What to look for in a UPS?

[wacki]

I know APC is a good name. Anything else I should know?

How do I know if my computer will draw too much power?

 

[Vegito]

I been looking at this too..

VA = volt amp.. = volt x amp = 120v (assuming your in North America) x amp of your PC

My pc was rated 4 AMPs so 120x4 = 480VA.

There are those smart amp meter you can buy for 20 bucks.. it helps with alot of things.. ie fridge, washer, dryer... so you can determine exact amount of amp it's using..

Do you have a list of your pc components ? ie psu size, monitor.. etc..

 

[Umberger]

i didn't need anything super amazing, and i only need enough battery backup to turn everything off, so i went on ebay and bought an APC UPS. The auction had a picture of the label showing when it was manufactured (so i knew the batteries weren't that old)... it works great.
On my 1000W UPS, i have:
Computer 1:
500W PSU
AMD 64 3800+
4 HDD's
6800GT
8 Fans

Computer 2 (Server)
500W PSU
1 HDD
P3 900

Two 19" Dell LCD's

Wireless Router, Broadcasting

With all of these running right now, my UPS software reports 312W power usage. So basically, you're not drawing nearly as much power as you probably think you are.

edit: i'm not sure if that completely answered your question, but i'm not terribly well-versed in the technical aspect of the subject. HTH.

 

[Navid]

Originally posted by: wacki
I know APC is a good name. Anything else I should know?

How do I know if my computer will draw too much power?

The only way you can be sure how much power your computer needs is to measure it. There are devices that let you do that. The famous one is called Kill-a-Watt.
http://www.p3international.com/products/special/P4400/P4400-CE.html

But, you can estimate the power by adding the power needed by each component in the PC. Another way to do a rough estimate is to use the power rating of the power supply in the computer. But, as I said that would be a very rough estimate.

make sure the UPS maximum power rating (in Watts not in VA) is more than the maximum power you will be drawing from it. People often forget to add in the power of the monitor.

You also should consider the run time. APC provides a run time chart that tells you how long each of their UPS models runs with different amount of load. Pick a device that gives you the run time you need. For some UPS devices, you can get an additional battery and add it to it to increase its run time.