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It is vital that you plug your PC equipment into a surge protector, or power strip. Your computer’s electrical components can become damaged even by static electricity(you know when you walk across carpet and touch someone..ouch!), so you can imagine what a lightning strike can cause.

After a power outage, once the power comes back on, the initial “surge” of energy rushes into your computer and fries it. This can happen to more than just your PC. Televisions, gaming consoles, DVD players, etc. can all become useless if a power surge hits them!

How do you know a surge protector is sufficient? The joules rating on the surge protector lets you know how much power it can absorb from a power surge. In simplified words, the higher the joule rating the better protected you are. Don’t get cheap with this! As I mentioned, once your PC gets hit with a surge, you risk having to buy another one!