Do I need a power strip or battery backup?

Do I need a power strip or battery backup?

Ian Urquhart (Lead Developer, E-Haus, LLC.) gives expert video advice on: What software comes with my computer?; What extra software will I need if I want to make word documents and spreadsheets? and more...

Most people plug their computers straight into the wall. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but just to be on the safe side, I recommend that you get a surge protector so that if there's a power surge, it won't damage your components. They build computers pretty sturdily today, so there's a very good chance that nothing will happen if there's a power surge, but again it's always better to be on the safe side. If you want to go the one step further and be really safe, I'd recommend a battery backup. They're called UPS. That stands for uninterruptible power supply, and if you plug these in, it gives you an extra twenty minutes if the power goes down, so you can power down your components. There's enough energy stored on your battery, so that it gives you an extra couple of minutes to power it down safely.