APC backup/surge protector

elkido122

Senior member
Jan 10, 2015
275
2
81
I am considering purchasing one of these. To start i have no idea what VA rating to go for. my setup will consist of the following.

i7 6700k
gtx1070
nzxt kraiken x61
m.2 nvme drive
h440 case
seasonic 660w platinum psu

acer 144hz monitor

also i plan on plugging my router and my modem into it in addition to what i listed above.
any help as to what VA rating to go for would help me out a lot. Thanks
 

bigboxes

Lifer
Apr 6, 2002
42,337
12,425
146
The largest you can budget for.

At your desktop, you probably will be pulling 125w-175w for everything, and probably in the 275w-300w gaming.

Amazon even has the Cyberpower 900w/1500VA on sale today:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=K8MAZ75FDMSKQ9F15P40

I own three of those, and they have been great units. It gives me about 30 minutes of run time if the power goes out.

I have two of those. They allow me to keep everything up 45-55 minutes. File server on one. Main rig and monitor on the other. Networking gear shared between the two. Computers, internet and network stay on in the event of a power failure. It gives me time to power everything down in a non-rushed manner. Usually blackouts (or total loss of power) are just temporary. After 30 minutes, if power has not been restored then I can safely go about the process of shutting down my equipment. These are also good for brownouts (variable fluctuations of power). These units have AVR that provides a steady volatage to your components regardless of the situation. The wife has a 1000 VA APC unit in the bedroom.
 

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
56,587
10,225
126
I would look at the WATTAGE rating, NOT the VA rating. That's most important. Get one that is comfortably 25% higher than your PSU (to account for efficiency, and inverter losses).

So, for a PC with a 500W PSU, I would get a 750-800W unit, or bigger, if you want more runtime or more "headroom". (Say, in case you decide to overclock, in the future.)

Don't forget to add in your monitor, USB hub(s), cable modem, router, (inkjet) printer, etc.