Best Surge Protector for a Gaming PC: Top 6 of 2024 Reviewed

Thomas Hawkins September 3, 2020

Last updated on February 29th, 2024.

Power Strip Surge Protector, Huntkey Extension...

There’s no point dropping over $5000 on a top-end Gaming PC just to have it implode after your first electrical surge.

A good gaming PC surge protector has a large voltage protection rating, EMI/RFI noise filtering, and multiple sockets.

On the other hand—a faulty surge protector isn’t worth the plastic it’s made of. It doesn’t make much sense to buy a surge protector that doesn’t actually protect your gaming PC when a surge happens.

So to help you separate the good from the junk—we}ve reviewed the Best Surge Protectors for Gaming PCs in 2024.

Buy with the confidence that you’re not dropping $5000 on a gaming PC just to have it blow up after a lightning strike.

Let’s dive into the reviews.

Top 6 Best Surge Protector for Gaming PCs

Preview	Product	Key Features
Best Overall	Power Strip Surge Protector, Huntkey Extension Cord with 12 Outlets and 2 USB Ports, 6 Feet Power...	【Power Strip with 12 outlets & 2 USB Charging Ports】Power strip surge protector with 12 AC outlets(include 5 widely spaced outlets) and 2 USB charging ports, The 2 USB ports share 2.4A power and with built-in smart IC chipset can detect your devices automatically and auto-detect your devices to supply the maximum charge speed. 【All-Round Protected Surge Protector】 The surge protector power strip is made of Integral Copper Bar and fire-resistance PC shell with flame retardant at 1382℉. This power strip is RoHS, FCC and ETL certified with overload protection, short-circuit protection, over current protection, over-voltage protection and overheating protection. 【2390J Surge Protection & Overload Switch】The extension cord with multiple outlets with surge protection Indicator light and grounded Indicator light & overload protection switch, protects your electrical appliances from voltage fluctuations, surges or spikes. The minimum energy-absorbing capacity of 2390 Joules. Lighted on/off switch with integrated circuit breaker for overload protection of all outlets.	CHECK PRICE
Premium Choice	APC Performance Surge Protector with USB Ports, P11U2, 11 Outlet Power Strip, 2880 Joule Surge...	2630 Joules surge protection energy rating 11 outlet surge protector power strip 8 foot power cord with flat end 90 degree space saving plug	CHECK PRICE
Excellent Value	HOLSEM 12 Outlets Surge Protector Power Strip with 3 Smart USB Charging Ports (5V/3.1A) and 6'...	6 regular Outlets & 6 widely spaced Outlets, 2 USB Charging Ports with Smart IC Technology (5V/3.1A) and 1 usual USB Charging port. 4000 joule energy rating is ideal for computers, laser printers, telephones, and home theatre systems. 6 Feet Heavy Duty UL listed Extension Cord ideal for home office and professional workstations, 4 Keyhole Mounting Slots on the back (easily mount it to a wall horizontally). Overload Protection with the double break overload switch. Made of Flame Retardant Material which is able to withstand temperature up to 1,380℉(750℃).	CHECK PRICE
	Plugable Surge Protector Power Strip with USB and 12 AC Outlets, Built-in 10.5W 2-Port USB...	Power Everything: 12x surge-protected standard US power outlets with four corner outlets spaced extra-wide for large "wall wart" power adapter bricks Protect Your Devices: 4320 Joules of protection with built-in EMI/RFI Filter and 2-in-1 power/circuit breaker switch; UL/cUL Rated Stylish and Safe: Sleek black design with sliding safety covers protects users from accidental contact and keeps dust and debris away from unused outlets	CHECK PRICE
	BESTEK 10-Outlet 6 Feet Extension Cord 4000 Joules Power Strip with USB 15A 1875W Surge Protector...	10 outlets surge protector with 4000 joules high surge protection energy rating, protect all your home, office and kitchen appliance plug-in such as TV, speakers, DVD, computer, laptop, printer, modem, lamp, refrigerator, home theater system from surge damage; dual USB charging ports with smart IC technology auto identify your device and get it fastest charged at the speed up to 2.4A. 5V/2.4A max each port. Multiple protection: 6 feet cord and 9.5mm diameter UL listed heavy duty cord, withstand 15A max current. Protected and grounded LED indicator lights for grounding and surge protection status.1382℉ high quality flame retardancy material, prevent accidental fire. Lighted on/off switch with integrated circuit breaker to protect all the outlets. Humanized design: mounting holes easily secure the surge protector to walls, baseboards, or furniture. 90 degree flat plug keeps cord close to the wall.Two widely spaced AC outlets accommodate large power adapters or chargers. Power switch on plug-cable end design prevent surge protector being turned off accidentally.	CHECK PRICE

