GPU Power - Tri SLi and BackUPS Power

Do you BackUPS-SmartUPS your GPU's for SLi?

  • Yes - I totally use a BackUPS or SmartUPS

    Votes: 12 46.2%
  • F - No I'll take my chances

    Votes: 3 11.5%
  • I never thought about it

    Votes: 9 34.6%
  • What is an UPS - I like Pie

    Votes: 2 7.7%

  • Total voters
    26
Joined
Dec 18, 2006
Messages
602
Guys,

I want to see how many of you use a big Smart-UPS for your gaming rig when using 3 or 4 GPU's?

I recently ran into a serious problem whereby my UPS was around 3000 watts and my system is pulling around 1700 with everything I have plugged in at full load its around 1900-2000.

How do you guys protect your GPU's from dirty power.... aside from the 10yr warranty (NVIDIA-EVGA which I got :p )

How do you deal with overloading your UPS when you game?

Taking a poll...

dc
 
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Dirty power? Just a very good PSU with APFC.

For the really bad stuff, an APC UPS. I don't know of any other vendors.
 
I run 2 UPSes. One for my tower and one for my monitor, etc. since it never fails to peg the over limit alarm if anything else is plugged in and it doesn't help if your PC is on but you can't turn it off because you can't see anything.

If you are really cheap and really questionable you could use 2 PSUs as well and split the load but that's something I'll let someone else do lol.
 
I guess at that range of power consumption you could benefit, but it's not going to protect from "dirty" power.
 
Dirty power? Just a very good PSU with APFC.

For the really bad stuff, an APC UPS. I don't know of any other vendors.

While I don't run multiple video cards, I have experience with really unstable power at work. A really good PSU, like the Seasonic X series can handle a several second brownout without any problem for the components behind it. I'm currently waiting on a new UPS battery replacement and I've had my computer stay on during minor power failures even without it thanks to the PSU.
 
It has crossed my mind recently to consider getting a UPS backup power supply.

My neighborhood averages about 3 to 5 blackouts and brownouts every summer ever since I moved here in 2003. And, if going by Southern California Edison's (SCE) website on power outages, a few have been caused by car accidents targeting electrical poles like they're in hunting season.

During the winter, we average about 2 to 3 blackouts as well.

And, not only that, I think that when this house was newly built in 2003, the contractor or housing development company went cheap on the quality electricians. There is no reason for the garage door to turn off power in one of the four rooms, or vice-versa. Or, for the microwave to short out the power to the garage door. My family currently can't afford to pay an electrician to look into the problem at the moment. It doesn't happen all the time, but when the right conditions exist, shit just hits the fan with our electrical circuit.

So, a UPS unit has been very tempting to get as of late, or even a backup portable generator.
 
I do but, funny you put this up, just this morning I tried to run Furmark and it set off my UPS alarm. Of course, my UPS is 860W so this maybe wasn't too surprising... I should have gone much bigger.
 
I do but, funny you put this up, just this morning I tried to run Furmark and it set off my UPS alarm. Of course, my UPS is 860W so this maybe wasn't too surprising... I should have gone much bigger.

860W is enought for two GTX780, if your UPS is not able to handle two GTX780 means that you UPS is cheap and is not able to deliver what it is advertised on the box.
 
860W is enought for two GTX780, if your UPS is not able to handle two GTX780 means that you UPS is cheap and is not able to deliver what it is advertised on the box.

Yeah, well it's not the most expensive UPS on the market, but it doesn't like Furmark. Other than that I can do what I want. Sorta depends on what else I have plugged into it doesn't it? :rolleyes:
 
Yeah, well it's not the most expensive UPS on the market, but it doesn't like Furmark. Other than that I can do what I want. Sorta depends on what else I have plugged into it doesn't it? :rolleyes:

But thanks for your input.

The problem may depend on PSU too.
Good PSUs generally can handle a lack of current for n milliseconds, the better the PSU is the longer it can take your PC on without current.

