Question on buying a UPS.

[richcom23]

I'm wanting to purchase 2 UPS's possibly. The thing is I know very little about them. What size (in watts I think?) would I need to run the system in my sig? There are so many choices, I've seen from 200w to 900w for sale, I want to buy something that is plenty for my setup. One of my friends has a 300w UPS and said he cannot run his 21" monitor and his box on it at the same time, so this is why I'm posting this question to make sure I get what I need the first time!

 

[biruta]

buy the most expensive ups you can afford.

 

[jaffy]

I would recomend a "Online" UPS. With an Online ups, the power is always being drawn from the battery. This eliminates all spikes/surges/dips. They cost a bit more, but are a lot better. I own a Liebert UPSstation GXT, and have had no problems with it. It was $700, but they do make cheaper.

 

[jpmkm]

Originally posted by biruta
buy the most expensive ups you can afford.

Good advice. However if the most you can afford is a 200w or something then that won't help. Your lcd monitor is going to make a big difference over a crt. The other main power suckers are going to be your p4 and the video card, but don't be playing games during a power outage and that shouldn't be much of a problem. I'd say minimum 350watt(or do they measure them in volt-amps? I can't ever remember), 500-600 for good measure. Oh and online upses are great. I bought one at a garage sale for $1 and I love it. Old battery so I only get about a minute runtime on it but it's okay.

 

[jaffy]

jpmkm, you got an Online UPS for $1.00???? What brand is it? Damn thats a good deal! You should replace the battery! Usually you can find replacements online for very little $$$

 

[jpmkm]

Originally posted by saturnine2
jpmkm, you got an Online UPS for $1.00???? What brand is it? Damn thats a good deal! You should replace the battery! Usually you can find replacements online for very little $$$

Hell yeah. It was some boy scout garage sale at hyvee and it was the last day so they were selling all their computer stuff for $1. I also got a compaq prosignia 500 and some proliant for $1 each. I unloaded the stuff from my car over several days so my parents didn't see it all at once. My girlfriend was kinda pissed though because I made her help carry stuff out to the car(she just wanted to get out of there though so I guess that evens out). Anyway, it's an MGE Pulsar EX7 and it's rated for 700VA. Nothing fancy, but it keeps me going. I've been meaning to open it up to see what kind of batteries it takes but I just haven't gotten around to it. Maybe some day.

 

[Dark Assassin]

A UPS, eh? I believe you mean a PSU, or power supply unit. Attempting to purchase the UPS company might cost you a tad over $59 billion.

Personally, I'd suggest picking up an Antec 480W TruBlue, as it looks real nice in a case and has very reliable voltages per rail and overall. I've been nothing but happy with it.

Dark Assassin

 

[jpmkm]

UPS=uninterruptible power supply AKA battery backup. It's like a surge protector strip, but with a battery to keep you going when the power goes out.

 

[laws_69]

For any "current" system, you will need at least 900VA to run a 19" CRT + gaming system. NEVER EVER plug a printer/copier/shredder off of one.

 

[burningrave101]

I also would recommend buying the largest you can afford. I have a Belken 1200VA and i love it. I believe Belkin are every bit as good as APC and they are quite a bit cheaper unless you find an APC on sale.

I would get a 400-500w one to make sure its big enough to handle your system and monitor. LCD's draw alot less power then a CRT though. So yours would probably run off 350w-400w.

 

[punisher]

Something overlooked is how manufacturers rate the UPSs.

A 900VA UPS is rated for 650 watts, similarly a 500 VA might be rated for 300 watts. To me a VA (Volt Amp) should equate to watts, but manufacturers don't think so.

Buy bigger than you absolutely need.

 

[heyheyhey]

Originally posted by Dark Assassin
A UPS, eh? I believe you mean a PSU, or power supply unit. Attempting to purchase the UPS company might cost you a tad over $59 billion.

Personally, I'd suggest picking up an Antec 480W TruBlue, as it looks real nice in a case and has very reliable voltages per rail and overall. I've been nothing but happy with it.

Dark Assassin

lmfao...

 

[SB22]

Originally posted by Dark Assassin
A UPS, eh? I believe you mean a PSU, or power supply unit. Attempting to purchase the UPS company might cost you a tad over $59 billion.

Personally, I'd suggest picking up an Antec 480W TruBlue, as it looks real nice in a case and has very reliable voltages per rail and overall. I've been nothing but happy with it.

Dark Assassin

lmao too

 

[burningrave101]

Dont pick on Dark Assassin guys, im sure if you went out and asked at least 80% of computer users if they bought a UPS they would probably think you were nuts for asking such a question lol. They might even reply and no i didn't buy a FedEx ither.

 

[laws_69]

Poor cheese.

 

[FrothyByte]

Maybe this is too obvious but the UPS is only going to be good for a limited ammount of time.

That time is what you should be concerned with. Get one that you feel has enough power to keep you up and running long enough for you to shutdown your PC properly.

There is no way that you should try to do any actual computing when running only on a UPS for power.

If you need to do that you should invest in a UPC plus a generator to give you sustained power.

 

[SKiTLz]

Originally posted by FrothyByte
Maybe this is too obvious but the UPS is only going to be good for a limited ammount of time.

