What size surge protector should I be looking at?

I'm wondering about surge protection. The power where I live is very stable, underground cables, etc. That said, I'm building an expensive PC and while I'm not really thinking I need an UPS, I do think it would be prudent to have good surge protection. What "good" is, I'm not really sure, so I thought I'd put it out here for some guidance. Currently, I have an Amazon basic 6 outlet power strip rated at 200 Joules. I got to wondering if that's really good enough. It probably matters so, plugged in will be my PC powered with a 1000W Focus GX-1000 PSU, powering an Asus Tuf-X670E-Plus WiFi MB, with a Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU and a GeForce RTX 4080Super GPU, AIO cooler, fans, etc, plus a monitor Will be plugged into the strip, besides a lamp and I'm sure there will be some other peripherals.

For any PC and similar equipment, do not go under 2000 joules.  Serious line surges and lightening strikes will fry anything under that. These small surge protectors in extensions cords with expansion  plugs sold in hardware stores are a bad joke...these are usually around 200 joules or less.

Well, make sure running most up to date BIOS and Drivers for your : Asus Tuf-X670E-Plus WiFi

https://www.asus.com/ca-en/motherboards-components/motherboards/tuf-gaming/tuf-gaming-x670e-plus-wifi/helpdesk_bios?model2Name=TUF-GAMING-X670E-PLUS-WIFI

 

And use a a 2000 up Joules Battery Power Supply : https://www.google.com/search?q=2000+joules+battery+powered+back+up+power+supply&client=firefox-b-d&sca_esv=0ba4f777a77d100f&sca_upv=1&ei=d-FjZtCCLu6Dm9cPqMeBiAw&oq=2000+joules+battery+back+up+power+supply&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiKDIwMDAgam91bGVzIGJhdHRlcnkgYmFjayB1cCBwb3dlciBzdXBwbHkqAggAMgoQIRigARjDBBgKSLtJUIUMWIcbcAF4AZABAJgBZKABvQSqAQM3LjG4AQHIAQD4AQGYAgmgAtUEwgIKEAAYsAMY1gQYR8ICBBAhGArCAggQABiABBiiBJgDAIgGAZAGBpIHAzguMaAH4SI&sclient=gws-wiz-serp

 

Doubles as Surge and then power so have time to turn it off if get a good one.  Also if you are under powered is good.  I was under powered for years.  3PM and kids got out of school, poof I would go down then Up again.

If Tornadoes and Hurricanes then is good that way as well.

Well, make sure running most up to date BIOS and Drivers for your : Asus Tuf-X670E-Plus WiFi
https://www.asus.com/ca-en/motherboards-components/motherboards/tuf-gaming/tuf-gaming-x670e-plus-wifi/helpdesk_bios?model2Name=TUF-GAMING-X670E-PLUS-WIFI

Thanks, I intend to. Is there some problem you're aware of?
 

And use a a 2000 up Joules Battery Power Supply : https://www.google.com/search?q=2000+joules+battery+powered+back+up+power+supply&client=firefox-b-d&sca_esv=0ba4f777a77d100f&sca_upv=1&ei=d-FjZtCCLu6Dm9cPqMeBiAw&oq=2000+joules+battery+back+up+power+supply&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiKDIwMDAgam91bGVzIGJhdHRlcnkgYmFjayB1cCBwb3dlciBzdXBwbHkqAggAMgoQIRigARjDBBgKSLtJUIUMWIcbcAF4AZABAJgBZKABvQSqAQM3LjG4AQHIAQD4AQGYAgmgAtUEwgIKEAAYsAMY1gQYR8ICBBAhGArCAggQABiABBiiBJgDAIgGAZAGBpIHAzguMaAH4SI&sclient=gws-wiz-serp
 
Doubles as Surge and then power so have time to turn it off if get a good one.  Also if you are under powered is good.  I was under powered for years.  3PM and kids got out of school, poof I would go down then Up again.
If Tornadoes and Hurricanes then is good that way as well.

Thanks, I'll check it out.

Regards,
Pete

Edited by Not_Applykable, 08 June 2024 - 10:50 AM.

For any PC and similar equipment, do not go under 2000 joules.  Serious line surges and lightening strikes will fry anything under that. These small surge protectors in extensions cords with expansion  plugs sold in hardware stores are a bad joke...these are usually around 200 joules or less.

Thanks, just what I needed to know.

Regards,
Pete

No problems know of.  System needs to respond to a shut down so best to be running the newest drivers/Bios fore response time.  As well it it is good for a computer.

I looked at your M/B Support Page and some stuff there that should improve or fix issues you have now.  Is best to fix early for MS Patch Tuesday Updates.

 

Battery is just needed if in prone to under voltage, storms of all kinds.

 

It is a layer of protection to your build/s (as can run a electric frying pan if need to...lol

Think of a UPS (with a Surge Protector) as you would Insurance on your car.

 

With any luck it will never be necessary. but if you haven't got it, and a maintenance man  puts his jackhammer into your powerline, you won't need to pay for a whole load of new kit.

There are two reasons to have a UPS:

1. The most important one is a gracious shutdown in case of a power failure.  This protects the data on your drives.  Drive operations won't be interrupted randomly which would cause random data loss.  If you value your data, you know what to do.
2. It lets you work a little longer when the power is out.  So, the UPS size is just a question of how many minutes you want to work in the dark.  If it's not that important to you, any size of UPS will do the job of reason#1.

A surge protector with a higher joule rating can absorb more surges before it stops providing protection. Given the cost and sensitivity of your PC components, investing in a surge protector with a higher joule rating (2000+ Joules) is wise.

Edited by Chris Cosgrove, 10 June 2024 - 03:04 AM.
Formatting

Remmee: Probably just a grammatical error but, a 2000 joule Surge Protector will go on protecting its stuff forever, or until a surge that exceeds 2000 joules comes along

Remmee, you are kind of late to the party.  Have you seen Post#2 from ranchhand_?

Remmee, you are kind of late to the party.  Have you seen Post#2 from ranchhand_?

Hahaha! So Sorry. 

Remmee, you are kind of late to the party.  Have you seen Post#2 from ranchhand_?

@Remmee seems to have a penchant for such drive-by replies, many of which seem to be overly generic and/or AI-generated?

;-)

Just sayin'

Thanks for this information. I purchased something with adequate joule protection over the weekend. I'm still considering UPS requirements. All I need is something that would shut down the PC gracefully without my bring present. Chances are as good as not that I'll be elsewhere at the time of the power failure event.

Edited by Not_Applykable, 10 June 2024 - 06:32 AM.

One most important rule when installing surge protection and battery back up sysytems is to be sure the ground is adequate to handle the possible surge and direct it to ground.   Any and all protection devices are sacrificial meaning that once they have been "struck", they most likely destroy themselves while diverting the current to ground.  Most rack mounts and equipment cabinets have provisions for this by providing a ground buss bar.  

Edited by mjd420nova, 10 June 2024 - 10:29 PM.