If I were to upgrade and get this 600W psu:
Enermax 600W psu for A64 system
what back-ups rating is needed?
APC back-ups on newegg
Enermax 600W psu for A64 system
what back-ups rating is needed?
APC back-ups on newegg
what back-ups rating needed for 600W psu?
- Thread starter frankierx
- Start date
computer box not likely to draw more than 300 W AC from the wall while supplying less than 200W DC to the components - 600W PSU is likely to be GROSS OVERKILL. Add 100W for the monitor and you have 400W AC total. So a 600VA UPS should be adequate, 1000VA would supply mucho extra cushion.
.bh.
.bh.
VirtualLarry
No Lifer
- Aug 25, 2001
- 56,570
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600VA enough? I dunno about that. Sure, a 600W PSU is overkill, but if you're going to go for a PSU that big, I would feel more comfortable personally going with a 1000/1200/1500VA APC SmartUPS unit, something a little bigger than 600VA. 60% is probably a good ratio of PSU wattage to UPS VA ratings, although I realize that the scales aren't linear. I'm currently running a 350W PSU and a 500VA UPS right now, although I highly doubt that I'm drawing much above 300W, unless I run all of my burners at once.
You should never make the mistake of thinking there is a relationship between VA requirements in a backup and PSU wattage. You should figure out how much power your system draws and then figure out how much time you want to run your computer for on backup. If Alptraum gets over half an hour with his system then you probably will get at least 20min, unless you're running a couple of big CRTs and a Prescott. If you just want enough time to save and quit whatever you're doing a 500VA unit will probably more than enough for you.
The fun thing about PSUs is that the higher they are rated the more efficiently they run when loaded with a standard ~200-250 watt enthusiast system because they are running so far under their maximum load. The dirty little secret about PSUs is that their ratings are for a given internal temperature. So it may handle 600W at 70 degrees Fahrenheit but it won't at 110. Of course, Enermax is a good manufacturer so they pick a reasonable temperature to rate their PSUs at.
The fun thing about PSUs is that the higher they are rated the more efficiently they run when loaded with a standard ~200-250 watt enthusiast system because they are running so far under their maximum load. The dirty little secret about PSUs is that their ratings are for a given internal temperature. So it may handle 600W at 70 degrees Fahrenheit but it won't at 110. Of course, Enermax is a good manufacturer so they pick a reasonable temperature to rate their PSUs at.
The thing is that 600W PSU isn't likely to come near to actually putting its full rating into his load (if it did, it would be pulling 800-900W from the wall and need a 1200-1400VA UPS to back it up. I'd be really surprised if he could prove actual DC output over 250W (approx 375W from the wall) - unless he's running a bunch of lights and other useless crap off it.
.bh.
:moon:
.bh.
:moon:
When sizing a UPS, keep in mind that VA and Watts are generally not equivilant thanks to power factors involved. For instance, a 1400VA UPS inverter might only be rated at 950W (as is the case for the APC SmartUPS 1400s).
Another thing to ask yourself is how much runtime do you need? Since you probably don't want to do a shutdown every time the power blinks, allow for at least a couple minutes runtime to see if the outage is temporary. Then add how long it takes to actually do the shutdown. Finally, even though UPSes use SLA batteries, they'll last longer if you don't let them discharge below 30%. Say, for example, you want to run on battery 5 minutes before initiating shutdown. Shutdown takes 3 minutes. That's 8 minutes of battery time. To stay above 30%, you'll need a UPS that will run at least 12 minutes at your load level.
When in doubt, pick up a used SmartUPS 1400 or 1500 at an auction. They have 2 17Ah batteries so you'll get decent runtime. I'm currently at 28% capacity (266W) and have 62 minutes estimated runtime available.
Another thing to ask yourself is how much runtime do you need? Since you probably don't want to do a shutdown every time the power blinks, allow for at least a couple minutes runtime to see if the outage is temporary. Then add how long it takes to actually do the shutdown. Finally, even though UPSes use SLA batteries, they'll last longer if you don't let them discharge below 30%. Say, for example, you want to run on battery 5 minutes before initiating shutdown. Shutdown takes 3 minutes. That's 8 minutes of battery time. To stay above 30%, you'll need a UPS that will run at least 12 minutes at your load level.
