Desktops forum: Power supply and computer protection

Your setup is the most basic for your needs. I suggest you get at least a singular AC plug type surge protector for that UPS to plug into for yet another simple level of protection. The Dynex brand is a cheapie, so don't expect miracles other than simple protection. You can also have an AC line conditioner to better squelch AC irregualrites on top of the UPS.

If you like and can afford to, have a electrician check the line and if possible, place a elect. box circuital surge bkr. for that computer line(that room). Further, that the AC line is truly grounded as older homes can be iffy.


Visit the Tripplet and APC websites for details on wants/needs of systm protection.
tada -----Willy

I wouldn't assume it's actual 3 prong wired and have someone check into it. What some did was take an old wiring system and throw 3 prong outlets in which lack the ground. Best way to tell is if you take an outlet cover off and check for the black, white, and copper ground. In some old mobile homes they used aluminum for the ground and black\white and came loose eventually. Of course there are cases where parts of a home have newer wiring and other parts still have the old stuff. As well, there are cases where the ground isn't grounded and just runs through the walls into oblivion. If you want to be sure, have a licensed electrician look at it, wiring in a home should be "one" of the first priorities and taken seriously.
Then at least you know what you have. Some electricians do a cheap or free inspection depending on where you live.

Paul

Use an outlet checker, as mentioned in another post, to check for a proper ground. This is for safety. A bad ground won't bother the computer at all.

A battery-backup is overkill for simple protection. It's main purpose is to protect against a power outage. Most batery backups, as far as I know, don't isolate the computer from the power line. They switch to an isolated supply (the battery) when the outlet loses power.
Otherwise, power from the outlet goes through a filter, then to your computer, just like a surge-protected power strip.

"Surge" and "glitch" are misnomers. What you really need to wory about are lightening strikes sending very high voltage spikes into your house's wiring. Most spikes are brief and low-amplitude, and don't get through the computer's power supply. A lightning strike, however, can punch through the insulation of the power supply and then into the electronics.
A surge protector shorts out this high-voltage before it gets to your computer.

For most people, a 15$, surge-protected power strip is all you need. It's all I have, and I've never had any problems with a power spike since the early 80s, when an unprotected modem was destroyed by a lightning storm.