Best Surge Protector
Don’t let the wave of excitement sweep away the need for a surge protector - it’s always better to be safe than sorry!
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Surges in power are a not uncommon yet potentially devastating occurrence, as they could end up frying your expensive gaming equipment. That’s why, although it might not be the most exciting purchase you’ll make, it’s vital to get a good surge protector for your PC.
It’s a cheap and simple way of protecting the investments you’ve made, both in terms of time and money, into your existing gaming set-up thus far. They keep the components safe from damage that could be inflicted by the very power source that keeps them running.
The surge protector does this by limiting the voltage that can pass through at one time so the components aren’t overwhelmed which could negatively affect its performance. To save you the time and effort of doing it yourself, we’ve done the research for you and come up with five of the best options that will protect your gaming PC from power surges.
Our Top Picks
How We Choose
It’s a small but mighty piece of equipment for your gaming PC, so it’s important to have a lot of trust in the reviews you’re reading when it comes to buying a surge protector. It’s going to be protecting your expensive equipment, after all, so it needs to be able to do this well.
As well as undertaking hours of extensive research and comparing other reviews and customer feedback online, we’ve tried and tested each of the products we’ve included in this article so that you can have full faith in our recommendations. We’re always on the lookout for products that will enhance our gaming experience, and we think you should too.
Like our readers, we believe that it’s important to have options, so we’ve selected these products based on a number of different criteria. This includes the number of sockets, the length of the power cord, the auxiliary ports compatibility, and clamping, which we go into in more detail in the following sections.
Things to Consider
There are a few things that we found it important to consider when you’re searching for a new surge protector, so we thought we’d give you a bit of a rundown over what each one means and how to find the right choice for you and your needs.
Number of Sockets
The first thing you’re going to need to think about when you’re buying a new surge protector is the number of sockets you’ll require. Don’t sell yourself short here – really think about how many you think you’ll end up using at once and maybe size up one or two to give yourself some breathing room.
Widely spaced outlets are great if you are connected to a WiFI extender, and this is a popular accessory for gaming. This means you can actually use each of the sockets available as the plugs will be able to fit next to each other along the strip.
The majority of surge protectors are 6 or 8 ports, but you can also find larger, more widely spaced surge protectors with 12 ports.
Power Cord Length
Having a bunch of messy cords and cables cluttering up space around your gaming PC set-up can be quite distracting, and it’s certainly not very neat or nice to look at. Surge protectors come with different power cord lengths, and having one that’s too long could end up adding to the tangled mess of cords already there.
On the other hand, if it’s not long enough to reach your set-up from where it needs to be plugged into the wall then it’s going to be pretty much useless to you. The best thing to do before buying your surge protector is to measure the distance of how far the cord will have to travel, as that way you can order in line with this length estimate and you won’t be disappointed when it turns up and you go to plug it in.
Auxillary Ports (USB etc)
A lot of the surge protectors on the market today feature USB connections that allow you to charge your mobile devices instead of having to use the wall ports. This can be really useful if you don’t want to give up a whole socket to give your phone some extra juice.
You will need to check what the output amp rating is for this, and usually, it’s between 1 or 2 amps (more commonly seen as 1A or 2A on the label). The output amp rating tells you how much electricity you can have coming through the cables, therefore the higher 2 amp rating indicates that it’ll be able to charge your phone faster than one with 1 amp.
Clamping
In terms of the surge protectors energy absorption rating, the higher the joules, the better, so you should be looking at 600 to 700 as a minimum here, although even higher would be better again. However, it’s a different case when it comes to the clamping voltage as this is where you should aim for lower.
This is essentially the voltage at which the surge protector starts doing its job as it kicks in to take the brunt of the electrical energy that’s surging toward your gaming PC, and therefore it’s better to have a lower clamping voltage. Around 400 volts or less would be ideal.
Warranty
On the odd occasion that surge protectors do fail, it’s not just the cost of the surge protector itself that you’re losing out on, as you could end up damaging your equipment or needing to replace your entire PC which could be a potentially very expensive outgoing.
As such, some warranties will actually cover the devices you have connected at the time of failure in the warranty to give you that extra peace of mind. You’ll need to check the terms and conditions of the specific products for their warranty and this will usually tell you how to make a claim should you need to.
It’s not an absolute rule, but often a longer warranty will show more confidence in the product’s performance and lifespan as companies are obviously not going to want to keep replacing products out of their own pocket due to power failings and manufacturers’ defects.
The APC 11 Outlet Surge Protector
In-depth Review
- Reasonably priced
- 11 outlets which are well spaced out
- 2 USB outlets for mobile phone charging
- Rigorously tested to meet the highest safety standards
- Great for larger spaces as it has a 6-foot long power cord
- The cord is on a swivel which gives you greater flexibility to decide how you want to mount it
- Requires some force to push the plugs all the way into the outlet as they’re a bit tight at first
The product that comes most highly recommended from us is the APC outlet surge protector with 11 outlets for you to plug in plenty of your most essential electronic devices with total peace of mind. It also comes with 2 USB charging ports for your mobile phone.
This is a safe, reliable form of protection for your PC and it’s coming from one of the leading names in the industry who are known and trusted for their power protection. Surges, lightning, and spikes due to other power disturbances will no longer damage your stuff!
It has been through comprehensive IEEE testing and the surge protector complies with all local agency safety requirements, with the P11U2 ensuring the primary level of surge protection. It’s capable of handling up to 2,880 joules so you should be protected from any type of power problems.
