Warm/Hot: Cyberpower 1200VA UPS - $99 @ Microcenter

[PingSpike]

I'm not entirely sure what active PFC means or if the PSU I have even has it. The only thing I can find is "PFC > 0.96". I was actually thinking of buying a smaller cyberpower unit and have the same concerns in the end as I did with the larger one.

 

[WilhelmII]

I'm not entirely sure what active PFC means or if the PSU I have even has it. The only thing I can find is "PFC > 0.96". I was actually thinking of buying a smaller cyberpower unit and have the same concerns in the end as I did with the larger one.

From what I have read, with a PFC that high, it is probably Active PFC. Last week during the hurricane, I learned the difference between the two UPS types. I have a PC running a PPC 750W power supply on an APC 750G UPS. When the power went out, the PC shut off immediately. Apparently, this is common with Active PFC power supplies on simulated sine wave UPS.

I have also purchased a Cyberpower CP1000PFCLCD to try.

 

[PingSpike]

I have a smaller APC unit at home for my server. I think I will try it out on my main PC. I feel like the real sine wave ones are going to be out of my price range.

 

[cytoSiN]

Most Costcos sell the 1350va version (the one in my sig) for around $90, but it's B&M only. If you live near one, might want to check before jumping on this. It's not pure sine, but it's been fantastic for me. So much so that I bought a second one for my wife's rig.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

The issue with computer power supplies (and power supplies in general) not handling the load has to do with 2 factors:

1. The sensitivity of the protection circuitry in the PSU. The more sensitive the PSU is to surpressing / shutting down voltage spikes, overcurrent, etc., the more likely the PSU will not run on modified sine wave power.

2. The load. Running on a modified sine wave power source is roughly 30% less efficient than running on a pure sine wave. This efficiency is taken off of the peak power handling of the PSU and rapidly increases heat generation. For instance, a 90% efficient 500 watt power supply (50 watts waste heat), on a modified sine wave power source, will only produce 400 watts of power but put out 150 watts of heat.

This is because of the duration of no voltage or less-idea-voltage experience due to the "steps" in the voltage levels. Some computer power supplies handle this well. Issues become more serious when used in electronics because their power supplies usually do not have the lee-way that computer power supplies have. A plasma TV with a 600 watt power supply experiencing a 30% increase in inefficiency and waste heat may not have the headroom to spare (180 watts of waste heat and power usage) when put on a modified sine wave UPS. While some TV's just won't start or will turn off when stressed too much, other's will simply burn out.

Kitchen appliances also tend to have issues with modified sine waves as control boards for clocks on appliances often rely on the sine wave to keep time. Microwaves will often burn out on modified sine wave power sources due to the 30% increase in power usage as will refrigerators.

 

[Cardio]

Most Costcos sell the 1350va version (the one in my wig) for around $90, but it's B&M only. If you live near one, might want to check before jumping on this. It's not pure sine, but it's been fantastic for me. So much so that I bought a second one for my wife's rig.

Houston Costco has them for $89.95

 

[fleshconsumed]

I'm not sure how everybody uses their UPSes. I just use them to make sure my computers stay up if there is a momentary dip in the power or to shut them down safely without losing any work if the power goes down for good. I am not using them to run household appliances like microwaves or TV's, so simulated sine wave works well enough for me and 1350AVR was only $90+tax from Costco vs $170 for equivalent sine wave from amazon.

 

[qliveur]

As long as your power supply works with simulated sine wave, OK.

A lot of them won't. That's the point we're trying to make: YMMV.