Desktop PC’s are running on alternate current. At times the current from the wall electrical outlet are not stable. Normally the power line supply slightly increases or decreases but we don’t notice this small deviations. But in some cases you could experience this flicker of the screen or your PC nearly powers out. This happens in areas where there is low voltage supply due to high power demand.

Have you been pestered by some do-it-yourself (DIY) fanatics? In the province our neighbor is one of those guys. They use welding machine, some electrical power equipment and the likes in a residential area. Consequently, we experience flickering TV’s, fluorescent bulbs and of course same as with our computer. Or imagine if a lightning hits a power line? The electricity can jump from the normal of 110 V or 220 V up to several hundred thousand volts ! I assure you that it’ll fry dead your PC or laptop if you don’t have something to protect it.

Protect your PC devices from such power spikes; Install a surge suppressor. If you still don’t have this I urge you to get one. It cost a few dollars but it’s worth the penny. You could plug your PC device (including PC, monitor, scanner, printer, hub, modem, etc..) into it so they’ll be properly protected. It’s good to have a surge suppressor with a plug for phone line and modem. This is to protect your PC when the lightning hits the phone lines, it will not travel down to your PC through your modem. Though seldom do I see this types in the shops.

During electrical spikes surge suppressors breaks the path with which electricity can flow to your devices. Most of the them have a reset button. Although surge suppressor can protect your system from sudden fluctuations of power it doesn’t help you a lot when there is power failure. Thus, to protect you from temporary power loss you need an uninterruptible power supply (UPS).