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recommend me a good UPS

K

kingdomwinds

Limp Gawd
Joined
Aug 17, 2005
Messages
406
my specs

i7 920
6gb ram
470gtx
500gb hd
creative x-fi
corsair 620w psu

I get power outtages in my area sometimes and needs a ups that will handle my pc at idle setting. Any recommendations?
 
That is a $400 UPS capable of powering nearly 1000 watts of equipment. That is way overkill for this system at idle.
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These can be had for less than $200 refirb on eBay with brand new batteries.
 
thanks for the suggestions. I just want to be able to have enough time to turn off my system if i get an outtage
 
It powers my system and monitor for nearly 40 minutes under light load. Gaming I have no clue, I am guessing like 10 minutes it would last. Power outtages in my area usually last around 20-40 minutes so at least I don't lose my torrents and stuff if I am not attending to my PC.
 
Look for features true on line: means it converts the AC to DC to float the batteries and then converts to AG again to run your equipment. Noise and line disturbances don't get through a box that uses this.

Active power factor correction: keeps the energy usage down and makes it a little more friendly for other things in your house.
 
The cheap one above looks good but is it compatible with my psu? i heard that some UPS dont work with certain psu
 
Superdemon said:
That is a $400 UPS capable of powering nearly 1000 watts of equipment. That is way overkill for this system at idle.
Click to expand...

When obtaining a UPS, you want to keep two things in mind:

1. You never ever want to overload a UPS. The whole point is to provide reliable consistent power through any circumstance. Even though at idle a system may only be using ~100 watts of power (system + monitor + accessories ), the UPS should still be expected to provide power on battery even at full tilt.

2. Batteries ability to provide power degrades over time. Drawing power at or near full capacity of a battery only quickens the degradation. I won't do a complete cost/beneficent calculation, but I'd be willing to bet over a few years the more expensive unit will pay for itself in less frequent battery replacements.
 
kingdomwinds said:
i just read that a UPS can dramatically increase the electrical bill. Is this true?
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Only for an always on online ups. Which does AC -> DC -> AC all the time. These are expensive.

With that said my APC-1400 Smart UPS XL draws 18W all the time (well that is what my Kill A Watt tells me. So the APC costs me about $18 per year to run.
 
Christopher said:
When obtaining a UPS, you want to keep two things in mind:

1. You never ever want to overload a UPS. The whole point is to provide reliable consistent power through any circumstance. Even though at idle a system may only be using ~100 watts of power (system + monitor + accessories ), the UPS should still be expected to provide power on battery even at full tilt.

2. Batteries ability to provide power degrades over time. Drawing power at or near full capacity of a battery only quickens the degradation. I won't do a complete cost/beneficent calculation, but I'd be willing to bet over a few years the more expensive unit will pay for itself in less frequent battery replacements.
Click to expand...

Fully agreed on both points. I say never get a single battery UPS unless you want to only power a router or switch.
 
Superdemon said:
That is a $400 UPS capable of powering nearly 1000 watts of equipment. That is way overkill for this system at idle.
Click to expand...

Its overkill at idle but it wasn't enough for my Skulltrail + 2x QX9775 EE @ 4.0GHz + 4870 X2 CrossfireX system at full load. That thing topped 1,100 watts under full load and would cause the UPS to shutdown.
 
Don't spend less than $200 for a UPS for a computer.

As others said, you want the true online kinds. The cheaper fast switching models are ok for routers and switches and other shit.
 
so can someone recommend a true online UPS that won't increase my electrical bill that much? Not sure if i want to drop $500+ on one either
 
Whatsisname said:
Don't spend less than $200 for a UPS for a computer.

As others said, you want the true online kinds. The cheaper fast switching models are ok for routers and switches and other shit.
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The idea of a "true online" UPS is certainly appealing but the fact is that it isn't necessary and only adds cost to the buyer. Standard UPSes of good quality are sufficient for home use. Unless you've got mission critical stuff at home, I wouldn't worry about spending the money on the "always online" style UPS.
 
