UPS

[Gizanked]

So with my new computer parts coming tomorrow I'm also looking to buy a UPS to hopefully avoid the problem that killed my current computer. APC is a brand i've always sold at my various electronics retail jobs, but I'm not sure if i can buy a better brand online. Also, what size would good for a computer for just long enough to turn it off or avoid a couple second power blink.

Power supply I've got is 620 watt. Do I need to get a UPS labeled above that wattage?

any help would be cool.

[Clay Pigeon]

APC is the only brand I've ever even heard of.

Basically when you go on UPS backup, it's just to buy you enough time to save your work and shut down. I think they use watt hours or something for measuring energy storage.

[Flash]

I've always used APC as well but have seen decent things written about Cyber Power.

My experience is that you want a watt rating at least as high as your power supply. Things like power on and waking from sleep can cause huge power draws that could trip a UPS that is too small. Of course it will cause problems if your computer draws more power than the UPS can provide. Also consider other things that will be plugged in: monitor, external HD's, modem/router, etc. This will increase your power requirements.

I currently use the APC BACK-UPS RS 1500VA LCD rated at 865 Watts. (However breaking my own advice my power supply is 980 Watts.) My average load is around 200W but it spikes as mentioned above. My work computer always used to trip a 750VA model when waking from sleep even though it was just fine during a power outage.

I use several different sizes of the Back-UPS line at home (Daisy's iMac, file servers, etc.)

[spm97]

I work with, install, and use APC UPS systems (from a lowly power strip to a Symmetra system) on a daily basis.
For the size you are looking at for home, Cyberpower is also a good choice.

The key thing with a UPS is the batteries do *not* last long, and need to be tested routinely. Get a UPS that has some type of "power off computer" interface, like a USB port, and make sure you load the software on your computer.

Also, as mentioned, make sure you get a large enough UPS for your "Max Load". UPS are rated for 2 things:

1 - Max Power Draw
2 - Kw hours on battery

The second just determines how long your computer will stay on when running on battery. Make sure the UPS you get is big enough for your max power draw.

PM me if you have more questions.

Spam