Need advice on ups\battery backups

[darkrisen2003]

Hi guys. I actually have no idea what to look for in one of these. My last 2 pc's died from lightening and bad wireing\voltage in the house. So this time when i have all my parts for my new rig I would like to get a ups\voltage regulater\battery backup. I really have no clue what would be good to look for but I dont want to spend a whole lot of money on one. I prefer to only shop on newegg but what are some good ones to look at and what are some pointers you guys might have to look for in one? If I can find a really good one for cheap I might get more then one for the spare pc just in case.

 

[darkrisen2003]

Im guessing that many of you use them nowadays?

 

[John]

I have been using Cyberpower UPS'es for over 7 years. My PC's stay on 24/7 and I have never had anything get zapped during bad storms. In case the UPS should fail you get a 3 year warranty which also covers the batteries. Right now I have a CP800AVR on my main rig (18" LCD + A64 2.7GHz, 2GB, 2x 320GB, 7950GT, etc) which shows a load of 153 watts (while I am typing this message) and 18 min of runtime.

Some swear by APC, but I swear by Cyberpower. Provantage has it for $70 shipped and they are a reputable e-tailer

 

[ozmog]

A UPS is basically a giant battery and won't really protect you against power surges and/or lightning strikes, or alternatively they might protect you but get zapped in the process. What you need is a good surge protector. There are guides and plenty of companies out there trying to sell you their components. While it still probably won't save you from a direct lightning strike, most of the better units have warranties that cover attached equipment in such an event.

 

[MedicBob]

Originally posted by: ozmog
A UPS is basically a giant battery and won't really protect you against power surges and/or lightning strikes, or alternatively they might protect you but get zapped in the process. What you need is a good surge protector. There are guides and plenty of companies out there trying to sell you their components. While it still probably won't save you from a direct lightning strike, most of the better units have warranties that cover attached equipment in such an event.

Most cheaper ones include the surge protector. Better, ie: more expensive, do line conditioning. Your 120 volt house isn't 120 volts. It is more like 114 to 124 volts or so, guessing numbers, and a line conditioner in a UPS will increase or decrease voltage to keep it stable, like during a brownout. It protects equipment IMHO.