I have written about Protect your PC with Power Surge Suppressor or UPS (part 1). This is the continuation of a two (2) part series. Bad weather causes power surges due to lightning passing throught the lines. If a power surge suppressor or UPS is installed then your desktop PC is well protected. A UPS can also do the work of a power surge suppressor (preventing electrical spikes from reaching your PC components) but it will serve as a back up power should you suffer power outage.

UPS have built-in battery that automatically switches on when there’s power failure. Usually one could enjoy like a twenty (20) minute power window just enough time to save your current work and shutdown open applications and system normally. UPS looks the same almost but they can be classified into two (2) a) inline and b) standby. Inline UPS have the power continuously flowing from the plug and consequently to the battery. On the other hand standby UPS have the power from outlet going directly to the system (though a small portion goes to the battery) and when there’s power failure the power source will be switched to the battery. Though inline UPS cost a little bit more than standby UPS, I have purchased my inline UPS for around 1,600 Baht or 45$ US. At the office we use mostly inline UPS and it wears out easily like just two (2) years of battery life.

To protect your PC from power spikes a surge suppressor is enough but for protecting you from loss of work and data due to power failure UPS will do the work. At home I only use UPS for desktop PC’s CPU then monitor; other devices like printer, scanner, etc. are plugged direct to the line. Don’t forget if you have external drives that require external power it’s advisable to plug it in the UPS. Investing a few bucks on a UPS would be a wise choice.