What to Look For in a Gaming PC Surge Protector

When hunting for the ideal surge protector for your gaming PC, it’s crucial to focus on a few key features. Here’s a concise guide to the essential elements you should consider:

Number of Sockets

Running out of power sockets is a common frustration, particularly with surge protectors. It’s vital to choose one that offers enough outlets to support all your devices without forcing you to compromise on safety.

You could go with a multi-plug extension lead, but that’s going to cost more and take up more area, which isn’t perfect. So make sure you map out the variety of sockets required before you buy your gaming PC surge protector.

EMI/RFI Noise Filtering

EMI = Electromagnetic Interference, while RFI = Radio Frequency Interference. Although these terms are used interchangeably, they’re technically not the exact same thing. For the purposes of gaming PC surge protection however, we can treat them alike.

Numerous filters– e.g. low pass filters, high pass filters, or band pass filters– just enable certain types of frequencies through, implying a set range of EMI/RFI emissions will be transmitted to the gadget being secured.

This is since specific EMI/RFI emissions will not interfere with the performance frequencies of various electric and electronic devices.

So the goal of EMI/RFI is noise filtering is to eliminate electro-magnetic and radio frequency disturbance that will interfere with the gaming PC surge protection.

So try to find gaming PC surge protectors that have EMI/RFI emissions.

Warranty

A substantial warranty is not just a safety net but also a mark of quality. It indicates the manufacturer’s confidence in their surge protector, ensuring you get both protection and peace of mind.

If suppliers provided generously long service warranties for gaming PC surge protectors that went bust after 2 weeks, they would not be around for very long.

So you wish to wish for longer service warranties and high insurance payments on your gaming PC surge protector (from business that have actually been around for more than five years).

Safety Rating

Navigating through the maze of safety standards can be overwhelming. However, for gaming PC surge protectors, focusing on the UL certification from Underwriters Laboratories ensures you’re getting a reliable safety endorsement.

UL is among a number of business authorized to carry out security screening by the U.S. federal company Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA has a list of authorized testing labs, which are acknowledged as Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories.

Even within UL though, there are a lot of security requirements that might apply. For appropriate gaming PC surge protection, you’re generally wish to be looking at the UL 1449 security requirement.

UL 1449 is the Underwriters Laboratories Safety Standard for Surge Protective Devices (SPD)– i.e. perfect for gaming PC surge protection.

So make certain your gaming PC surge protector validates to UL 1449.

Joule Rating

The joule rating describes how much energy your gaming PC surge protector can take in. A higher joule rating equals much better protection.

So how many joules of surge protection do you require? The response depends on what you’re protecting. Are you safeguarding a PC, gaming PC, and even an entire house? Your answer will tell you what sort of joule rating you’re looking for.

Here are some rough joule rating guidelines:

A system with up to 1000 joules of surge protection suffices for little electronic devices.
A surge protector with 1000 to 2000 joules will supply sufficient protection for office devices and power tools.
Consider the highest joule rating (2000+) for expensive gaming consoles, home theater systems, and any computer that stores essential information. Anything that is very pricey or irreplaceable.

So for your gaming PC surge protector, look for a joule rating above 2000 joules.

Diagnostic LEDs

It would be best if you had a way to confirm that your gaming PC surge protector is working– which’s what diagnostic LEDs are for.

Search for gaming PC surge protection that includes diagnostic LED lights that confirm power, protection and line fault status at a glimpse.

Clamping Voltage

Clamping voltage is the threshold where a surge protector blocks excess voltage from reaching your devices. A lower clamping voltage means better protection, ensuring that only safe voltage levels reach your gaming PC.

If the clamping voltage is too high, then the surge protector will permit too much voltage to pass to your gaming PC (which will break it).

INSPECT the optimum rated voltage of your gaming PC before buying a surge protector, so make certain that the clamping voltage of your gaming PC surge protection gadget is LOWER than the optimum operating voltage of your gaming PC.

In general however, the clamping voltage ought to be LESS than 700V for a gaming PC surge protector.