Line conditioner vs. UPS vs. ... what ever else?

[Niku]

So, i have a pretty tiny air conditioner and my computer hooked up to the same circuit. I have no other options at the moment if i want to be comfortable in my computer room. I am not keen on doing this forever. Bear in mind, i am not really concerned about data corruption due to loss of power. That in mind, what is the best candidate for protecting my sensitive electronics from unclean power, and surges? I have originally thought that a battery back up would do the trick, but most do not provide line conditioning. Most just seem to protect my electronics from surges, and outages. And correct me if im wrong but the only harm an outage will cause is a corrupt os. A good surge stop of what ever your preference, if it works, will deal with the sudden spike, then the computer would just lose power, maybe corrupting windows. Should i feel more vulnerable? Will a modern hard drive utterly destroy its self in the even that i stop a surge but the power cuts out? I feel more threatened by the idea that unclean power will break my power supply. I've been paranoid over the idea for the past 2 years when i saw all my friends who live in apartment complexes lose their computers because of their crummy power situations.
What do you all think? What is the ideal answer?

 

[Zap]

That in mind, what is the best candidate for protecting my sensitive electronics from unclean power, and surges?

A PSU that is really good quality.

 

[Niku]

A PSU that is really good quality.

Well! If that is from a guy named Zap then i have to listen.

I believe my 750 watt corsair ought to be up to it. But you never know. Thermaltake masquerades as a "quality" psu maker, but ive seen those things dance and smoke like the toaster from Ghost busters II more then any other "premium" PSU. Hopefully mine is good for the task.

 

[hawk82]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uninterruptible_power_supply

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_conditioning

If you really want to protect your computer, the double conversion UPS is the way to go. They seem to be more expensive however. A less expensive way to go would be a line-interactive UPS. APC and Cyberpower (which are both owned by Schneider) call this feature AVR or automatic voltage regulation, which will smooth out the peaks and dips in the power to provide relatively clean power to your computer.

 

[billyb0b]

You can get a UPS from APC for less than $100 that will handle your power load with minutes to spare to ensure a proper shutdown should u lose power

 

[Zap]

Well! If that is from a guy named Zap then i have to listen.

LOL!

The thing is that whatever is plugged in to the wall can go up in smoke, be it a $150 AVR or a $150 PSU. A good PSU can handle all the normal spikes and sags in voltage by itself.

That being said, doesn't hurt to have extra protection. Tripp Lite makes a reasonably priced unit (AVR550U) that is a UPS with AVR and surge protection. If you get that unit, you don't have to worry over whether to get a UPS or AVR.

 

[xxxFrogg]

The route i went which noone has mentioned thus far is a good monster surge protector.
such as:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Monster+...&skuId=8296952 .
Thats an expensive one but its what I have. Also, they get cheaper as u go down. You will have to read to make sure, but most still clean the power. I bought a cheaper one to for my LCD. Just another choice

 

[MechxWarrior]

http://www.refurbups.com/APC-IBM1000-Smart-UPS-IBM-1000

Cheap, high quality, and provides filtering, surge protection, and battery backup in case of outages.

The Smart-UPS line and Back-UPS Pro line do offer conditioning (its called AVR -- automatic voltage regulation)

 

[theAnimal]

The route i went which noone has mentioned thus far is a good monster surge protector.

By "good" did you mean ridiculously overpriced?

 

[aigomorla]

A PSU that is really good quality.

actually zap.

i always recomend a solid ups.

Its not just for the battery backup but also browns.

When your Hair Dryer / Washing machine / Air Conditioner kicks in and pulls current, your AC line can dip.

If you have old wiring, a standard AC line which is about 120V-130V can dip to 110V or lower.
This isnt a problem, but if you have bad wiring all the way from the transformer, you will proabably realistically pull about 110V - 105V.
When your AC kicks in, you could pull less then 100V, sometimes even as low as 90V.

Then your PC will crash when it goes on load.
If you have a UPS with AVR, you will hear it click.

My UPS's :

APS i think makes the best quality.. its also the quietest.
CyberLink is OK... However the APS feels more solid.

The best one i own is the Ultra... its a 2100VA ups soley for my main system which idles well over 400W.
Dont ask what it loads @.

 

[kalrith]

I have my two computers on an APC Smart UPS and my home-theater equipment on an APC AVR. I was lucky enough to salvage the UPSs from work for free and paid $100 for two replacement batteries. I paid $85 for the H15 power conditioner, but I only bought it for its AVR capabilities.

I probably should look into my house's wiring, because the lights dim and the UPS/AVR kicks in every time the A/C, dryer, etc. turns on. However, it's much cheaper and easier to just slap some extra protection between the outlet and my equipment than to pay the obscene rates of an electrician.

 

[Rubycon]

A true line conditioner provides essentially galvanic isolation from your mains power supply. Ferroresonant transformers and motor-generators will do this.

UPS can provide some line conditioning in the forum of hash filtering (inductive-capacitance) and spike protection usually employing MOV devices. The AVR is really a buck-boost circuit which can reduce/raise voltage in event of lower voltages or the more rare over voltage condition. Boosting is a nice feature as it prevents premature inverter use and battery use, etc.

In any case the use of a power conditioner is in case of temporary anomalies created by extreme weather or utility maintenance. They should never be used as a crutch for chronic issues related to inadequate wiring, for example.

 

[MagickMan]

So, aigomorla, the Cyberpower CP1500AVRLCD I just ordered should be ok? I was going to buy a another Tripplite to replace my 5 y/o unit that died, but the Cyberpower was such a good price that I thought I'd give it a shot. In fact, it was so much cheaper than the APCs and other brands that it makes me just a little nervous. haha