There’s a ton of power strips out there that claim they can protect your electronics, but not all of them are created equal. Check out our list of the best surge protectors for Gaming PC’s to find out which surge protectors can really protect your equipment.
How Do I Prevent Power Surges?
Surprisingly enough there are some things you can do to help reduce the risk of power surges in all areas of your home. And it doesn’t require a lightening rod (Although that can help). According to research from the Fire Protection Research Foundation the biggest victims of power surges are low end electronics such as smoke detectors, but the average data in these data sets didn’t include a high end gaming rig.
Preventing power surges can be done in multiple ways, the first is getting an electrician to check that your home is properly grounded. A well grounded home will feed most excess power away from your house. There are also whole home surge protectors such as the Siemens FS140 for less than $200 which provide protection at point of entry (Where many surges originate from).
It is still recommended to use power strips that include surge protection for any expensive electronics though, think of each surge protector as a layer of defense against power surges, by the time a power surge has overcome a grounding, and a whole home surge protector, your surge protected power strip should have no issues keeping your electronics safe!
Why Worry About Power Surges?
So you’ve spent thousands of dollars on your perfect gaming rig, and one morning you wake up, and it’s fried. First things first, This is pretty unlikely, power surges are relatively uncommon, and many power surges are so low you’ll probably never even notice them. The real risks of surges are for those living in more rural areas or heavily residential suburbs, where a lightening strike is more likely to hit a power connection.
A surge protector is an easy, cheap, and effective way to keep your electronics safe, and most power strips come with a surge protector included. Be warned though, not all surge protectors are created equal, and there are a confounding array of certifications out there to help you figure out which is the best surge protector. For the laymen however, the dozens of certifications and protection ratings make it difficult to really understand what they all mean, and how different ratings compare.
The Best Surge Protectors for Gaming PC’s
When we were looking for the best gaming PC surge protectors our number on rating was ability to protect your rig. The number one concern is keeping your equipment safe. But we also want it to have a wide range of functionality and look good, since for many gamers the aesthetic of their space is important. The good news is that all the protectors on this list offer great protection, especially when combined with proper grounding and a whole home surge protector.
| Device | Outlets | Other Features | Protection | Price |
| Anker PowerExtend | 12 | None | 2x 4k joule protection | $27.99 |
| Belkin Pivot-Plug 12 outlet | 12 | Phone/Coaxial | 4,320 joule/6000V protection $300,000 Connected Equipment Warranty Lifetime Warrenty | $35.99 |
| Anker 6 Outlet PowerIQ PD | 6 | 2x USBA 3.1 1x USBC | 1280J and $100,000 | $49.99 |
| Belkin Swivel | 3 | 2x USBA 3.1 | 980J | $19.99 |
| Anker USBC Desk | 3 | 2x USBA 1x USBC 45W | 300J | $69.99 |
1) Anker PowerExtend 12 Outlets
Anker’s PowerExtend easily tops the list for high end power surge protection for your gaming PC, with two 4000 Joule surge protectors built in you also have a fall back built in. This helps deal with waves of surges that can follow from an initial surge. it also comes with a fire resistant case up to 1382°F to prevent fires starting at the point of resistance (Particularly important if your house is not grounded properly!)
There’s a beefy 12 outlets on this power strip, more than enough for most gaming PC’s, however it’s functionality ends there, it has no USB ports or co-axial protection. While it’s easy enough to add an additional power strip or USB outlet to this for device and phone, or laptop charging (see some of the other options below) it’s also not the nicest looking power strip, so you might want to keep this one hidden away.
2) Belkin 12-Outlet Pivot-Plug Power Strip Surge Protector
When it comes to functionality and design Belkin is the clear winner. It looks cool, eight of the ports are flexible for even the most awkward plug, and it comes with a solid 4,320 Joule 6000V spike protection rating. While it doesn’t have any built in USB ports, it has phone jack and coaxial protection built in, so you can feel safe plugging in your modem and your TV as well.
