It's been a month since I re-installed everything in my office. When I did that, I connected the data port of the Uninterruptible Power Supply to Desktop 3. A pop-up in my system tray this morning reminded me how important having a UPS is:
In the last month there have been 3 power losses and 12 power spikes that have caused the UPS to switch to its battery.
It's possible that the computer might have continued through the power spikes, but the drop outs probably would have caused it to re-boot. The spikes are likely from the roughly 4,000 lightning strikes a day we get in Colorado during the summer.
If you've ever lost something you were working on due to a crash (power or software), the $50 or so a UPS costs seems inexpensive. Maybe its time to get one for your desktop.