What UPS

[BigFatCow]

Im asking for a UPS for christmas and was wondering what rating i should get? I need it to be able to run 2 computers for at least a few minutes. One is a 2200+ with 5 hds, and the other is a 2500+ oced to 3200+ with 2 hds one is a scsi.

 

[LED]

I prefer Belkin as I've had good experience with there Units and Ins...so what size are the Monitors, PSU, and any other wattage you plan on hooking up through it? (ie Speakers, Printers, Scanners)

 

[BigFatCow]

Originally posted by: LED
I prefer Belkin as I've had good experience with there Units and Ins...so what size are the Monitors, PSU, and any other wattage you plan on hooking up through it? (ie Speakers, Printers, Scanners)

Well since i dont want to spend too much on this unit i just plan on running the comps and nothing else really, except maybe a 15inch LCD. My dad has APC and belkin at his work and he likes both of them so im plannin on one of them. The Power supplies in both of the comps are 450 watts.

 

[mauiblue]

I've had my APC for about 5 years now. I just changed the gel battery so I guess I'll get a few more years out of it until the next battery change. I also use a Trip Lite IsoTel power strip for the rest of my equipment for power surges.

 

[brxndxn]

I would usually pay a premium for APC. I've had a few different UPS's and APC's are the only ones that let you turn off that annoying beep (and only some APC's at that). Also, APC's last a long time for UPS's.. My APC that's 3 years old is still running like a champ and recharges to 100%.

My belkin 800VA runs my main box (4 hard drives) and my linux box (one hard drive) and shows it at around 60% load. It will give me about 5 minutes total. (no monitors)

For both computers and the LCD screen, I would say you'll need at LEAST 1000VA and I'd recommend 1500VA.

The advertised uptimes are supposed to show how long they would run at 50% capacity. However, they're usually highly exaggerated. Expect about 1/2 as long as the advertised uptime at 50% capacity. And, power drain is not linear. This means that a UPS running at 50% might last 20 minutes while the same UPS running at 80% might last 4 minutes.

 

[BigFatCow]

You guys think this UPS will be enough to run both systems for a few minutes?

 

[Rike]

A few minutes at most. I'd go for something with more. brxndxn's recommendation is solid. 1000VA minimum. Also, Newegg doesn?t have the best selection of APC products if that is the company you want to go with. Visit APC's site, find the model you like and then shop around.

 

[arcas]

Try to find a used APC SmartUPS 1400 or 1500 at a local auction. Should be able to find one for ~ $100 these days. The replacement batteries cost around $60 at local battery shops. Will offer plenty of clean power for your setup. Should offer around an hour uptime for the two rigs you listed (I didn't see mention of a monitor so I'm assuming you're not plugging a monitor into the UPS).

 

[HaroldW]

Looking for APC's (new) check your local discount office supply chains, like Staples, Office Depot, Office Max, etc. One of the best places I have found online for APC's is CDW.

 

[BigFatCow]

Originally posted by: arcas
Try to find a used APC SmartUPS 1400 or 1500 at a local auction. Should be able to find one for ~ $100 these days. The replacement batteries cost around $60 at local battery shops. Will offer plenty of clean power for your setup. Should offer around an hour uptime for the two rigs you listed (I didn't see mention of a monitor so I'm assuming you're not plugging a monitor into the UPS).

I might try to run a 15inch LCD on it, but i dont really plan on running my 21inch crt.

 

[ElFenix]

why not get multiple UPSes instead of trying to put that much load on just one?

 

[Wandere]

APC, Best, triplite, belkin etc. are all so-so at best.

Get an Oneac or something with an e-transformer.

Ciao,

-Leaf

 

[BigFatCow]

Originally posted by: ElFenix
why not get multiple UPSes instead of trying to put that much load on just one?

I figured i would be able to get one that would work cheaper than two. I really only plan on having to use this when the power flickers off, or when someone flips the wrong switch in the breaker box, etc.