When in doubt, pick up a used SmartUPS 1400 or 1500 at an auction. They have 2 17Ah batteries so you'll get decent runtime. I'm currently at 28% capacity (266W) and have 62 minutes estimated runtime available.
zephyrprime
Diamond Member
- Feb 18, 2001
- 7,512
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In theory, you would need at least a 1500VA system if you maxed out power consumption on your PC.
(600W/0.7 efficiency factor + 100W for monitor)/0.62 Watt to VA conversion factor = 1544VA
Also keep in mind that VA is not the same as capacity.
0.62xVA = Watts
So..., a 1450 VA UPS would defintely be rated at 900 Watts.
(600W/0.7 efficiency factor + 100W for monitor)/0.62 Watt to VA conversion factor = 1544VA
Also keep in mind that VA is not the same as capacity.
VA is not the same as watts. The approximate formula to convert is
0.62xVA = Watts
So..., a 1450 VA UPS would defintely be rated at 900 Watts.
VirtualLarry
No Lifer
- Aug 25, 2001
- 56,570
- 10,204
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I guess that's all that I was thinking in my response - what if, in the future, he keeps that 600W PSU, and uses it for some as-yet-unheard-of-system, that has much higher power requirements. If he can afford a 600W PSU, it wouldn't be a bad idea to buy a more-powerful UPS to go with it too. Unless, since the batteries in a UPS wear out after ~3 years and need to be serviced, that it might be more economical to go with a lower-spec UPS now, and then simply replace the whole thing a few years later with a more powerful model when needed.
OTOH, if you buy an overspecced UPS, you can always run multiple systems off of it, I often run a slower secondary machine off of my 500VA too, although I'm sure it cuts the runtime quite a bit if the power ever went out completely. I use mine mainly for surviving extended brownouts and temporary glitches.
But you're right about the actual power draw of that PSU in his current system, it's unlikely to ever draw above 400W with today's desktop components. You never know though, next year ATI/NV might release a new video card that requires 300W all to itself, with 50W of that just to power a peltier cooler and a three-slot cooling solution.
About the only thing I really use my UPS for, is keeping my line power "clean". I live in a semi-rural area that has power issues.
I'm happy with my 750VA and 1170 joules of surge suppression. :laugh:
I'm happy with my 750VA and 1170 joules of surge suppression. :laugh:
Here's a 1500Va rated APC UPS:
APC Beige 1500VA Back-UPS RS, Model "BR1500" -RETAIL
It's 229 USD.
The 600W psu may be necessary for future upgrades as SLI enabled systems I hear draw a lot of power.
I learned when I was young not to say anything that I wasn't willing to write down and sign my name to. Well, there ya go...
.bh.
.bh.
Personally I like to hook up my Monitor to my UPS sos I can see and save the Apps while I'm turning off
Edit= Forgot my suggestion..Go with a 1000VA
Edit= Forgot my suggestion..Go with a 1000VA
I have an APC BR1500 I picked up for 150 last year at compusa during the day after thanksgiving sale, I've used it to power a 21" CRT and 19" CRT and 2 PC's + a KVM (both fully loaded Athlon XP systems one an Overclocked 2500+ @ 2.2ghz and the other an overlocked 1600+ @ 1.8ghz) and it's worked fine for about 20min and even longer than that once I got rid of the 2nd PC. One thing that you might want to keep in mind is if you have a Laser printer you will need a pretty killer UPS if you want it backed up cause they suck a lot of juice in their powerup cycle but for the system you listed a quality 850VA or higher UPS would be a good idea, and just get something bigger if you want longer uptime and make sure whatever you get has AVR to keep your power clean.
Actually i just care about the minimum time to keep the machine on for saving and shutting the os off during a brown out.
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