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Buying a UPS

M

mda

2[H]4U
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Messages
2,211
Hi All,

I'm looking for 1 to 2 UPS for my 2 machines as blackouts are frequent in my country. I'll be getting either 1 high capacity unit or 2 lower capacity units depending on the price.

If memory serves me right, the correct formula for wattage is V * A = W. With this said, I'm not exactly sure why some UPS's have different VA and wattage ratings. This UPS for example, has a 500VA rating but only a 300 watt capacity.

I really don't know what kind of UPSs spec-wise am I looking for. Is it something to match my PSUs' capacities? Or should this be based on something different? Should I be using the VA or the W to look for one? I looked around and the higher capacity units are sure to burn a hole through my wallet =/

For a better idea of what I plan to do, my current setup is:

Socket --> Power 3kW power strip --> 2 x 1kW AVR (1 per machine) --> PCs.

My ideal setup will now be:

Socket --> 3kW power strip --> 2x 1kW AVR --> UPS --> PCs.

Both PC specs are in my sig. Any and all input greatly appreciated.

Thanks [H]! :)
 
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This is the non-technical formula that works for me. If it's a gaming PC, try to get something with 700+ watts. If it's not a gaming PC, you can probably survive on a 500+ watt unit. A UPS's only purpose is to gracefully shutdown systems in the event of a power outage, not keep systems up and running for extended periods of time. A 700 watt UPS on a gaming PC will give you about 6-9 minutes of power on battery, install the bundled software and set it to auto-shutdown your system.
 
Thanks for this.

I'm just concerned now about the UPS wattage capacity and tripping the UPS when using the machine on heavy load when there's power.

For example.

Socket --> AVR --> UPS --> PC

If the PC starts to draw a load higher than the UPS is rated for while the power is on, will this cause any problems?

As an example, assume that we have a have a PC/PSU rated at 500 watts at 50% efficiency when in operation (just for simplicity's sake). This will theoretically pull 1000 watts from the UPS. Will a 500-700 watt UPS work with this? Or will it already start to overload and break?
 
It still sounds like the amount of power being pulled at the wall is unknown. Consider getting an inline power meter, such as the "Kill A Watt". Then you'll know the actual power use under various conditions, and can make an informed decision on which UPS is sufficient.
 
I guess I have a general idea of the the amount of power that my PCs can pull from the wall give or take a few tens of watts.

Just not sure if I should be using the VA rating or the Wattage rating. These UPSs tend to get exponentially more expensive with capacities higher than 500 watts.

edit: I also realize that having UPSs with a lower capacity than my PSUs just doesn't sit well with me even if I know the max power my PCs can pull in their current configurations are way below the maximum capacity of the PSUs powering them.
 
Kill-a-watt is useless for non-resistive loads and you guys SERIOUSLY need to stop recommending, or even mentioning, them.

OP, you didn't specify what country... Also, why did you waste money on AVRs? Pretty much any UPS handles that job so you should just sell them or otherwise use them for different stuff. Hooking up a UPS to one would be a waste.
 
Country - Philippines.

WRT to the AVRs - these are pretty old/cheap units so I wouldn't mind not using them. They're just usually a given considering our conditions.
 
I'd recommend a 1000-1500va UPS (definitely closer to the 1500va IF you ever game on both machines at the same time and/or if you plan to stick multiple monitors on the UPS) with 700 watts or more for your PCs, but I'm not really sure what's available in your country, nor what things cost or what your budget is.

How about this? http://www.apc.com/products/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=BR1500GI&total_watts=200 (note: I picked a 230v model here but make sure to double check on the plugs and such as I am not very familiar with the electrical system in your country). There's also a 1200va and 1000va. Don't go lower than the 1000va.
 
Thanks for this, and yes - both machines can be on gaming at the same time.

I'll be looking into these models. I actually don't have a budget because I have no idea how much these things really cost.

Will be looking at the models around 1000va. The office UPSs are usually just the 500VA/300watt ones. I was pretty sure these won't do for anything with a remotely powerful GPU.

Thanks again!

Edit:

I understand that you usually get what you pay for, but will I regret it if I buy one or two of this or this?

These can currently be had for around 150$ each. The APC ones are all at least 3-4 times more expensive and I don't think I can afford to spend close to 1000$ on 2 UPS at this point.

I am asking this because I would like to know if these cheaper units are already sufficient for longer term use. If so, then I will buy them - otherwise I will hold off until I can afford the more expensive ones.
 
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