Need a new UPS to replace OOW APC UPS 650

D

dpoverlord

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Nov 18, 2004
Messages
1,931
EDIT: Got a replacement and figure I would keep this in one thread:

So update, APC was nice enough and gave me a Back UPS 1500 as a replacement. Any suggestions you guys might have in regards to optimizing my settings? It says on idle I am drawing around 250 watts.

I connected as follows:
Battery:
1.computer to master
2. Monitor (center) to controllowed

Surge:
3. All other 4 monitors
4. Extension cable to the printer
5. Speakers
6. other side peripherals

Internet
1. connected cable modem to the in port
2. Other Cat5 to computer
3. USB Powerchute to USB connector

Question:
1. My cable modem + Router is on an outlet away from my computer, I can connect the cable for *Cable* into the router. However, what purpose does this serve? Am I protecting myself connecting the cat5 cable to the APC? Seems counter intuitive since the cable modem + router are on another outlet away from the computer.

Would appreciate the input


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Old thread:

Hey guys!

So I have an APC UPS e650, I bough at Microcenter, and since I have had it, not once has it stopped a surge. Ironically at first I thought, maybe I had the plugs plugged into the wrong port...

Check mark NO,

It seems, that its just utter crap, it never came with the USB / ethernet cable, when it has worked, it works for maybe 2 minutes (look at system specs) but it always happens when someone plugs in a blow dryer (Girls gotta love them) into one of my sockets and not the bathroom.

What do you guys recommend I do?

  1. Should I keep this as a "surge protector", I tried their power chute software, but I never got the accompanied USB / ethernet cable
  2. Buy a new one? I looked at a Toms Hardware guide and they recommended the Cyber Power CP1500PFCLCD, I admit though, I know nilch about APC's
  3. Any other recs?

Really appreciate the help, system is:
EVGA G2 1300Watt
Xeon X5660 O/C to 4.4ghz
Gigabyte X58a- ud5 rev 2
SLI Titans
10 system fans on 24x7
3 WD Red 3TB NAS drives
2 Samsung Pro 840 Drives - raid 0
1 Seagate 3 TB
4 Dell 30" Monitors

Love your opinion!

So far though when I plug the Dell monitors and all my peripherals into these ports maybe the APC will last 30 seconds at most. I assume it has to do with my monitors being on.

If I purchase a new unit I definitely would like one which has enough ports so I don't have to worry about "enough peripherals"

Note: Not sure how to estimate what my draw is on idle, but if I were to check the APC site it says I would have max 30 seconds to "safeley" shut down my computer.

How much am I screwed when my computer just shuts down automatically when a circuit breaker goes? I am protected from the surge, but is it causing damage?
 
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Yeah I usually use APC since they are old school, but I am down for giving cyberpower a shot. They seem half the price
 
I have a one of the older Cyberpower 1350VA models that I bought at Costco about two years ago. It's worked well for me. It gives an estimated draw and runtime on the LCD screen. I haven't tested it too thoroughly - mostly I just pulled the power at the wall to make it works (it did). I've had a couple of minor power outages since I bought it, and it's always held up well. In the past I was running my desktop (OC'd 3570k, OC'd 670, a couple of SSDs), 2 24" monitors and a desk lamp on it. I want to say it will give me upwards of 20 minutes in a non-gaming situation.

You might try putting just your primary monitor on one of the back up power sockets and the other three on the surge protection sockets. Or maybe try a second unit just for your monitors if having all four running is critical.
 
dpoverlord said:
So I have an APC UPS e650

when it has worked, it works for maybe 2 minutes (look at system specs) but it always happens when someone plugs in a blow dryer (Girls gotta love them) into one of my sockets and not the bathroom.

What do you guys recommend I do?

  1. Should I keep this as a "surge protector", I tried their power chute software, but I never got the accompanied USB / ethernet cable
  2. Buy a new one? I looked at a Toms Hardware guide and they recommended the Cyber Power CP1500PFCLCD, I admit though, I know nilch about APC's
  3. Any other recs?

Really appreciate the help, system is:
EVGA G2 1300Watt
Xeon X5660 O/C to 4.4ghz
Gigabyte X58a- ud5 rev 2
SLI Titans
10 system fans on 24x7
3 WD Red 3TB NAS drives
2 Samsung Pro 840 Drives - raid 0
1 Seagate 3 TB
4 Dell 30" Monitors
Click to expand...

You are asking WAYYYYY too much from that UPS. Try getting one rated for your system. It looks to me, that at a quick glance, that one has less than half the reserve power you need. After my recent experiences with APC, I would never buy another. CyberPower is the way to go in my opinion.

If a hair dryer is causing a circuit breaker to trip, you might want to get an electrician out to take a look at your electrical system. A 20 Amp circuit should be able to support a hairdryer and a few lower wattage items at the same time.

By the way, you can probably get one of those APC USB cables via E-Bay, craigslist, etc for next to nothing.
 
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^ I'll echo this.

The e650 is rated for about 390w.

An OCed X58 with 2 Titans running at full bore will pull a lot more than that at the UPS/Wall.

I'd recommend something in the at least 600-700w range for a little more uptime.

I have the 2 of the 220V version of the 1500PFCLCD. One makes a slight buzzing sound but so far, so good. Had them both for about a year already.
 
With today's hardware having such high power demands I would not go with anything lower than 1000va. that's about 600w. More is even better.
 
