6 Best Surge Protectors For Gaming PCs In 2024 (2024)

Aside from the time and money poured into gaming rigs, they also hold a sentimental connection. Your self-built desktop or custom laptop is a precious thing. With that in mind, protecting your dream computer from damage is vital, especially when you consider the cost of replacement parts and repairs.

Surge protectors help mitigate the risk of damage occurring during spikes in voltage. Many quality protectors include some form of warranty for connected equipment, allowing for a possible replacement should the surge protector fail. With this list, you'll be able to find what best fits your needs.

The Best Surge Protection For Your Gaming PC In 2024

Best Value Buy

Amazon Basics Rectangular 6-Outlet Surge Protector

Provide protection for two outlets with a great deal

Amazon offers you an affordable option for electronic safety with this two-pack of surge protector power strips. With 6 outlets each and a 200 joules rating you can add voltage protection where needed with ease.

Pros

• Great price per surge protector
• Protect two areas with one buy
• Mountable and compact

Cons

• Lower protection rating and no CEW
• Cord is only 2 feet in length

$15 at Amazon

Have multiple outlets on opposite sides of a room? Perhaps a gaming PC, console, and fancy RGB lights all spread about? This is your best pick to easily and affordably cover your bases on every outlet in your game room. The two power strips let you provide protection wherever it's needed near or far.

While they may not have the highest protection rating or the most outlets, the bang for your buck is hard to beat. Especially if you have many lights or peripherals you would also like to protect, requiring many outlets at multiple points in the room. Even if you have a heavy-duty protector, these still come in handy for other smaller or spread-out devices.

Best Power Strip

Belkin 12-Outlet Surge Protector Power Strip

If your gaming desk is doing heavy duty Belkin has your back.

Belkin brings powerful protection for your electronics. With 12 outlets and an excellent surge rating of 3,940 joules, this strip can supply your entire gaming setup. Belkin also offers a generous 300,000-dollar connected equipment warranty.

Pros

• Space for large plugs to fit
• Low profile with long cord
• Excellent protection and CEW

Cons

• Wider profile sometimes gets in the way

See at Amazon

For one strip to run your whole desk, or just for stronger protection, Belkin has the product you want. This surge protector boasts 12 outlets and a substantially higher rating of surge protection at nearly four thousand joules. Belkin is confident in their product's power to keep your devices safe by offering a connected equipment warranty, or CEW, alongside a warranty for the power strip itself.

The CEW attached to this surge protector has a value of $300,000, making it ample for nearly any combination of devices. This power strip is the best choice if device safety is your ultimate priority, the value of price to protection is excellent and impossible to match outside of Belkin.

Best Compact Outlet

Amazon Basics Rotating 6-Outlet Surge Protector

Incredibly compact for tight space or for travel this is safety in a small package.

Amazon returns to offer the ideal solution for tight walls or on your travels. Its six rotating outlets allow for better fitting of plugs and cords. With 1,080 joules of protection, it offers ample safety for your devices.

Pros

• Small enough to travel with
• Hangs from outlet to save space
• Plugs rotate for better fit

Cons

• No included warranty for connected devices

$17 at Amazon

Sometimes, power needs are simple and long cords or large bases just get in the way. If you often plug in a laptop place to place or have a desk directly atop an outlet this wall-mounted solution might be perfect. Most convenient for those who take their gaming devices on the go, this is small enough to keep in a case or bag for constant access.

Whether you are at home or not this brings comfort when powering up with over a thousand joules of surge protection. While there is no listed CEW for your items, a low price with ample protection means you'll have a healthy barrier between you and possible electronic damage.

Best Protection & UPS

Amazon Basics Standby UPS 600VA 360W Surge Protector

Get additional protection by providing your devices with safe and uninterrupted power.

Another excellent product from Basics, this surge protection comes alongside an uninterrupted power supply. In addition to preventing power spikes the battery backup stops sudden shut-downs and lost work from any loss of power.

Pros

• Prevents unexpected power loss
• Ample to save your games or work and shutdown safely
• Multiple battery wattages available

Cons

• Large and difficult to mount or store

$72 on Amazon

Anyone who has experienced a flickering power outage knows the pain of having your game or work interrupted by an unexpected reboot. If you live in an area with many storms this can become a common occurrence, kicking you from a game with a brief loss of power to your desktop. However, there is a solution.

