Best UPS for around $200?

[catboy]

I'm looking to buy a UPS and my budget for that is around $200.

From what I've read and from the videos I've watched so far, the CyberPower CP1500AVRLCD seems to be highly recommended.

Would that be the unit that you guys recommend?

Should I consider a different unit instead?

The one thing I don't like about that unit is that its specs say it only stays on with battery power for 3 minutes at maximum load. In the past, I've had computers that took longer than 3 minutes to shutdown.

Another related question I have: if my computer does take longer than 3 minutes to shutdown, could I circumvent that problem by not bothering to tell my OS to shutdown, and instead I could just press the reset button, followed by the power button? If that would work, I guess that would make the 3 minute maximum time less of a big deal.

More questions I have:

Does the 4 ms delay time between when the mains goes down and when the battery backup initiates matter? Do delays like that make offline UPS systems useless, since those delays can allow a window of opportunity for hardware damage to occur?

 

[UsandThem]

The CP1500PFCLCD is a better choice with for active PFC power supplies (which most of them are now). This unit is full price right now $205, but I have bought a few of them when they were on sale for $140.

That being said, most of the simulated sine wave units (like the one you asked about) work perfectly fine active PFC power supplies, but some of the cheap power supplies might cause the PC to immediately shut down when switching over to battery power. This is very rare, but there are a lot of different power supplies out there, so it is possible. You talked about a EVGA 750w G2 in another thread, so if you are using that one, you should be fine with either one. It is better to have a UPS than no UPS regardless of which one you decide to go with. You will want to buy the 1500v 900w UPS to ensure it will delivery enough power to your power supply when it switches to battery.

As long as you aren't trying to game when the power goes out, a typical load on a computer is <100w at the desktop so it should give you 10+ minutes easily as long as you aren't placing a large power load on it.

I don't lose power a lot in NC, but I do experience dips and surges in the power coming to the house from brownouts and storms. That is the biggest reason I use one. It keeps the voltage going to my PC nice and steady.

Another unit you could look at is the APC BR1500G Back-UPS Pro 1500. Newegg has it for $162. Tripp-Lite also has some units you can look at. However, I personally like CyberPower a little better because I have had good experiences with their products over the years.

 

[AnonymouseUser]

The one thing I don't like about that unit is that its specs say it only stays on with battery power for 3 minutes at maximum load. In the past, I've had computers that took longer than 3 minutes to shutdown.

Your UPS will not be running @ maximum load for 3 minutes, even if it takes the full 3 minutes to shutdown. Even if you are gaming when power goes out then when you close the game your PC will be running at only a fraction of maximum load, so your UPS will last longer than 3 minutes. At idle, most modern PCs use less than 100W, even including all peripherals including monitor/s.

What are your PC specs? 1500VA/900W may be overkill.

 

[catboy]

Thanks for the great information everyone.

My PC is 10 years old, but with some parts upgraded since then, and with a new PSU just installed.

I'm sure that 1500VA/900W would, like you said, be overkill for the hardware I have right now. However, I want to have a UPS that will also be good for when I buy a new PC in the future, which is why I'm okay with paying for overkill at the moment, rather than having to buy a second new UPS later.

Your UPS will not be running @ maximum load for 3 minutes, even if it takes the full 3 minutes to shutdown.

Oh, I thought that maybe the UPS was compelled to run @ the same load level that it was @ during the moment when the mains shutdown. I didn't realize the UPS could re-adjust its load after that point. I'm glad you told me that it can.

 

[UsandThem]

What are your PC specs? 1500VA/900W may be overkill.

If just factoring in just the PC draw, but throw in a monitor, wireless router, and modem it could be a better choice. When we lost power in March, I was able to shut PC down, but I still was able to use my wireless internet on my cell phones and tablets. It lasted for quite a bit, which was nice (couple hours I think, but can't remember the exact runtime since I was busy doing other stuff.)

 

[catboy]

The CP1500PFCLCD is a better choice with for active PFC power supplies (which most of them are now).