We can say the same for UPS, the better the UPS is the faster it can deliver the current to PSU.

If you PSU is not too good in this and your UPS is not too fast, you can have a 10 kilowatt UPS that your PC will shut down.

I know that seasonic is a good PSU but I don't know if it can handle the power for a long time.
Generally Seasonic are the worst PSUs I have seen in the "hold up time" test.
 
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The problem may depend on PSU too.
What problem? My computer wants more wattage than the UPS can deliver. Nothing shut down. The UPS beeped because the load was more than it could cover in the event of an outtage. I think you're underestimating how much power 2x780s overclocked balls to the wall running furmark want. Default Power Target for just 1 of these 780s with skyn3t rev4 is 330Watts. Mine's at 115%... Furmark is crazy shit.
 
And, not only that, I think that when this house was newly built in 2003, the contractor or housing development company went cheap on the quality electricians. There is no reason for the garage door to turn off power in one of the four rooms, or vice-versa. Or, for the microwave to short out the power to the garage door. My family currently can't afford to pay an electrician to look into the problem at the moment. It doesn't happen all the time, but when the right conditions exist, shit just hits the fan with our electrical circuit.

So, a UPS unit has been very tempting to get as of late, or even a backup portable generator.

This is a bit off-topic, but I figured I might chime in since the last firm I worked for (EE here) I did typical unit plans (the electrical layouts on blueprints that tell an electrician to do what where)..

The issue with the garage door tripping a breaker in a room sounds suspect, but it is quite possible they tied the garage door motor/garage lighting into the same circuit as these "rooms" you are talking about.

The microwave should be on it's on 15/20Amp dedicated circuit. Nothing should be cutting off when you are using it.

If you would like some specific help, feel free to PM me but if you don't know anything about electrical wiring I am not sure how much I could help.


The problem may depend on PSU too.
Good PSUs generally can handle a lack of current for n milliseconds, the better the PSU is the longer it can take your PC on without current.

We can say the same for UPS, the better the UPS is the faster it can deliver the current to PSU.

If you PSU is not too good in this and your UPS is not too fast, you can have a 10 kilowatt UPS that your PC will shut down.

I know that seasonic is a good PSU but I don't know if it can handle the power for a long time.
Generally Seasonic are the worst PSUs I have seen in the "hold up time" test.

Just NO. You have no idea what you are ranting about, so please stop. Seasonic makes the best units on the market, which is why all of the higher end brands (Corsair, XFX Black, etc) use them as their OEM house to build their units.


On topic, the rig in my sig is on a UPS with Power Conditioning. Since I OC things to the Moon, I have to use a separate UPS for my "monitor" (which is a 42" Panasonic LED LCD) or my UPS screams in pain..My last GPU was a Golden Sample 7950 which was overclocked to 1.325Ghz/1700Mhz and during FireStrike runs the UPS would sign me a song if the LCD was plugged into the unit.
 
The rig in my sig is on a UPS with Power Conditioning. Since I OC things to the Moon, I have to use a separate UPS for my "monitor" (which is a 42" Panasonic LED LCD) or my UPS screams in pain..My last GPU was a Golden Sample 7950 which was overclocked to 1.325Ghz/1700Mhz and during FireStrike runs the UPS would sign me a song if the LCD was plugged into the unit.

Yes, this kind of thing. I took everything else off the UPS and it could run furmark longer, but not much, the beep comes in and the load capacity is 100%.

Nothing else I have encountered does this even with monitor,modem and router also plugged in (including every normal 3d benchmark out there, firestrike valley etc). Only furmark so far. Things have gotten strange, in the old days, your card could produce such and such and that was it. Now the cards are such monsters that the city lights start to blink and you figure, oops I better not do that.

Realistically for 3 Keplers OCd I'm thinking 2000Watts to cover them comfortably... then go from there. So OP was running out of juice at 3kW... fk
 
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