Will a Power Blackout Damage My PC?

I had a PSU die during a power outage even while using a high-end surge protector. So nothing is ever 100% foolproof. Just remember to be careful and maybe look into a good quality UPS for extra protection.

The main danger to your hardware from blackouts is power spikes afterward. A good surge protector will help, but hard drives are particularly vulnerable to sudden power loss since their read/write heads can crash if they stop spinning too abruptly, leading to physical damage. SSDs are safe from this issue, but always running a disk check after a power outage can help prevent file system corruption. Better safe than sorry!

Modern PCs can usually handle sudden power cuts pretty well, especially if it’s a clean shutdown. The bigger threat comes from voltage spikes when the power comes back on, which can damage your electronics. Using an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) is a great idea since it can offer you battery backup and let you know when the power cuts, giving you time to safely shut down your PC and unplug it until everything's stable.

I've actually lost a drive before during a power outage, although it could have been unrelated. A good UPS can protect your setup better than a standard surge protector because it guards against both power loss and voltage spikes. Especially if you’ve got valuable gear, investing in a UPS would be smart. I had one that saved my NAS and PC just after a surge, so I really recommend it!

If your PC is plugged into a surge protector, you should be mostly okay! Just watch out for power cuts during BIOS or OS updates, as that can cause serious issues like corrupting the BIOS or OS files. If it happens, you might have to reinstall your OS or, in the worst case, brick your motherboard. So, as long as updates aren't interrupted, you should be fine!