Why does that unit only run for 2 minutes at maximum load, whereas the less expensive unit (CP1500AVRLCD) runs for 3? Shouldn't the more expensive unit run for a longer time?

 

[UsandThem]

No. They have the same size battery, and will last the same amount of time on battery.

Unless you are playing Doom when the power goes out, yet you decide you want to keep playing the game, both units will last a lot longer than 3 minutes. Even while gaming, you are not using 700w of power unless you have two heavily overclocked 980ti cards.

The difference between the two is one puts out pure sine wave power (premium), and the other puts out simulated sine wave (basic).

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews...500pfclcd-tripp-lite-smart1500slt,2785-2.html

 

[catboy]

No. They have the same size battery, and will last the same amount of time on battery.

But their official spec sheets list a shorter runtime for the more expensive unit...why do they undervalue their product? Perhaps they made a typo?

https://www.cyberpowersystems.com/products/ups/desktop/cp1500avrt

https://www.cyberpowersystems.com/products/ups/pfc-sinewave/cp1500pfclcd

Thanks for the round up link. A lot of the first few pages of that went over my head but I sort of understood the article's main points.

Is the info from that round up still up to date even though it's 6 years old?

Also, I don't understand this statement:

enthusiasts are also more likely to finish their tasks within the several minutes of full-load power the unit provides

I thought that the spec sheets say 3 minutes and 2 minutes of full-load power, not several? Does that not contradict the quoted statement?

 

[UsandThem]

But their official spec sheets list a shorter runtime for the more expensive unit...why do they undervalue their product? Perhaps they made a typo?

https://www.cyberpowersystems.com/products/ups/desktop/cp1500avrt

https://www.cyberpowersystems.com/products/ups/pfc-sinewave/cp1500pfclcd

Thanks for the round up link. A lot of the first few pages of that went over my head but I sort of understood the article's main points.

Is the info from that round up still up to date even though it's 6 years old?

Estimated 1 minute difference. I wouldn't put too much into those estimations. If you aren't gaming and just doing normal stuff (surfing the web, email, word document, etc.), you will easily get 15-25 minutes out of it.

The roundup and explanations are still true. That's just when active PFC power supplies became common and all the internet misinformation began being spread. There is a lot of misinformation out there if you look at various computer forums, Slickdeals. If you have a quality power supply, it will work fine on both. It's only the inferior quality units you would have to worry about.

I just checked my UPS on my system in my signature (plus my wireless router, 4 140mm case fans, cable modem, and 25" monitor), and I am pulling a whopping 72w as I typed this response.

 

[catboy]

I have now bought and set up a CP1500PFCLD.

When I try to install the software for it, the installation fails, and a message pops up that says:

"A file that is required cannot be installed because the cabinet file C: \Documents and Settings\[Computer Name]\Application Data\CyberPower System, Inc\...\disk1.cab has an invalid digital signature. This may indicate that the cabinet file is corrupt."

How do I fix that problem?

 

[PliotronX]

Did you download it from their website or use the included disc?

 

[catboy]

First, I tried to install from the included disc.

After I couldn't figure out how to make that work for a long time, I subsequently downloaded the software from the CyberPower website.

With the downloaded software, the install error still occurs in an identical way to how it does with the disc software.

 

[UsandThem]

Is this problem occurring on the older system you were already having problems on? What OS are you using?

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2474199&highlight=

 

[catboy]

Yes, this problem is occurring on the older system I am already having problems on.

I'm using XP Pro SP3 32-bit.

 

[UsandThem]

Yes, this problem is occurring on the older system I am already having problems on.

I'm using XP Pro SP3 32-bit.

I checked CyberPower's website, and it says it's compatible with Windows XP 32 and 64 bit software, so the issue must be with your system.

Like I suggested in your thread in computer help, it might be time to retire the system. If not, you will have to trouble-shoot the system and see if you can isolate the part(s) that is causing problems.

A 10 year-old system has served its useful purpose. Things wear out over time (connections, capacitors, etc.). You have already replaced the power supply, so it will be your motherboard, CPU, or hard drive.