How many joules for an 20" iMac surge bar?

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Level 1

20 points

How many joules for an 20" iMac surge bar?

I was looking at getting a Monster Clean Power Bar for my new iMac and was wondering how many joules does it need to have protection for a 20" iMac (2GB RAM, 500GB HDD, 256Mb ATI 2600HD Pro GFX), some Logitech Z-4i speakers (2.1, 40 watt RMS, 80 watt peak power), an old Xerox Phaser 3400 laser printer, a Canon Selphy DS810 Photo Printer and a D-Link DIR-625 RangeBooster Wireless N router? I added all specs and model numbers just in case anybody needed to look it up. Thanks for your time! 🙂

- HP dv6258se laptop 2GB ram, 120 HDD. Not as good as a Mac!, Windows Vista, iMac 20" w/ 2GB RAM, 500GB HDD, 256MB ATI 2600HD Pro GFX on shippment now! :)

Posted on Nov 19, 2007 11:58 AM

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Answer 1

iLeopard Author

Level 1

20 points

Nov 19, 2007 12:48 PM in response to iLeopard

Does anybody know? Some guy at Best Buy told me I need at LEAST 2000 joules protection for it... They only have one at my local Best Buy with that protection and it's $325! That's insane! I don't know if I believe him! Does anyone know if this one will do?:

http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0926INGFS10 027146&catid=21251

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Answer 2

den.thed

Level 9

76,840 points

Nov 19, 2007 1:12 PM in response to iLeopard

Hi iLeopard

You don't need a "Monster" I did a Google Search for: [2000 joules surge protectors|http://www.google.com/custom?q=2000+joules%20surge%20protectors%20&s a=Search&client=pub-6263300333013957&forid=1&ie=ISO-8859-1&oe=ISO-8859-1&cof=GAL T:%23008000;GL:1;DIV:%23336699;VLC:663399;AH:center;BGC:FFFFFF;LBGC:336699;ALC:0 000FF;LC:0000FF;T:000000;GFNT:0000FF;GIMP:0000FF;FORID:1;&hl=en] and there are hundreds to chose from for around the $40 range.

If I needed a new one this [Belkin 2950 joule|http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006BAV52?smid=A1L4LS2KNDBWYV&tag=sz-ce-20&link Code=asn] would suit me just fine!

Dennis

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Answer 3

The Looby

Level 4

1,285 points

Nov 19, 2007 3:36 PM in response to iLeopard

iLeopard wrote:

Some guy at Best Buy told me I need at LEAST 2000 joules protection for it...

Technical advice from a BestBuy stock-droid is worth no more than what you paid for it.

Joule ratings only specify the 'survivability' of the surge suppressor itself (specifically,
the Metal Oxide Varistor component). If the zap exceeds the MOV's energy-absorbing
capacity, the surge suppressor is toast -- but with any well-designed suppressor, the
attached equipment is still protected.

About a year ago, the local Flicker & Flash hit my house with a major (several kV) spike
that totally fried three nice Belkin suppressors -- but did no damage to thousands of $$
worth of attached electronics gear. Those heroic little $20 troopers \[sniffle\] sacrificed
their own lives to protect my precious microwave.

My advice: ignore the "joule ratings" and look for a reputable brand name (Belkin,
Tripp-Lite, etc.) -- and a generous "Connected Equipment Warranty."

...have you hugged an engineer, today?

Looby

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