Hard time choosing the right UPS...

[Shaitan00]

I came home tonight to find my office smelled like circuit burn and my pc lamp dead (melted) - given that I live in an old apartment building I thought it was about time to stop risking all my hardware on luck and go out to buy a real UPS.

The only really important things I want to hook up on my UPS are the following:
- PC (500W PS, P4 3.0Ghz)
- 20.1" LCD Monitor (100W)
- Wireless Router (Linksys)
- Modem (DSL)
- PC Speakers maybe (Samsung 240W 2.1)
- And I guess maybe my PC Lamp (45W)
If I do the math this comes to a grand total of ~900W (and I would like a bit of room for future expansion if ever) but from my asking around it looks like it won't ever actually reach anywhere near that level (my friend has a P4 with a 20" LCD and a 400W UPS and it runs at like 25%).


So I was considering the following two UPS's (as they are sold at Staples Canada right next to my work):
APC Back-UPS BX 1200 1200VA 750W 420J http://www.staples.ca/ENG/Catalog/cat_s...2C3286,319&webid=591689&affixedcode=WW $170CDN
Belkin F6C1100-UNV 1100VA 660W 1080J http://www.staples.ca/ENG/Catalog/cat_s...2C3286,319&webid=602876&affixedcode=WW $190CDN


Some questions I had (things that are important to me):
- What does the "Joules (J)" value affect and does it make a huge difference? because the difference between the APC and Belkin are rather large and I found it odd seeing as I thought APC was much better (generally), is this the amount of a "spike" the UPS can handle? Are these values normal/good?
- I want a quiet UPS, does the APC fan make a lot of noise (I read it was quoted at 45dB which seems very loud), does the Belkin even have a fan?
- The cooler the better (my small apartment office can already get blazing hot in the summer even with my AC)
- Do you think this UPS is overkill for my needs?
- Is the APC really that much larger then the Belkin (I can't seem to find the exact/accurate size specs on the APC web page, the BX 1200 doesn't seem to exist? XS series?)

Any comments on either model, reviews, or anything would be great, or if you have other suggestions (best from the Staples Canada web page as I'll be going over the weekend anyways for other things like to return my PC lamp as it was only 3 weeks old ehehehhe).
I was hoping maybe someone could give me some feedback, not many reviews on either of these UPS's (and the only ones I found where for the Belkin and all pretty negative). Any information, help, or hints would be greatly appreciated to help me make the best purchase possible.
Thanks,

 

[BigJimbo]

given my experience with both products... APC > Belkin. Not to mention the APC is "bigger" and cheaper also.

 

[tw33ter]

http://www.powerware.com/Default.asp?CC=1

Those are what I use at work, worth every penny if keeping your system up and running during a power outtage is critical.

 

[Shaitan00]

BigJimbo: So you prefer APC over Belkin then (expected I guess). But you mention that they are bigger, isn't this a negative? Compatact/Smaller would be best no? What does the additional size have to offer?
Thanks,

 

[Operandi]

UPSs are rated in voltage amps (VA), PSUs are rated in watts and the two are not directly convertible but you are probably looking at 200-350 watts for your system depending on what type of video card you currently running.

Determining VA is a tougher but I would aim for a UPS with a ratting of 650VA or higher. I would also looking to picking up a good PSU with APFC (assuming you don't already have one) and high efficiency, Seasonic and the 80+ units from Enhance come to mind.

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: Shaitan00
Compatact/Smaller would be best no? What does the additional size have to offer?
Thanks,

No, physical size has nothing to do with it. Didn't you notice that one of those units has more VA/more watts?

 

[Shaitan00]

Operandi: so I guess my two options are a little overkill for what I need today, but for the price difference ($60-$70 CDN) might be worth it for future expandability and so forth - hell maybe I can plug another PC/LCD on it also...
When you say PSU I assume you are speaking about a Powerbar correct (surge protection)? I was thinking of getting the APC BX 1200 and connecting my powerbar to it thus gaining some extra protection that way as well... What do you think?

myocardia: I noticed the APC is much larger with only a small increase in VA/Watts... Not really proportional...

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: Shaitan00
myocardia: I noticed the APC is much larger with only a small increase in VA/Watts... Not really proportional...

That's the way UPS's are, for the most part. Batteries are pretty large. And psu= power supply (unit).

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: Shaitan00
Operandi: so I guess my two options are a little overkill for what I need today, but for the price difference ($60-$70 CDN) might be worth it for future expandability and so forth - hell maybe I can plug another PC/LCD on it also...
When you say PSU I assume you are speaking about a Powerbar correct (surge protection)? I was thinking of getting the APC BX 1200 and connecting my powerbar to it thus gaining some extra protection that way as well... What do you think?

myocardia: I noticed the APC is much larger with only a small increase in VA/Watts... Not really proportional...

