garrigus
You must absolutely have a UPS for your computer system if you don't want to risk losing it. APC is a good brand. Also, even with a UPS, you still want to unplug devices from wall outlets during any severe storms because one stray lighting strike can still take out your gear.
Scott
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Scott R. Garrigus - http://www.garrigus.com
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Good advice!
I have always used the small APC Back-UPS units with my desktop PC's, and have never lost a drive, motherboard, or power supply in a power outage. I live in the southern US where we have frequent power outages during the summer thunderstorm season, and the occasional ice storm in the winter.
One additional path for a lightning surge to blow your gear besides the power main, is your communication line. I know folks who have had their PC smoked by the network adapter connected to their modem. The telco or cable line is probably not as well grounded as the power mains.
My DAW has a USB Wi-Fi dongle, so no worries there
The power lines, which should typically be well grounded outside the building against actual lightning hits, can still be affected by voltage spikes, etc., which the UPS can buffer and then provide the PC with a smooth shutdown.