Just because you have a power strip under your desk doesn't mean your computer is protected from a power surge. Many cheap versions of surge protectors are on the market and will do literally nothing more than give you extra outlets. One sometimes obvious way to tell if your getting a good surge protector is the price. You generally need to spend $30 - $45 for a decent surge protector. If you want to verify how good a surge protector is, check the box to see how many joules of protection it has.

This tells you how much energy the surge protector can absorb before it fails. A higher number indicates greater protection. Look for a protector that is at least rated at 2500 to 4000 joules. Buy the best you can afford and it should pay off later. The price of a good surge protector is always less than replacing the system board or power supply in your computer.

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Below are a few models that you might want to consider. Check the product description for the manufacturers warranty and coverage guarantees.