What kind of surge protector/UPS should one get?

Question

This isn't a strictly programming related question but I think it pertains to programmers since we don't want to lose our stuff to a thunderstorm.

I've had a bit of bad luck lately with my PC (hard drive went bad, memory went bad) and although things have settled down (bought new hard drive, bought new memory) I'm still a little paranoid.

One of the things I've never bothered to do is get a good surge protector and/or UPS. Like, with the rain we're having in Texas lately and with Hurricane Ike about to hit us I figure the surge supressor bit is probably pretty important (I'm in the Dallas area so Ike won't impact me like it will the coast, but we're still in for some pretty crazy storms).

So, looking at the Surge Suppressor page on frys.com (where I can go pick one up pretty quickly) has made me realize that there's quite a range of these things out there, and the price shoots up of course once you factor in UPS. But one of the expensive ones is from Monster Cable which is my red flag that perhaps some number of these things are complete overkill.

So, anyone got any advice for surge suppressors? Specifically,

1. If one went with just a surge suppressor, what would be the ideal one to get?
2. If one went with a surge suppressor with UPS, what would be the ideal one to get?

For reference, I have two PC's to be concered with here. In the same office I have a router, a cable modem, an LCD TV, an LCD monitor, etc. My main concern is the PC's, should I also be concerned on the monitors or anything else?

UPDATE Ok, so Jeff's Article on this likes the Isobar Ultra since they have a little indicator light to tell you that the MOV is any good (i.e., is the surge suppressor still useful). But no local stores carry them apparently, which does me no good for trying to get hooked up before the weekend. Are there any other surge suppressors with "still good" indicators like this? What do they call them, if they don't call them MOV Indicators?

Answer 1

This is a good reference.

Answer 2

we don't want to lose our stuff to a thunderstorm.

Sorry about your bad luck, but can I suggest you look at a source control system on a separate machine? Code doesn't exist until it's committed. Data can be re-built.

Answer 3

Pretty much any UPS is better than none at all - obviously if you have a 800+ watt monster you probably need to put a little effort into choosing the right one for you but if you just have a 'normal' desktop or a desktop and laptop combo then any of those cheap'ish ones you can pick up will really help. Before UPS prices came down to current levels I was never a fan of surge protectors on their own, now UPSs are so cheap I'd always go that way.

Answer 4

Having been through a few UPS's of various different makes and types, my preferred approach these days is to get a second-hand 'datacentre grade' APC unit.

I'm in the UK, but I bet you'd have no trouble sourcing one. The latest I bought was a rack-mounted 1500VA APC (an SUA1500RMI2U) with brand new batteries for £100 ($175).

Apart from being remotely manageable, the single best feature is that you can turn off the annoying bleep when it's on battery power!

Edit: I just noticed you're in the UK, too! If you're interested, I'll give you the details of my supplier.

Double Edit: What an idiot I am! I see now that you're not in the UK, but the post was edited by someone who is. Bah! You can still have my supplier's details if you like, but shipping might be a bit pricey.