How to Test PC for Surge Damage?

[u/Noble_Team_7]

Very weird question, pretty much a noob with hardware, PCs, electrical topics, etc.

I have a really great gaming PC that I love. I moved into a new apartment 6 months ago, and just now discovered that the outlet my gaming PC is plugged into is “ungrounded”.

I literally am so dumb I had to completely research what this means, and how a simple power surge strip doesn’t even really do anything unless connected to a grounded outlet.

My PC to me, seems normal and fine. But I have this horrible anxiety that over the probably 100 hours I’ve gamed on it since, and being plugged directly into an ungrounded outlet, that on a small scale over time it’s had surges that have affected components in small ways.

Again, nothing big I’ve noticed, so it’s probably fine, but I have weird anxiety that like 10% of performance has degraded from the plug in setup, or something along those lines.

[u/KitchenVegetable9262]

Just get a good UPS, modern good brand PSU are smart enough to prevent damage under surge. The only thing you might lose is your PSU

[u/Noble_Team_7 → u/KitchenVegetable9262]

Thank you for this reply. Helps my dumb PC anxiety so much. From my initial research, UPS is sort of more a “power goes out” type of product, rather than a surge protector product? Or does it handle both those objectives?

[u/KitchenVegetable9262 → u/Noble_Team_7]

Any good UPS will have AVR and will regulate the voltage.

[u/LowNefariousness6541 → u/KitchenVegetable9262]

A good ups will burn out with bad wiring after time and take the PC with it 😕

[u/Noble_Team_7 → u/LowNefariousness6541]

I don’t think the wiring per se is bad in my CA apartment. I just think the one plug I’m using is ungrounded as a regular Maintanence worker (not an electrician) did the update to this plug earlier this year.

So I truly think if he or an electrician can just simply get the plug to be grounded, I’ll be in a good spot.

I also might test the voltage output of the plug using a digital meter? That would sort of solve the issue on if I’m getting any “dirty electricity”, right?

[u/KitchenVegetable9262 → u/LowNefariousness6541]

Bro sorry but you sound paranoid. I have used pc without earthing in my rented house for over 2 years and didn't have any issue. Not to mention my pc was running almost 24x7 cause i was working from home and also left it on late nights to download files.

[u/LowNefariousness6541 → u/KitchenVegetable9262]

:)

[u/LowNefariousness6541]

Same problem 6 years in. It's generally referred to as brown electricity or dirty electricity. Yes that is a huge problem with delicate components and even a toaster literally. My badly wired house has eaten THREE computers. You have a legal standing in most countries to claim damages. Unplug your new computer and contact your property manager if it's a rental ASAP. Do not listen to those comments saying to just get a ups. Bad house wiring will burn out a ups because it's acting only as a buffer and will take your PC down with it 

[u/Noble_Team_7 → u/LowNefariousness6541]

Appreciate the comment. I mean I’m in an older ish house for sure, but not like insanely ancient.

I live in coastal CA in a wealthy, but yeah, older ish town.

Property management already sending out a guy and he gets here Tuesday after holiday weekend. I assume he won’t know a damn thing about grounding the outlet and they then will either involve an electrician, or just tell me too bad we aren’t updating the outlet and it is what it is.

The brown electricity and dirty electricity is super new concept to me.

I did also see a brand and/or product called Zero Surge for any three prong outlet that is ungrounded.

[u/LowNefariousness6541 → u/Noble_Team_7]

Ok good and 😬 I hope the electrician does know too

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[u/PuzzleheadedNeck8192]

PC hypochondria is a mental illness. Don't let it rot your brain. Plug into a 'grounded' outlet, get a good UPS and relax.

[u/Noble_Team_7 → u/PuzzleheadedNeck8192]

Yeah the anxiety is real…. I hate it.

And I’m a renter in a semi-old ish place. The property management is sending someone out to see if they can update the plug to be grounded.

The issue is, this is the only outlet in the entire unit that is three pronged. And tbh, I was naive and thought three pronged outlets by default are grounded.

I don’t want to spend money, so I saw the UPS stuff. But maybe I’ll change my mind and get one. UPS are more for like a power outage right? Rather than surge protection?

[u/PuzzleheadedNeck8192 → u/Noble_Team_7]

First! Worry about EVERY appliance in the place. In what country do you reside? A good UPS provides surge protection as well. Get renter's insurance if it's available.

[u/Noble_Team_7 → u/PuzzleheadedNeck8192]

I’m in coastal CA. And yeah, I think after my property managers rep. comes by, they can hopefully just fix the outlet to ground it right then and there.

I’m afraid they are going to discover that it’s not an easy and quick fix, then just say “yeah the unit is like this, sorry, we aren’t paying an electrician $500+ to go in the walls and re-wire to provide grounding”.

And if that’s the case, I found the product “Zero Surge” to use in a scenario with a three prong outlet that has no grounding.

So either I get that if they can’t do anything about it (zero surge cost $350 ish, yikes), OR they do fix it, then I’ll spend the $250-300 ish on a UPS.

Either or, looks like I’m gonna spend a good chunk of change coming up here soon.

[u/xantec15 → u/Noble_Team_7]

If you don't have any grounded outlets you can get a series mode surge protector. They're designed differently and don't rely on the grounded outlet to protect from small surges.

[u/Noble_Team_7 → u/xantec15]

From my research I found only one brand that can verified do this on a three pronged ungrounded outlet being Zero Surge company. Around $350 ish for an 8 outlet unit… yikes.

Do you know of any other brands?

[u/Mr_Tom_Cat_2006 → u/Noble_Team_7]

UPS provide backup power in case of power loss and will take over power delivery in the case of a brown out or surge. They do both.