The 6-foot power cord hits the sweet spot of being long enough for larger PC set-ups where there may be a greater distance between the wall outlet and your computer, and not being so long that it’s going to get tangled up or look untidy in your home. It has an attractive, black design and it wouldn’t look out of place in a professional office setting, either.
- 12 available outlets, 6 of which are BlockSpace outlets that are wider so you can fit larger power adaptors on the strip without blocking room for your other electronics to be plugged in
- There’s an easy to use red/green light indicator to tell you if the connection is good or non-grounded
- Anticipated 3 to 5-year lifespan
- It has an angled plug
- It has an 8-foot power cord that could get in the way or be too long for smaller spaces
Next up we have the Belkin outlet surge protector which has 12 outlets (6 regular outlets and 6 BlockSpace outlets for larger power adaptors) and a right-angle AC plug. It’s another great choice for anyone looking to safeguard their computers, appliances, or other electronic devices in their home.
The power cord is 8 feet in length which is longer than our top pick, but this is airing slightly on the too-long side of things, especially if your computer is situated close to where the wall outlet is located. It could end up getting in your way while you’re gaming which will take you out of the experience, although the rest of the design is supposed to be more aimed at space-saving and the gray color keeps it minimalistic.
It’s user-friendly and there’s a clear indicator light that tells you when your power strip is ‘protected’ which is when it’s green, or when a connection is ‘not grounded’ which is indicated through a light red flashing up.
It’s expected to last for a good 3 to 5 years which is pretty decent for a surge protector, although this is likely to vary from case to case. With a 3,940 joules energy rating and a 6,000 volts maximum spike voltage, it can handle a fair bit of power without a problem.
- 12 outlets and 2 USB ports for quick phone charging
- 4,320 joules
- 6-foot power cord
- A reliable product you can trust
- Lifetime warranty and $300,000 connected equipment protection
- Slightly more expensive
Next, we have another option from APC, but this time it has 12 outlets and it can handle up to 4,320 joules. It’s slightly more expensive than our top pick, but if you think you’d benefit from the extra output and the higher joules then it’s definitely worth it.
It has a 6-foot power cord which is an ideal length for your surge protector, although it has a straight 3-prong plug which is less flexible than the swivel plugs on some of the other surge protectors we’ve included in this list.
In addition to the outlets, there are two USB ports that provide 2.4 amps of charging power for your mobile phone and other small devices. You’ll be able to charge them in a short amount of time which can be a really useful feature to have in your surge protector.
ACP is so confident in this product that they’ve given it a lifetime warranty and a generous $300,000 connected equipment protection policy, so this is a surge protector you know you can trust or at least feel safe in the knowledge that in the case of failure, the cost of replacement won’t solely fall to you.
- 12 outlets and 3 USB ports
- PowerIQ technology ensures super-fast charging
- Super safe thanks to thick rubber coating, integrated copper wiring, and flame retardant casing
- 6-foot power cord
- 18-month worry-free warranty and lifetime $300,000 connected equipment warranty
- Can’t be mounted to the underside of a table
- Some reported issues with quality control
We have another 12-outlet surge protector for our next review, but this time it’s from Anker which is a well-known and trusted brand. It features a 3-line 4,000 joules surge protection energy rating so it can keep all your connected devices safe from power disturbances.
It has 3 USB ports which is going to be super useful when you have friends over for a gaming night as you can all charge your phones without having to take turns. You can also rely on this surge protector to charge super fast thanks to their world-renowned PowerIQ technology which delivers optimum performance.
There’s a thick rubber coating that runs around the surge protector and integrated copper wiring, as well as flame retardant casing combine which ensures complete safety for you and your electricals. The power cord is 6 feet in length which is ideal for most instances.
For what you pay for, you get the 12-outlet surge protector itself, a welcome guide, a worry-free 18-month warranty, and a lifetime $300,000 connected equipment warranty.
- 12 outlets
- 8-foot long power cord
- 2,880 joules suppression rating
- Convenient right-angle plug
- LEDs that warn you of suppressor damage
- Lifetime warranty and up to $150,000 connected devices insurance
- No USB ports
- Can be stiff to insert the plugs at first
Last on our list is the Tripp Lite TLP1208TELTV surge protector. Like many of the others on our list, this one has 12 outlets so it has plenty of space for your electrical equipment. It’s a little bit more on the expensive side but it’s packed full of useful features.
It provides premium surge protection and there’s a built-in tel/DSL with gold coax jacks, as well as an integrated 12a circuit breaker means every outlet is equally as protected and will shut down your connected equipment in the event of a power overload.
The right-angle plug allows for plenty of convenient mounting options and there’s an 8-foot long power cord which means you don’t need to rearrange your set-up just to move closer to the wall outlet. It also features LED diagnostics that let you know if there’s suppressor damage.
There’s a lifetime warranty offered with the surge protector which shows that it should last you a long time, and there’s insurance cover of up to $150,000 for your connected devices and appliances, although this is less than what is offered by other protectors in this list.
Final Word
It might not have any effect on the actual gaming experience you get to have each time you sit down to play at your PC, but having a good-quality surge protector will be the unsung hero of your gaming set-up as it constantly works behind the scenes to keep your electronics safe.
We hope you’ve been able to find the right one amongst the five products we’ve reviewed for you in this article, and after rigorous testing, we’re confident to say that any one of them would do a great job of preventing power surges from damaging your electrical devices.
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