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unplugging power from my PC

Hogsarehogs
By Hogsarehogs
in Power Supplies
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So, power surges often happens in my country, i have a seasonic prime gx-650 gold PSU, and im worried about the power surge damaging my pc.

NOW, during the night, what i do is
Shut Down computer (from windows) > Turn off my monitor (Connected to the same powerstrip as my PC) >flick the switch on the powerstrip

My question is
1. Could this is anyway damage my PC (I heard it could cause issued with the capacitors and cmos battery on the mobo), or my monitor (i turn the power off because power surges can cause a monitor to die or cause dead/stuck pixels to my knowledge)?

2. Should i turn off the switch on the PSU first, THEN the powerstrip or can i just flixk the switch on the powerstrip?

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38 minutes ago, Hogsarehogs said:

So, power surges often happens in my country, i have a seasonic prime gx-650 gold PSU, and im worried about the power surge damaging my pc.

NOW, during the night, what i do is
Shut Down computer (from windows) > Turn off my monitor (Connected to the same powerstrip as my PC) >flick the switch on the powerstrip

My question is
1. Could this is anyway damage my PC (I heard it could cause issued with the capacitors and cmos battery on the mobo), or my monitor (i turn the power off because power surges can cause a monitor to die or cause dead/stuck pixels to my knowledge)?

2. Should i turn off the switch on the PSU first, THEN the powerstrip or can i just flixk the switch on the powerstrip?

IMO, you should probably just buy a surge protector or a UPS with surge protection built in. That way your PC is protected all the time, not just when you've turned it off.

I might be experienced, but I'm human and I do make mistakes. Trust but Verify! I edit my messages after sending them alot, please refresh before posting your reply. Please try to be clear and specific, you'll get a better answer. Please remember to mark solutions once you have the information you need. Expand this signature for common PC building advice, a short bio and a list of my components.

 

Common build advice:

1) Buy the cheapest (well reviewed) motherboard that has the features you need. Paying more typically only gets you features you won’t use. 2) only get as much RAM as you need, getting more won’t (typically) make your PC faster. 3) While I recommend getting an NVMe drive, you don’t need to splurge for an expensive drive with DRam cache, DRamless drives are fine for gamers. 4) paying for looks is fine, just don’t break the bank. 5) Tower coolers are usually good enough, unless you go top tier Intel or plan on OCing. 6) OCing is a dead meme, you probably shouldn’t bother. 7) "Bottlenecks" rarely matter and "Future-proofing" is a myth. 8) AIOs don't noticeably improve performance past 240mm and don't improve at all past 360mm. 9) RTFM.

 

Useful Websites:

https://www.productchart.com - helps compare monitors, https://uk.pcpartpicker.com - makes designing a PC easier.

 

Bio:

He/Him - I'm a PhD student working in the fields of reinforcement learning and traffic control. PCs are one of my hobbies and I've built many PCs and performed upgrades on a few laptops (for myself, friends and family). My personal computers include 4 windows (10/11) machines and a TrueNAS server (and I'm looking to move to dual booting Linux Mint on my main machine in future). Aside from computers, I also dabble in modding/homebrew retro consoles, support Southampton FC, and enjoy Scuba Diving and Skiing.

Fun Facts

1) When I was 3 years old my favourite toy was a scientific calculator. 2) My father is a British Champion ploughman in the Vintage Hydraulic Class. 3) On Speedrun.com, I'm the world record holder for the Dream Bobsleigh event on Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games 2010.

 

My Favourite Games: World of Tanks, Runescape, Subnautica, Metroid (Fusion and Dread), Spyro: Year of the Dragon (Original and Reignited Trilogy), Crash Bash, Mario Kart Wii, Balatro

 

My Computers: Primary: My main gaming rig - https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/user/will0hlep/saved/NByp3C Second: Hosts Discord bots as well as a Minecraft and Ark server, and also serves as a reinforcement learning sand box - https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/user/will0hlep/saved/cc9K7P NAS: TrueNAS Scale NAS hosting SMB shares, DDNS updater, pi-hole, and a Jellyfin server - https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/user/will0hlep/saved/m37w3C Foldatron: My folding@home and BOINC rig (partially donated to me by Folding Team Leader GOTSpectrum) - Mobile: Mini-ITX gaming rig for when I'm away from home -

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2 hours ago, Hogsarehogs said:

Shut Down computer (from windows) > Turn off my monitor (Connected to the same powerstrip as my PC) >flick the switch on the powerstrip

My question is
1. Could this is anyway damage my PC (I heard it could cause issued with the capacitors and cmos battery on the mobo), or my monitor (i turn the power off because power surges can cause a monitor to die or cause dead/stuck pixels to my knowledge)?

We have only been doing that for the past 30? 40? years. It can in no way damage anything.

Your CMOS battery might go flat in a decade.

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3 hours ago, RollyShed said:

We have only been doing that for the past 30? 40? years. It can in no way damage anything.

Your CMOS battery might go flat in a decade.

Or you can have my FX board and have 3 CMOS battery replacement in a year.

Press quote to get a response from someone! | Check people's edited posts! | Be specific! | Trans Rights

 

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1 hour ago, Caroline said:

Turning off the monitor and then the strip is redundant. You can use the switch on the strip to do that.

 

I have an UPS but still turn it off every night, because I don't want the surge to damage it instead of the computer. If there's a storm I unplug it, only way to keep it safe, a discharge can and will arc through any switch including single-pole MCBs like the one my UPS has. Large storms have the ability to alter electromagnetic fields in the ground even without "strikes", the weirdest I've seen was one full of cloud to cloud lightning with no rain, the discharges up there were able to disrupt power in my house, I didn't knew there was a storm going on until I woke up to the relays on my AVR clicking like mad and the lights flickering to the rythm of the lightning, it went like that for hours and I just stayed awake watching it. If a computer or other electronics were on during something like that they could've been pretty much fried due to the voltage going up and down faster than what the voltmeter could catch.

