You see, the electricity that comes from the wall does not always come at a constant rate. It may dip below the normal 110 volts which could produce a brownout. It might also surge above the normal 110 volts resulting in a power surge. Or you could have a blackout. None of these situations are good for your PC.

To protect your PC against power problems you can buy a surge protector. This device will protect your PC against power surges. Surge protection is measured in joules/second or watts/second. The higher the number, the better.

EMI/RFI filtering is another option offered on surge suppressors. This filters your electricity from nearby radio waves or electromagnetic fields that would normally come in on your electricity. This is also called line noise protection. Surge suppressors also provide modem and fax protection.

It is important to note that surge suppressors will wear out. The more expensive models have indicator lights that will tell you when they are worn out. It is a good idea to replace these at least once a year.

If you need blackout protection, buy a UPS or uninterruptable power supply. These devices keep the power coming even when you lose power. Their secret? They run your PC off of batteries which the UPS is constantly recharging. When you lose power, the PC doesn't even know it. These units can provide from 5-25 minutes of power. The trick is to match the watts rating from your power supply with the watts rating on the UPS.

Although a surge protector or UPS can provide significant power protection, the best protection is to unplug you PC when not in use. At the very least, you should unplug your PC during an electrical storm as nothing can protect you if you take a direct hit.