Power protection is a subject that is seldom discussed but very important to your computers longevity.
As a computer tech I see a lot of blown power supplies it's a very common occurrence and when a power supply shorts out it can take the rest of the computer with it and most times this is due to poor power protection and an under or over voltage on the AC line.
Most of the time what I see for power protection is a cheap $6 power strip that is many years old with about 15 devices plugged into the 6 outlets that most of them have.
These cheap power strips just don't cut it especially when they are overloaded the best thing to do is try to purchase as good a unit as you can afford.
things to look for:
1. joule rating the higher the better
2. AC clamping voltage the higher the better
3. watts the higher the better
4. heavy short cord most people want a long cord but keep it as short as possible
5. EMI/RFI noise filtration
6. an equipment warranty in case of disaster
There are also units called AVR's or auto voltage regulators which is what I use these are not commonly found in most stores but available on line the AVR has a dual purpose take mine for example it has 6 outlets with surge suppression but also can regulate the incoming AC line voltage up or down to keep it in a safe range.
Some people are aware that over voltages can cause damage but most people are not aware that an under voltage can do harm as well the AVR will actually boost the incoming voltage if it drops below a safe amount like in a brown out and also reduce any over voltages to a safe level in a spike so the AVR is what I would recommend even over a normal power strip type surge suppressor.
But most important of all due not overload what ever you are using with to many devices know the wattage of the devices your using and the max rating on your power protection device and do not exceed it.
Apply some of the tips outlined above and you'll be glad you did
