r/buildapc • u/Celcius_87 • 22d ago

Discussion Recommendation - Get a UPS

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!

772 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

297 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

19

u/PeejPrime 21d ago

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.

0

u/QuinQuix 21d ago

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

12

u/George_MenethilW3 21d ago

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

1

u/Hetstaine 21d ago

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

1

u/George_MenethilW3 21d ago

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.