So first let's understand the difference between a surge protector and a battery backup.
Surge Protector:
Computer
Electricity coming through your wall outlet is not constant and fluctuates. This could sometimes lead to more power coming through than your appliance can handle resulting in a burnt out transformer in the appliance. Surge protectors work as a switch to immediately stop electricity when it exceeds the required voltage resulting in an immediate shutdown of the appliance connected to the surge protector. This is great for most household appliances. Not your computer. However it is better than plugging directly into the wall outlet.
Battery Backup/ UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply)
UPS units contain a battery as well as power stabilizers. Depending on the brand and model the battery can power your computer between 6 minutes and 30 minutes. We recommend purchasing a UPS which will give you at least 20 minutes before the battery shuts down. The stabilizers typically serve dual purpose for low voltage as well as higher voltage. It uses the power in the battery to keep the voltage going to your computer steady instead of fluctuating. This is important as low voltage is just as dangerous to your computer and can damage various components of your mother board as well as your hard drive. In addition if power fails abruptly to your computer not only do you lose what you were working on, but there is a possibility of the hard drive becoming corrupt or damaged. This will result in expensive data recovery.
A UPS gives you the time to save your work and shut down the computer without the risk of damage.
In the 80's only large corporations could afford to have UPS units however the prices have come down substantially and for a few dollars you can protect your investment and take the first step in protecting the data on your computer. We also would recommend of course using an automatic data backup (visit our site for more on data backup) so you can at least recover the data should your hard drive fail.
You can find the UPS or battery backups at your local electronic retailer or online stores such as Amazon. You will see and feel the difference between your power strip and a UPS when you pick up the box. It has a battery so make sure you read the safety instructions first before installing them. It is well worth the cost to extend the life of your computer.
The Importance of a UPS/Battery Backup for Your Computer
For more information on Automatic Data Backup or recovery visit our website http://www.pc-cops.com We provide Cloud hosted and Data Backup services for small business and home users.