 

The CMOS battery only drains if you keep the computer off for a year straight so don't worry about that.

Thanks for the answer, since a cmos battery would be a hasle to replace. i would need to try and get a surge protector though, thanks for your help

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5 hours ago, RollyShed said:

We have only been doing that for the past 30? 40? years. It can in no way damage anything.

Your CMOS battery might go flat in a decade.

Ah i see.

i was just unsure because i double checked online, and some people said that the PSU's capacitor could be "shocked" because of a sudden amount of power, and that the cmos battery would be drained in a year if i turned it off.

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46 minutes ago, Hogsarehogs said:

i was just unsure because i double checked online, and some people said that the PSU's capacitor could be "shocked" because of a sudden amount of power,

 

and that the cmos battery would be drained in a year if i turned it off.

The power supply is designed to handle the switch on surge.

As for saying "capacitor could be 'shocked'", they don't know much about power supplies and how they are designed.

 

Battery - if turned off for a year, yes, maybe, or maybe two years. You are only turning it off for a few hours each day. And if the battery is drained it will cost you a dollar(?) maybe less.

 

What might it cost if an over night surge damaged things because you hadn't turned it off and unplugged it?

 

Plus you are saving money not using unnecessary power.

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On 6/19/2023 at 10:35 AM, RollyShed said:

The power supply is designed to handle the switch on surge.

As for saying "capacitor could be 'shocked'", they don't know much about power supplies and how they are designed.

 

Battery - if turned off for a year, yes, maybe, or maybe two years. You are only turning it off for a few hours each day. And if the battery is drained it will cost you a dollar(?) maybe less.

 

What might it cost if an over night surge damaged things because you hadn't turned it off and unplugged it?

 

Plus you are saving money not using unnecessary power.

yup, thankyou for your help :D

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On 6/19/2023 at 2:08 AM, will0hlep said:

IMO, you should probably just buy a surge protector or a UPS with surge protection built in. That way your PC is protected all the time, not just when you've turned it off.

I am trying to get one, quite late but thanks for your help, LTT's forum is much more friendly than reddit when being asked haha

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On 6/19/2023 at 2:08 AM, will0hlep said:

IMO, you should probably just buy a surge protector or a UPS with surge protection built in. That way your PC is protected all the time, not just when you've turned it off.

Ups is very ecpensive if i get one from a brand like APC

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On 6/23/2023 at 7:32 AM, Hogsarehogs said:

Ups is very ecpensive if i get one from a brand like APC

Well, the job of a UPS is to stop you losing data in the event of a powercut, so you only really need a UPS If you have frequent power cuts (if you don't have powercuts it is still a nice to have as a just in case). If power cuts are rare and the only issue is power surges, then you can go for a surge protector and save the extra money.

I might be experienced, but I'm human and I do make mistakes. Trust but Verify! I edit my messages after sending them alot, please refresh before posting your reply. Please try to be clear and specific, you'll get a better answer. Please remember to mark solutions once you have the information you need. Expand this signature for common PC building advice, a short bio and a list of my components.

 

Common build advice:

1) Buy the cheapest (well reviewed) motherboard that has the features you need. Paying more typically only gets you features you won’t use. 2) only get as much RAM as you need, getting more won’t (typically) make your PC faster. 3) While I recommend getting an NVMe drive, you don’t need to splurge for an expensive drive with DRam cache, DRamless drives are fine for gamers. 4) paying for looks is fine, just don’t break the bank. 5) Tower coolers are usually good enough, unless you go top tier Intel or plan on OCing. 6) OCing is a dead meme, you probably shouldn’t bother. 7) "Bottlenecks" rarely matter and "Future-proofing" is a myth. 8) AIOs don't noticeably improve performance past 240mm and don't improve at all past 360mm. 9) RTFM.

 

Useful Websites:

https://www.productchart.com - helps compare monitors, https://uk.pcpartpicker.com - makes designing a PC easier.

 

Bio:

He/Him - I'm a PhD student working in the fields of reinforcement learning and traffic control. PCs are one of my hobbies and I've built many PCs and performed upgrades on a few laptops (for myself, friends and family). My personal computers include 4 windows (10/11) machines and a TrueNAS server (and I'm looking to move to dual booting Linux Mint on my main machine in future). Aside from computers, I also dabble in modding/homebrew retro consoles, support Southampton FC, and enjoy Scuba Diving and Skiing.

Fun Facts

1) When I was 3 years old my favourite toy was a scientific calculator. 2) My father is a British Champion ploughman in the Vintage Hydraulic Class. 3) On Speedrun.com, I'm the world record holder for the Dream Bobsleigh event on Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games 2010.

 

My Favourite Games: World of Tanks, Runescape, Subnautica, Metroid (Fusion and Dread), Spyro: Year of the Dragon (Original and Reignited Trilogy), Crash Bash, Mario Kart Wii, Balatro

 

My Computers: Primary: My main gaming rig - https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/user/will0hlep/saved/NByp3C Second: Hosts Discord bots as well as a Minecraft and Ark server, and also serves as a reinforcement learning sand box - https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/user/will0hlep/saved/cc9K7P NAS: TrueNAS Scale NAS hosting SMB shares, DDNS updater, pi-hole, and a Jellyfin server - https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/user/will0hlep/saved/m37w3C Foldatron: My folding@home and BOINC rig (partially donated to me by Folding Team Leader GOTSpectrum) - Mobile: Mini-ITX gaming rig for when I'm away from home -

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