PSU = power supply unit. In my opinion investing in a UPS is a waste if don't have a good PSU to begin with.

Also keep in mind the VA ratting only applies to outlets on the side that will run off the battery in a power failure so if you don't need something to stay up 100% of the time don't count that in your power requirements.

Personally I would stick with APC, you can check out there factory direct store to save quite a bit if your looking for a good deal.

 

[Shaitan00]

PSU as in the one within my PC (the 500W PSU)? I paid a good price for it (double-fan and all that) so I assume it is a pretty good one, just can't recall the manu (like 3 years old now).

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: Shaitan00
PSU as in the one within my PC (the 500W PSU)? I paid a good price for it (double-fan and all that) so I assume it is a pretty good one, just can't recall the manu (like 3 years old now).

I assume by "PC" you mean your case. If thats the case (sorry bad pun) odds are it's not a good unit, and not worth putting a UPS behind.

 

[Nathelion]

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but it was my understanding that a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) is basically a big battery. Voltage spike protection is something completely different, and while the UPS may blunt a voltage spike it may also end up getting fried in the process. So you need a separate power filtering thingy to protect you from voltage spikes. Am I totally going off on a tangent here?

 

[VirtualLarry]

I'm using an APC BX1500, and I like it. USB cable connects to PC, the PowerChute utility software runs and gives diagnostic info, and shuts down (hibernates, actually) the PC if the power goes off. Works well so far.

Btw, my system is an Athlon XP 2000+, and a 19" LCD, and according to the software, is only drawing 181 watts from the UPS. So I doubt that your system draws more than 300W. I run two machines off of mine because it has enough headroom.

It's annoying that APC seems to want to delete all info off of their website for units no longer in full production. I worry that we will not be able to get necessary specs on a replacement battery for this unit in the future. Perhaps APC wants it that way, so people are forced to buy new models.

 

[coolpurplefan]

I bought a Tripp Lite Omni VS 1500 from cendirect.com
I think I found it on shopbot.ca

http://www.cendirect.com/main_en/tech_specs.asp?rPart_no=UE48874D&bhcp=1
I just found a direct link although I found it took several seconds to load for me.

 

[coolpurplefan]

Originally posted by: Nathelion
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but it was my understanding that a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) is basically a big battery. Voltage spike protection is something completely different, and while the UPS may blunt a voltage spike it may also end up getting fried in the process. So you need a separate power filtering thingy to protect you from voltage spikes. Am I totally going off on a tangent here?

Absolutely not. Look at about.com
You're NOT supposed to connect a surge suppressor to a UPS. They say it's not a good thing. There's already a surge suppressor in there in the first place. As a matter of fact, I think the Tripp Lite Omni VS 1500 has a line conditioner as well.

Anyway, that model is 940 watts by the way. So, it should be sufficient. And there's a positive review on it on newegg.

 

[Puffnstuff]

APC's also have line voltage regulation on their better units which supplies the ps with clean power. I'm very happy with apc and have them on all of my pc's plus the phone, network and alarm clock. My system only draws around 204-210 watts according to the powerchute software and I'm running an xs1000 which gives me up to 25 minutes of runtime.

 

[VashHT]

Originally posted by: Operandi
UPSs are rated in voltage amps (VA), PSUs are rated in watts and the two are not directly convertible but you are probably looking at 200-350 watts for your system depending on what type of video card you currently running.

Determining VA is a tougher but I would aim for a UPS with a ratting of 650VA or higher. I would also looking to picking up a good PSU with APFC (assuming you don't already have one) and high efficiency, Seasonic and the 80+ units from Enhance come to mind.

Actually, a Volt amp is a watt, so not only are they directly convertable they are also 1:1 ratio. Rememebr the equation for power is voltage*current, so volts*amps = volt-amps or watts. In case you don't believe me heres a link to back it up here .

EDIT: so I don't sound like an idiot, in the case of real world applications, VA and watts aren't a 1:1 conversion, because not all power generated is real power. VA in UPS refers to the total power, and watts refers to the real power, with the rest being reactive power. If the PFC rating of the UPS is given you could find the watt rating of the UPS from the VA, but I don't think many would give that much information.

 

[13Gigatons]

My Pick: APC Back-UPS BX 1200 1200VA

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: VashHT

EDIT: so I don't sound like an idiot, in the case of real world applications, VA and watts aren't a 1:1 conversion, because not all power generated is real power. VA in UPS refers to the total power, and watts refers to the real power, with the rest being reactive power. If the PFC rating of the UPS is given you could find the watt rating of the UPS from the VA, but I don't think many would give that much information.

That's what I was getting at.