My buddy in Reno ran a $60 surge protector on his $3,200 gaming rig and I saw what happened after a storm
He laughed at me for spending $25 on a decent surge strip last year, kept telling anyone who'd listen that all of them do the same job. Then a storm rolled through Reno in March and his cheap strip gave out on the first hit, took his PSU and motherboard down with it. Total repair quote came back at $810 and the strip had a tiny melted spot on the back he never noticed. I pulled mine apart out of curiosity and it has an actual metal oxide varistor rated for the load. His had one flimsy piece that looked like a bent staple. If your surge protector costs less than a pizza, it probably isn't protecting anything, and I want to know if any of you have opened yours up to check.