That time is what you should be concerned with. Get one that you feel has enough power to keep you up and running long enough for you to shutdown your PC properly.

There is no way that you should try to do any actual computing when running only on a UPS for power.

If you need to do that you should invest in a UPC plus a generator to give you sustained power.

Ahh?? UPS's offer voltage regulation and can clean your dirty line. Im pretty sure noone here is trying to run a PC off a UPS as it's power source.

 

[jpmkm]

Originally posted by SKiTLz
Ahh?? UPS's offer voltage regulation and can clean your dirty line. Im pretty sure noone here is trying to run a PC off a UPS as it's power source.

UPSes do that ONLY if it is a line-interactive or online ups. If it is a standard switched ups(and I think every one at best buy is switched. fucking dude working there said there was no such thing as online upses) then it is just an outlet strip until the power goes out and it switches over to battery. But I agree, a UPS's main function is to provide time to safely shutdown a computer or allow for generator startup time.

 

[SKiTLz]

Originally posted by jpmkm
UPSes do that ONLY if it is a line-interactive or online ups. If it is a standard switched ups(and I think every one at best buy is switched. fucking dude working there said there was no such thing as online upses) then it is just an outlet strip until the power goes out and it switches over to battery. But I agree, a UPS's main function is to provide time to safely shutdown a computer or allow for generator startup time.

Well for me backup time is not even a reason for a UPS. It is in certina situations, datacenters etc. But for most folks at home, the main reason for them is too clean up the power source.

At least thats why I wanted one.

 

[burningrave101]

Now that you have just purchased your new computer, how are you going to protect your investment? With the recent power problems experienced in various parts of the country and many power experts saying that soon we will be having these issues in every major metropolitan city in the country, you must have complete protection for your computers. There are two types of UPS for the desktop category a Stand-by and a Line-Interactive UPS. The Stand-by is a simple UPS that will protect your computer against over voltages and surges caused from lightning strikes. During a blackout the UPS will also switch to battery backup and continue to provide power to your computer until it is safely shutdown. A Line-Interactive UPS is a little bit more sophisticated than the stand-by UPS. It has all the features of a stand-by plus it has built in line conditioning known as AVR (Automatic Voltage Regulation) that cleans up dirty power that is flowing through the utility lines. A UPS with AVR is the perfect device to guard against all power disturbances – including blackouts. The slightest drop in power can cause your computer to freeze or shut off, both resulting in lost work, data and time. So be sure to get your computer protected with a UPS that has AVR technology.

The Belkin 1200VA has a battery load capacity of 670w. It provides up to 100 minutes backup time. It has AVR. It retails for $160 on the belkin website.

 

[SKiTLz]

Originally posted by burningrave101
The Belkin 1200VA has a battery load capacity of 670w. It provides up to 100 minutes backup time. It has AVR. It retails for $160 on the belkin website.

I have the 1200VA. Their uptime of 100min is BS. I have mine at about 50% and it offers around 30min.

Nice UPS though. Especially since, like I said, backup time is not a concern for me.

 

[TekieB]

I have the 1200VA. Their uptime of 100min is BS. I have mine at about 50% and it offers around 30min.

It's true if u are on a pc (out lightboard at school) with a 150w PSU and a 15" crt.

 

[Dark Assassin]

Doh!! I have only heard of one, so it totally didn't register.

Now I feel like a dufus. Well not really, but I hate being wrong. Screw you all, buttclowns!

In a feeble attempt to redeem myself, buy the BIGGEST F***ING ONE you can find!

Dark Assassin

 

[laws_69]

Yar, the UPS is only meant to sustain your computers power long enough to shutdown normally. Some people live in areas with lots of power blinks, a UPS is perfect to stop that shit from ruining your computer.

 

[eighteen_psi]

Depends on the UPS

I run a pair of APC Smart UPS 1000VA's to keep the system in the sig up....and they do it for nearly an hour. (Including my Sony F500-R 21" CRT and other misc stuff)

In my experience, UPS=APC=UPS...they're better bulit, better supported and have better (ACTUAL) runtimes than the cheeper ones. Get a SmartUPS model (650VA is probably the best price-performance point right now) if you can afford it...they have a bit better runtime than the non-smart models (at a given VA rating) and offer better managability, allow you to specify tollerance (how low the power must drop before going to battery and how high before coming back).

I swear by mine. If you don't need runtime but rather, just a safe/quick shutdown, score one of the APC 'office' models...500VA or so I think is plenty (perhaps even less). I build a bunch of office computers (2.4 P4's with 15" LCD) and they run for a solid 5 minutes on a 350VA office-style (strip) UPS...easily enough for a shutdown.

Its up to you and your wallet.

 

[Cryto]

Find the total wattage/Va of your system, double that, then get something that will match.

However, a 650 APC UPS will keep you up long enough to not worry about losing anything.

I am currently using a Smart 1400VA APC that I got for FREE. (Had to replace the 2 batteries for $100 total) That will keep my system (In sig) up for a LONG time.
Place I work with gets in UPS' every so often.. Some of them even have GOOD batteries. I am fortunate to have 10 UPS' for all my computer stuff, gave a couple to my Mom for the TV & her alarm clock. (Small ups on that one)

 

[jpmkm]

Haha your mom has a ups for her tv? That's awesome.