Pick me a UPS

[leegroves86]

Due to some problems with power outages in the area, I've decided I'd like a UPS w/ AVR so that I may properly shut down & not loose data.

Honestly, I could care less how long the UPS will run my computer on batteries. As long as its at least 10 minutes that gives me plenty of time to save and shutdown... Remember, I'm not loooking for a backup generator.

The thing that concerns me the most is picking the right one. I've read that if your UPS is too small (in wattage I assume) that it will not work when power is lost. I'm getting ready to upgrade my computer in August so I need a UPS that can handle this:

Dual core proc (prolly low/mid range conroe)
Nvidia based mobo (nforce)
Higher end video card like 7900GT
2 gig ram
Raptor 150
2 x 7200 rpm SATA HDDs
2 CDrom drives
Danger den D5 pump
3 X 80mms fans
3 X 120mm fans (radiator)
all powered by 500W Enermax

I was thinking about this bad boy:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16842101222

But of course, I'm open to all suggestions. I'd like to keep it as close to under $100 as I can but of course, I'll splurge the bit extra if its worth it. Thanks in advance guys!

 

[John]

CyberPower CP800AVR 800VA 450W UPS w/ free ship and cheaper than Newegg

 

[corkyg]

John's choice is a good one - but, if you belong to Costco, they have a really good buy that you can carry home for $99+ - a Tripplite 1000 V/A that can be mounted vertically or horizontally (the excellent LCD display rotates). IU got this one for a client last month, and it has been great. The display is really useful.

UPS

 

[jonnyGURU]

I'm with CorkyG.

I believe that Cyberpower is a standby unit.

Buying a GOOD UPS is easy if you know what to look for.

AVR: You know about that. Boosting and trimming transients is a very good thing.

Line-Interactive, or better!: As opposed to a Standby UPS. Line-Interactive UPS's always have AC current going through the inverter, so the switch over from mains to battery is almost instantaneous. Standby UPS (also known as "offline" UPS's) switch at the AC input when a lack of power from the mains is detected, so the delay between mains to battery is longer and can actually cause it's own "brown out."

Of course, if you want some really good stuff, you can get an On-Line UPS. A good analogy of an online UPS is a car with a DC to AC power inverter in it hooked up to a battery charger. Since the power source always goes through the battery, there is absolutely no transfer time when the power goes out. But these tend to be EXTREMELY expensive.

VA: It's good to have your own Power Angel or Kill-A-Watt for this task. UPS's are rated in VA. The wattage on the label is typically just 60% of the VA because they assume that your power factor is probably .60 (your typical complex load without any power factor correction.) But if your PC has active power factor correction, you can actually plug more into your UPS. I like to suggest 1000VA units because you can get them at or just below $100 that are line interactive with AVR.

Don't bother with anything bigger than 1500VA for residential use. Your outlets are 15A, may be on a 15A breaker, which is made to trip at 12A in case of a sudden surge that may exceed 15A before the breaker can trip.

Even a 1000VA may be overkill, but I've found that when you go from 800VA to 1000VA you get into an all around larger unit, with more or bigger batteries and your actual battery life may be longer.

Another thing you'll likely see/hear about is "true-sine" UPS's that are capable of emulating a perfect sine wave on the AC output even under battery conditions. Opti-UPS has some affordable Line-Interactive models with true-Sine output, but they're hard to find retail.

And keep shipping in mind when shopping for UPS. They're heavy mofo's! Sam's Club has some good APC deals if you're a member and don't mind walking into a B&M. TigerDirect stores are good if you have one near you. And ZipZoomFly is always a good source beause they always have "free freight" on items... including UPS's.

 

[SparkyJJO]

I have an APC unit, 750VA I believe and I don't use the software that came with it. With it plugged into my USB port windows manages it, so when the battery gets low it will make the comp hibernate. Works well too, recently had a chance to test it although it was very frustrating being without power for 65 hours :frown:

 

[LANMAN]

I suggest APC if it was my expensive gaming unit. That much hardware, I want to ensure my stuff is protected by the best!

Granted you have quite the system there, but since you didn't skip on cheap hardware, I hope you don't skimp on a cheap UPS either. That's not implying that you have to pay alot to get a good UPS, but for the years I've been in the field, very rarely have I seen a APC UPS not hold up to its job.

In the last 10 years I have had a APC Smart 650 and replaced the battery 7 years after I bought it. I usually run two 17" montiors and a 525w PS fully loaded with three hard drives, two CD-Roms (DVD-RW and CD-RW) and a 7900 256Meg Ultra. It doens't skip a beat!

--:LANMAN

 

[Ike0069]

Originally posted by: John
CyberPower CP800AVR 800VA 450W UPS w/ free ship and cheaper than Newegg

I use this exact UPS and it's great. The software is great, has AVR, plenty of battery time, and it shuts down exactly like it's supposed to. I get power flickers quite often, and everything in my PC has been working perfectly while hooked to this for about a year.

 

[pkme2]

I use Cyberpower 1250AVR. It saved me a lot of grief with all the outages this past March in Hawaii, and is worth having. Imagine those who didn't have one.

 

[WackyDan]

APC's warranty and support is tops.

I had immediate assistance with support chat, and near immediate help when I called them. I had a brand new advance replacement shipped to me in two days, and allI had to pay was the shipping of the old one back - which was alright by me as the failed APC was 11 months old and the replacement was brand new with new batteries..... So I won there.

I rate a product by what other's say, but also by their support. Tripplite I hear is good with support as well.

 

[OvErHeAtInG]

Originally posted by: corkyg
John's choice is a good one - but, if you belong to Costco, they have a really good buy that you can carry home for $99+ - a Tripplite 1000 V/A that can be mounted vertically or horizontally (the excellent LCD display rotates). IU got this one for a client last month, and it has been great. The display is really useful.

UPS

That looks great. Do you remember if that was the OMNI900LCD or the SMART1000LCD ? The latter is 139 shipped from Amazon

 

[corkyg]

Originally posted by: OvErHeAtInG
That looks great. Do you remember if that was the OMNI900LCD or the SMART1000LCD ? The latter is 139 shipped from Amazon

That is the Smart1000LCD. It was 99 and change off the shelf at our local Costco last month. I'm thinking of getting another to replace one of my older ones. The LCD display is very useful because it shows you your actual line voltage in real time.

 

[John]

CyberPower = 3 yr. warranty
Tripp-Lite = 2 yr. warranty
APC = 2 yr. warranty

If I had a Costco around here I'd probably pick up one of those Tripp-lites.