dakkon,
Unless you are out in the boonies, with frequent power outages, brownouts and the like, there is no requirement for using these devices (as JohnK pointed out). If you want the psychological reassurance that your equipment is better "protected" by using one, I suppose there's no harm.
Regards,
Alan
Where I live, a UPS is preferable, but a surge protector is mandatory for electronics. Black outs are not the problem, but under frequency events (aka brown outs). They toast electronic devices. A good UPS will maintain frequency.
