Power fluctuations occur almost everywhere. Even at home, where power tends to be relatively regular, the effects of lightning, power line outages, accidental power interruptions, and simple line voltage variance can affect your computer, sometimes drastically. What is the best way to protect your computer? Most of us know that a surge protector will guard against power spikes that can zap your computer. But what about power outages? Abrupt power-downs, and the erratic voltage that often occur as the power re-starts can often do damage to your computer. What is the best way to combat against shutdowns and erratic re-starts? Using an un-interruptible power supply (UPS) will protect your computer during short power outages and erratic power episodes.

UPS devices also act as surge suppressors, so you do not need a surge suppressor if you are using a UPS.

So how do you choose a UPS? The following YouTube video from Techquickie provides some great hints: