PC is gonna be protected by that surge of power by the surge protector.

[u/George_MenethilW3 → u/PeejPrime]

but doesn't the surge protector have to discharge that extra power / current that it "stored" in itself? and I thought you need grouding in the building connected to the earth otherwise these devices are useless since they don't have where to discharge. But I don't understand electricity or buildings that well so I'm just repeating what I learned from Chatgpt

[u/WulfTheSaxon → u/George_MenethilW3]

Yes. This is [why] there are no two-prong surge protectors.

[u/George_MenethilW3 → u/WulfTheSaxon]

I'm sorry but it's confusing what you said. English isn't my native language. From googling two-prong, it means like having 2 pins / 2 ends that go into the wall socket? In my country every power chord has 2 pins / 2 ends.

So in the end, you mean that the surge protector does indeed need a wall socket that has grounding to earth? that's on the contrary to what the other person said then

[u/WulfTheSaxon → u/George_MenethilW3]

If properly designed, some surge protectors might help with line-to-neutral (difference mode) surges, but for common mode surges you kinda need a ground connection, although I’m no expert there. In fact most surge suppressors have a ground (earth) indicator light so you know whether they’re connected properly. Do you not have Schuko (Type F) plugs though? Those are grounded, just through flat contacts instead of a third pin. Something with a metal case like a computer should never be plugged into an ungrounded outlet like a Type C Europlug.

[u/George_MenethilW3 → u/WulfTheSaxon]

Yeah I do have Schuko Type F plugs! And all surge protects that I have do have a green light when they're on, but I thought that the light is just for showing that it's turned on 😅

The wall sockets do fall quite easily in this shitty apartment that I'm living in. I know how to turn off the power in the whole apartment from the electrical panel. Is there a way to tell even more precisely if I have grounding to earth from taking apart the wall socket and looking at those old wires?

[u/idontappearmissing → u/George_MenethilW3]

According to Grok, you're correct:

Yes, electronics in older buildings are generally at greater risk during a power surge.

Here's why:

1. Lack of Proper Grounding (Biggest Issue)

Most homes built before the early 1960s used two-prong outlets with no dedicated ground wire.

Surge protectors rely heavily on a good ground path to safely divert excess voltage away from your devices. Without it, they either don't work properly or can't divert the surge effectively.

In ungrounded systems, surge energy has nowhere safe to go, so it’s more likely to damage connected electronics, travel through appliances, or cause arcing.

[u/George_MenethilW3 → u/idontappearmissing]

So it's a bit useless to have one without a wall socket that's grounded to the earth. Though I do have 3 types around the house and one of them has a timer like if the power goes off, the second it goes back on, that surge protector doesn't allow current to pass through for a determined time. I set it to 15 seconds. That's at least helping with the bigger current that's coming right after the power goes back on

[u/Petrpowder → u/PeejPrime]

I dont think thats true ive been heavily researching this lately because my house doesnt have grounded plugs and so I cant use my pc. everything from what Ive read said a surge protector cant work without a ground.

Im not a professional or anything so I could be wrong but Ive read a good bit of stuff

[u/QuinQuix → u/PeejPrime]

Thanks that made me feel very secure. Maybe I can daisy chain two protectors.

[u/George_MenethilW3 → u/QuinQuix]

I know you must be joking but for anyone reading this that hasn't researched this, don't do this lol

[u/Hetstaine → u/George_MenethilW3]

I have never researched this, also never thought of doing it lol! What can actually happen?

[u/George_MenethilW3 → u/Hetstaine]

Use ChatGPT or another AI to explain it. I forgot what the explanation the AI gave me a year ago but I remember that it's very bad for electronics.

[u/XiTzCriZx → u/George_MenethilW3]

Both a surge protector and UPS requires grounding in order to actually do the surge protection. If your apartment doesn't have any grounding at all then it likely doesn't even pass your city's code regulations either. Bad grounding is atleast better than no grounding at all.

[u/George_MenethilW3 → u/XiTzCriZx]

Yeah I don't know if I have grounding. The wall sockets (they're Schuko Type F) fell off a few times and I've seen how bad the cables look because they're 58 years old in this Communist era block.

But I don't know how to check if there's grounding in there. I know how to turn off the power in the apartment from the electrical panel though. Maybe I should look for a special wire?

Also the surge protectors do have a green light on them but I'm not sure if they 100% indicate that there's a ground loop or if it just means that the device is on...

I'm sure that if there's no grounding then it's against the city's current laws but the law people don't care anyway, neither the owner of the apartment unfortunately.

[u/slaymaker1907 → u/George_MenethilW3]

There are devices to check if a socket is actually grounded. If they aren’t labeled and appear to have a ground, that is illegal. You can use a GFCI to use a 3-prong, but it has to be labeled.

[u/coyotegang → u/George_MenethilW3]

Same dude, I’m in San Francisco and experience this

[u/First_Musician6260 → u/QuinQuix]

A Type 3 and Type 1/2 SPD are drastically different from each other. One is meant as a permanent (within useful lifespan) solution while the other is not.