Dan_D said:
If its one of the heavy duty ones, probably. However it isn't recommended.
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eh... not a problem if it's heavy duty. 14-gauge minimum, 12-gauge good (and required for the 20A plugs like my APC SUA2200XL). (Smaller number = thicker wire)
 
dandragonrage said:
eh... not a problem if it's heavy duty. 14-gauge minimum, 12-gauge good (and required for the 20A plugs like my APC SUA2200XL). (Smaller number = thicker wire)
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I understand this, I just didn't want to be too technical about it. As far as using an extension cord in the first place, well the manufacturers do not recommend it. I know the manual for my APC 1500VA unit recommends against it.
 
Dan_D said:
I understand this, I just didn't want to be too technical about it. As far as using an extension cord in the first place, well the manufacturers do not recommend it. I know the manual for my APC 1500VA unit recommends against it.
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Because they don't trust people to be able to select the right product. You know that most people would just buy the cheapest cable they can find - or they'd reuse the same 2-prong cable they use for their Christmas tree lights made of 30 AWG wire and a cheater plug.

Same reason why video cards overstate their power supply requirements... because most people are a bad combination of ignorant and stupid when it comes to technical stuff.

There's no difference in using a proper gauge extension cord than having an outlet further away in the house from your distribution panel... except for the the small amount of extra insertion loss (resistance) from the extra plug connection, which is miniscule.
 
That's for a 20 amp plug. If you have one then OK, otherwise it won't fit.
 
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Do not use an ungrounded plug with a UPS. Do not use an ungrounded plug for pretty much anything.

I wouldn't count on any "power savings" in that UPS, if any power is "saved", its just going to be compared to other UPS units.
 
Hi All,

having moved into a new apartment, my office/server-room is sharing a breaker switch with the bedroom. A few times now my girlfriend has killed the power to our server in order to do something in the bedroom. This won't go on forever, however to me its a good excuse to invest in a UPS. The current server uses around 60W at full load (Atom based), but I'm planning to put together a new server in the new year which will gobble 1-200W.

Can anyone recommend a good UPS (preferably APC) that could power both servers, and has the ability to shutdown Linux servers cleanly when it switches to battery? Only the new server would have IMPI.
 
kingdomwinds said:
how do these choices look?

extension cord
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...1&cm_re=extension_cord-_-12-132-001-_-Product

Do I really need an extension cord? I have been using a 2 prong socket with a 3prong adapter with my surge protector. But i was thinking that using a grounded 3 prong outlet would be better for the UPS?

APC UPS - The power saving feature of this UPS is what got me
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16842101393
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I know that I shouldn't be saying this but swapping out an old outlet with no ground for an outlet with a ground normally isn't too difficult. You should be able to do it yourself.
 
Whatsisname said:
Don't spend less than $200 for a UPS for a computer.

As others said, you want the true online kinds. The cheaper fast switching models are ok for routers and switches and other shit.
Click to expand...

True online is something I would never pay for. It's just not necessary when you can get a perfectly good line interactive model. I'd far rather spend money to get a true sine wave ups if anything. Either way any good quality line interactive UPS is more than enough protection for a computer. Your psu can certainly handle any other strangeness in the input assuming the ups doesn't keep things clean as it is.
 
BababooeyHTJ said:
I know that I shouldn't be saying this but swapping out an old outlet with no ground for an outlet with a ground normally isn't too difficult. You should be able to do it yourself.
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Should also be a GFCI if there wont be a ground, but I'd try to find a ground and run that so it can be a true grounded outlet. Not always easy though depending on if the basement is finished, or if it's a 2nd floor.

Also, you don't need true online. While those are nice and all, they are not cheap and also cost more to run as the batteries are constantly being used and charged. Normally these UPSes take up a whole room and require their own dedicated A/C unit. They are meant for data center applications. The normal UPSes will switch over fast enough unless they're defective. Technically as long as it can switch over in about 1/60th of a second, the PC won't really see a blip.
 
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