The ace power surges they are one of the greatest enemies of electronic components, and in particular of the PC. For this reason, the power supply – responsible for distributing power to the components of the PC – usually has protection systems for it, but is it the only responsible? The computer case Doesn’t it also protect against power surges? Let’s find out.
Generally, PC cases are made of metallic materials, almost always of Steel SPCC and plastic but often also of aluminum. As metals, they are more or less conductors of electricity, which may suggest that they can become a active protection element against overvoltages.
No, the box does not protect your PC against power surges
Well, I have to tell you, no, the PC case has nothing to do with PC surge protection systems, not even passively. And this nothing badbecause all the electricity that enters the PC does so via the power supply, which – after a series of conversion, stabilization, etc. – distributes it to the rest of the PC components via sealed cables (meaning they don’t shouldn’t leak, and if they did, what we’re going to tell you next would happen).
This means that under no circumstances should the power supply reach the PC case (unless there is a shunt or problem with the power supply or another component, in which case a short circuitand for this the power supplies also have a specific protection system), and therefore the box does not even have the possibility of protecting you against overvoltages or anything like that.
Some of you may think that maybe the PC case can act as a ground connection, but the reality is that this is also an exclusive function of the power supply, so the case has no active function here either. Of course, if for example you have static electricity on the body and when you touch the box it gives you a little spark, the most normal thing is that nothing happens because most of the boxes have rubber feet and the static electricity will discharge without any result.
Effective surge protection
As we explained to you a moment ago, the box does not actively or passively affect the electrical protection, since the main responsible for this is the power supply, as long as it is of good quality and has all the desirable protections. all, including the OEM, already have all the protections).
However, if you don’t want to rely solely on the power supply to protect your PC from electrical problems, there are additional devices you can plug into the circuit, such as a good protective tape to which to connect the PC and other devices, or even a SAI which will also protect you from power surges.
It’s up to you to decide, but of course if you live in an area where there are usually thunderstorms, or if the electrical installation of your house is not in very good condition, it is strongly recommended to take additional measures and not to depend only on the power supply to protect your PC.