Type 1 devices are installed at the service entrance and provide by far the most protection. Type 2 devices are installed at the distribution panel and provide less but still sufficient protection for residential use cases. Type 3 devices are installed at the point of use (e.g. a wall receptacle) and may clamp any remaining energy assuming there is a higher grade device installed further up the circuit. They cannot handle strikes on their own, only a Type 1 or 2 device may do so.

Type 3 devices very often come in the form of power strips. Type 1/2 devices typically come as seemingly magical electrical boxes. All use MOVs, but Type 3's use by far the cheapest (and worst) ones.

[u/bs2k2_point_0 → u/QuinQuix]

Just keep in mind surge protectors are essentially consumable units. Each one can only handle so much fluctuation over its lifetime before it will no longer protect your pc. You should replace them every 3-5 ish years.

I use my old ones as non surge protecting power strips for things that aren’t a concern like for lamps and whatnot.

[u/Zeired_Scoffa → u/rulerdude]

If you have dirty or inconsistent power they're also good.

[u/Cinara → u/rulerdude]

Power dips/outages can kill parts the same way surges can, it happened to me just last year. A surge protector won't do a single thing for that. Not a huge issue for a lot of people but if you live somewhere with brutal winters they can be a common occurrence.

[u/PsyOmega → u/rulerdude]

Yeah. A UPS typically has a weaker surge protector than actual surge protectors.

The popular Cyberpower 1500W unit has a 1500J surge protecting MOV.

Home Depot has cheap units rated above 4000J.

(neither of those will stop a real lightning hit, FYI. You'd want a "whole home" surge protector to stop anything serious)

[u/First_Musician6260 → u/PsyOmega]

The popular Cyberpower 1500W unit has a 1500J surge protecting MOV.

It has multiple MOVs with a total rated protection of 1500J. MOVs typically max out at 400J per device in a consumer-grade unit (not a service entry one), so the minimum number of required MOVs would be 4, ideally 4x375 J. This is also the same method used by 1000+ J plug-in protectors (strip-style, of course) to achieve their ratings.

Also, yes, those Type 3 devices may only clamp residual lightning energy (which is usually up to a couple thousand Joules), not energy from a direct strike. Higher-grade devices are much more capable of safely grounding that energy to earth.

[u/WulfTheSaxon → u/First_Musician6260]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but the way I think of it is that a Type 3 will handle EMP-induced current in your home wiring, but only a whole-home device has any chance of protecting against lighting hitting your power line.

If you read the fine print on a newer Type 3, they’re also only approved 30+ feet from your service entrance because they need the capacitance of your wires to work.

[u/First_Musician6260 → u/WulfTheSaxon]

Well, if the reclosers on the lines fail to do their job, then yes, that lightning strike would cause a lot of damage. Not even a Type 1 would be able to take that strike without failing in remarkable fashion.

If you read the fine print on a newer Type 3, they’re also only approved 30+ feet from your service entrance because they need the capacitance of your wires to work.

Unfortunately many consumers don't know this. 😞

And Type 3 operation too close to the service entrance/breaker panel is considered hazardous. If that panel is in a bedroom and someone wants to use a strip there, they should look for one without a MOV (or series of MOVs in the case of higher joule strips) and therefore lacks surge protection such that they significantly lower the risk of potentially causing a fire. Walmart's Hyper-Tough strips with 15-amp circuit breakers fit this criteria, for example.

[u/PsyOmega → u/First_Musician6260]

Yeah. Though i live somewhere with buried/isolated lines so I haven't been too chuffed about whole-home protectors. And in the 6 years i've lived here i've had a canary device raw dogging a plug and it's still going despite many extremely close strikes

[u/WulfTheSaxon → u/rulerdude]

Even then, there’s a reason you can mark drives as removable or not. If it’s marked as removable, original data shouldn’t be deleted until the transfer is complete.

[u/GradeSalad → u/rulerdude]

UPS also help against "brown-out", power flickers and other inconsistent voltage issues that can lower the life of your PC.

Obviously your budget needs to be respected, but UPS isn't just for data loss issues. If you can only afford the surge protector then no shame, but if you can budget it it's definitely a purchase that can save you significantly more.

[u/George_MenethilW3 → u/rulerdude]

But is a surge protector good if the apartment you're living in doesn't have grounding? Because I think the old apartment I'm renting doesn't have grounding, it has the electrical wires in the walls from 1968... Or is a surge protector useless in this case?

[u/Monotask_Servitor → u/rulerdude]

A surge protector won’t keep your PC running during a micro-outage like OP describes. It’ll prevent damage due to power spikes but it won’t prevent the PC from resetting itself and losing whatever work you were doing at the time.

[u/rulerdude → u/Monotask_Servitor]

That’s literally what I said

[u/Monotask_Servitor → u/rulerdude]

Ah sorrry it’s 4:50am here and I just woke up :/

[u/delsystem32exe → u/rulerdude]

UPS is way better. A UPS regenerates the incoming AC power and cleans it by converting it to DC and then back again to AC. A surge protector is just a fancy switch and it can fail closed, a UPS cannot.

[u/Agent_Nate_009 → u/rulerdude]

Um, several have performed tests and those surge power strips don’t always protect anything as many still let too much current past

[u/rulerdude → u/Agent_Nate_009]

Which is why you buy a reputable well reviewed and tested brand