I would have to continue the recommendations for CyberPower units. I'm using a PP1500T2 (1500VA, ~1000W) that I bought in 2007 and it's running great. Replaced the batteries a couple years ago with no problems. It doesn't have a fancy LCD or anything like that but it has pure sine wave output and AVR. And the fan only runs when it is discharging. It also has two versions of the software available. The Personal Edition is fairly simple but has everything most people need including a Desktop Gadget that shows current estimated run time along with either load (wattage), input voltage, output voltage, percent load, battery capacity, energy consumed, carbon emitted, or cost. The Business Edition has a few more options and better data logging if you are into that.

Have not had very good luck with APC. I've had several different units from Back-UPS Office 350, Back-UPS 500VS, to a Back-UPS Pro 1000. All of them failed in one way or another in relatively short times. The Pro 1000 had overcharged the battery pack and it swelled so badly that I had to bend the frame of the UPS to get the old battery pack out. The unit failed shortly after installing the new battery pack. Never again an APC unit for home use.
 
Yeah, you probably have 800-900w of load there at full bore. That poor APC never stood a chance. I'm frankly surprised it didn't pop on switch over.

Cyberpower BBUs are cheap, but tend to be solid. They aren't true sine wave aswell, so they might mess with Active PFC PSUs, which your EVGA is. So that could pose a problem.

This guy should fit all your needs.
http://www.refurbups.com/APC-SUA1500-Smart-UPS-1500

Those of you having issues with Back-UPS, those tend to be shitty. Smart-UPS tend to be a lot more robust, and true sine wave. The Back-UPS are stepped, and Cyberpowers are Smoothed Triangle wave.
 
Thanks so much guys, I called apc with the issues and I am sending back my FL current and getting the upc pro 1500g (retails for 300.)

Thoughts
 
dpoverlord said:
Thanks so much guys, I called apc with the issues and I am sending back my FL current and getting the upc pro 1500g (retails for 300.)

Thoughts
Click to expand...

Eh, the Back-UPS Pro 1500 is still stepped Sine wave, not good for your Active PFC PSU. The Smart-UPS line is the way to go really.
 
Get a Kill-A-Watt meter and measure your actual power draw for everything you plan on running through the UPS. Both watts and VAs.

APC Backups have a spotty record with APFC power supplies. Their stepped sine wave causes the PS to see a bad input and just shut down. Result vary with brand/model. Be sure to test your system before you trust that it will keep your system up when the breaker pops.

I got a Cyberpower after a newer Backups didn't work with my APFC PS. Oddly, an ancient Backups worked fine but Win 7 dropped native serial port UPS support. APC blamed the PS and suggested a non PFC PS as the fix. The PS vendor blamed APC.

Keep in mind that a 120v 20A circuit is good for 2400 watts. With many hairdriers running at 1500 or more, that leaves you about 900 before the breaker trips.
 
You will pay big bucks for pure sine wave at a decent wattage. Never had issues with stepped.

That said when I upgrade my backup system and go with a 24/7 inverter setup I'll want to do true sine as I'm not sure if stepped could have long term effects on the equipment. I don't think it would though, one of the first steps in a PSU is rectification to pulsed DC anyway.
 
You will pay big bucks for pure sine wave at a decent wattage.
Click to expand...

Refirbished APC SmartUPS 1500 units can still be had for less than $200 US shipped with brand new batteries.
 
Red Squirrel said:
You will pay big bucks for pure sine wave at a decent wattage. Never had issues with stepped.

That said when I upgrade my backup system and go with a 24/7 inverter setup I'll want to do true sine as I'm not sure if stepped could have long term effects on the equipment. I don't think it would though, one of the first steps in a PSU is rectification to pulsed DC anyway.
Click to expand...

You really wont if you play your cards right. Like Drescherjm said, you can score a Smart UPS 1500 unit for around 200. Which is a vastly superior unit compared to anything Cyberpower makes.

Stepped and Approximated (Also know as Modified Triangle wave) Sine wave units, can and will have incompatibilities with Active PFC PSUs. As the op probably doesn't want to replace his awesome EVGA APFC PSU if he does have issues, I'd suggest he just get a BBU that does true sine wave.
 
dpoverlord said:
So APC is switching it out for their 1500 not bad eh?
Click to expand...

I do not understand your question. APC has several models of 1500 VA UPSs (consumer grade and server grade stuff). They have had this for decades. The SmartUPS 1500 units I was talking about are Server Grade and weigh 55lb. These are older models however. I have an even older 1400XL model that is the same size and weight at home the UPS tells me the board is 17 or 18 years old but still working great. I suspect some company used this and when the batteries died (happens every 3 to 5 years) they returned it as defective possibly because the UPS will get very hot when the batteries die (fan runs all the time - good sign that the batteries need replaced).
 
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So update, APC was nice enough and gave me a Back UPS 1500 as a replacement. Any suggestions you guys might have in regards to optimizing my settings? It says on idle I am drawing around 250 watts.

I connected as follows:
Battery:
1.computer to master
2. Monitor (center) to controllowed

Surge:
3. All other 4 monitors
4. Extension cable to the printer
5. Speakers
6. other side peripherals

Internet
1. connected cable modem to the in port
2. Other Cat5 to computer
3. USB Powerchute to USB connector

Question:
1. My cable modem + Router is on an outlet away from my computer, I can connect the cable for *Cable* into the router. However, what purpose does this serve? Am I protecting myself connecting the cat5 cable to the APC? Seems counter intuitive since the cable modem + router are on another outlet away from the computer.

Would appreciate the input
 
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