Belkin is so confident in this surge protector, not only does it comes with a lifetime warranty, but it also comes with a $300,000 connected device warranty as well.
This surge protector is the one I have hooked up to everything on my desk, the flexible ports mean that I can utilize nearly every outlet, even with my array of weirdly designed plugs for my wide range of desktop devices, monitor and laptops. I have a couple of Anker outlets attached to this, providing me with some additional surge protection and USB outlets.
This Belkin Surge protector also comes in at a surprisingly cheap price considering it’s flexibility and feature set.
While it may not have the dual protection of our number one surge protection choice for gaming PC’s, it’s slightly stronger single layer of surge protection should be enough to keep your devices safe (And out can always layer on another surge protection device if you want to double down on your more expensive pieces of equipment).
3) Anker 6 Outlet PowerStrip PD
The first on our list to offer USB ports, the Anker 6 Outlet PowerIQ Strip provides two USBA 3.1 and a single USBC outlet with it’s PowerIQ charging technology (Charge those devices faster!) It also comes with a slightly cheaper variant with three USB 3.1 ports and no USBC for $33.99 found Here.
While it’s surge protection is less than our top contenders it still holds strong with 1280J protection and a $100,000 connected equipment warranty (Confirm this with your vendor though as we haven’t been able to confirm this with all major retailors).
One surprisingly amazing feature of this power strip, two of the outlets are spaced out from the other four, giving you a section for those rather annoying larger plugs.
A word of caution here, the USBC port is only 30W, reduced to 18W when other USB ports are in use. This means that it may not be enough to charge a USBC laptop at full speed. It’s also worth noting that some USB fast charging devices might not work well with the Power IQ and you may still need to use the provided power adapter.
4) Belkin Swivel 3-Outlet USB
The Belkin Swivel gives you three power outlets and a 2.1 max amp 10W capacity pair of USB outlets, it does however come with 918J surge protection and an amazing swivel function that makes this a great addition as a second layer of surge protection for your devices.
There are several variants of this plug, but I would avoid them, the lower voltage/wattage version is not enough to charge most modern devices, and the more powerful version is weirdly a cradle and does not rotate.
For most people this is a great second layer of protection (especially on cheaper surge protectors) and is also small enough to travel with you if you want to keep your electronics safe while travelling!
5) Anker USBC Desk Power Surge Outlet
While this comes in at a meagre 300J of surge protection, it’s powerful enough to charge many USBC laptops, and it is a beautiful looking addition to any desk space. We recommend using this as a second layer of protection for your laptops, especially if they are USBC (Since you can drop the clunky power adapters, or that square hung of plastic Apple makes you use.
This surge protector might not be powerful, but the outlets on the back help keep your desk tidy, and the sleek design means that your laptop charging port can help accent your desk, rather than making it look cluttered.
Just remember, that while that 300J of protection will keep your equipment safe form minor power fluctuations, it won’t stop damage from a major power surge, so make sure you have a layer of protection between this device and your homes connection to the power grid. It does come with a $50,000 connected equipment warranty however, for a little extra peace of mind.
My Surge Protected Outlet Setup
For my Gaming setup it all starts with my Belkin surge protector, a strong first layer of defense. From there I have our number 5 pic, the Anker USBC laptop capable charger for my Macbook, an Anker Cube (Overload protection but no surge protection) for 3 additional outlets and three USB A outlets and a Anker Disc (also no surge protection) for two more outlets, two USB A and a single USBC 30W port, which I use to charge tablets and phones. Technically this could also charge your laptop, but not while any other USB devices are plugged in.
This gives me a well protected setup with a second layer of protection for my laptops and monitor, as well as plenty of additional outlets for other devices and also plenty of USB outlets for my headphones, phones, drone, and other devices that need charging.
This may be a little overkill since the Belkin’s inbuilt surge protection is plenty, but considering the value of the equipment attached, another albeit light, layer o surge protection for my gaming PC setup gives me a little extra safety.
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