A UPS is like a surge protector but with a battery and systems to manage power delivery. When the outlet fails, the battery prevents a loss of power that otherwise would cause a shutdown. Besides keeping your PC up, this can help protect you from data corruption or electronic damage caused by a sudden loss of power.

While not necessarily offering higher surge protection, a UPS is handy to ensure consistent power. Using a UPS makes power changes completely invisible in most cases, as flicker or sudden reboots are prevented. Generally, choosing a surge protector with battery backup if in your budget is preferable to one without it.

Best Safety In Style

Titan 6-Outlet Surge Protector

Light up your cable management with an RGB power supply.

Don't sacrifice your ideal aesthetic for safety by using a surge protector with color control. Offering an ample 1,080 joules protection rating, you can fit your needs to your space, instead of your space to your needs.

Pros

• Long cord with a 360 plug
• Full spectrum color-select
• Many sizes and shapes

Cons

• Comes with six outlets at most
• Larger profile than other choices

$29 at Amazon

When the layout of your desk or media center demands that a power strip cannot be hidden, you can at least have it match in style. This six-outlet protector offers all the same protection benefits as others, just with some added flair.

Providing a 1,080 joule protection rating, your devices can be safe while also being illuminated. Multiple sizes and styles are available based on your need for shape or number of outlets, and full-spectrum lighting lets you choose the look that's best for your rig.

Although it does provide the same type of power protection, its higher price and lower rating than some other outlets may put you off. If you want something that matches your finely tuned RGB, or cannot mount or hide your power strips, then this is an excellent solution to two problems at once.

Best High-End Protection

CyberPower Intelligent LCD UPS System

When you can take no risks choose the mightiest of protectors.

CyberPower brings its best with an incredible UPS that can protect power and networking cables. A 1,500 joules surge protector is balanced with a 1500VA/900W battery backup to provide you with high-quality power at all times. CyberPower backs this product up with a 3-year warranty, including battery, plus a CEW to the tune of half a million dollars.

Pros

• Exceptional battery backup at 900 watts
• Great warranty and $500,000 CEW protection
• Smart power management with LCD screen

Cons

• High cost and large size

See at Amazon

Do you need the absolute comfort of the best-of-the-best? Cyberpower has your answer. This beast of a UPS has surge protection with an exceptional battery backup. Boasting an intelligent power delivery system that displays info on an LCD screen, you'll rest easy with this behind your gaming rig.

Finding a place to put this monstrous protector is well worth it, as Cyberpower is confident enough to offer CEW coverage of half a million dollars. If that doesn't put you at ease it's likely nothing will. This tower of power also protects your networking cables, layering on further protection to your cables and devices. With 12 plugs and extensive wattage, this one UPS can support two computers at once.

For those who have a main and streaming PC, or other high-end devices like a home server, the incredible CEW and smart power management make this purchase worth every penny. Besides great protection, the power supply has a three-year warranty that includes its battery, a rare find in UPS products.

FAQ

What Does Surge Protection Do?

The simplified answer is that when there are changes in voltage the excess can be redirected to prevent over-powering electronics with more than they asked for. While surge protectors are not magic shields, they can improve the length of a device's life by ensuring it receives consistent power. This is an especially wise precaution for electrical circuits that might have many devices drawing power or turning on and off often.

Does A CEW Mean I'll Get All My Things Replaced?

Each product that includes a connected equipment warranty will have terms for the replacement of items damaged by a failure of the product. As with any warranty or related contract, you'll want to read through it to understand the benefits you may be entitled to.

The short of it is that if their product fails to protect your devices, you can approach the company to seek repair or replacement of your goods. While high joule ratings and a generous CEW are great to have, remember that it is not a perfect guarantee. Each circ*mstance can be different, but often it is better to have them than not.

Do I Need A Battery Backup For My PC?

For some, a surge protector in the form of a UPS is overkill. Many devices and PCs are intended to handle shutdowns without issue, and some areas rarely experience power-related problems. That said, having a UPS to provide battery power to your PC is not a bad idea.

It can ensure you do not lose saved data from games or work by allowing you to properly close down your PC during an outage. If power dips occur in your area and you stream or otherwise need your PC to maintain operation, a UPS can become essential. It also offers additional peace of mind against data corruption due to sudden shutdowns.