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How do I decide what kind of UPS to get?
RoyceSraphim
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I need to get a UPS but do not know how to decide on what is right for me. What criteria should I consider?
RoyceSraphim on
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If you have to ask your question, then I am guessing you aren't running some monster tri-SLI rig with a RAID array or anythig. Most likely you would be fine just getting something with the same Wattage rating your current PSU has, unless you just did some upgrades that are prompting your desire to get a new one.
Do you want a PSU that you can use in the future when you upgrade to a new mobo or something?
EDIT: Ah wait... you said UPS. I'm totally useless. Eh, for a UPS, since I've never bought one, I'd guess that you just need to consider how long you need to maintain power after an outage. How long does it take to safely shutdown what you have running on it? And how much hardware are you going to have it keep powered up? Don't go using a 300W UPS to keep 3 computers running or something.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
So I should base my purchase on the power supply of whatever PC I have and a combination of whatever else i plug into that UPS? My main concern is providing better protection than a surge protector to prevent whatever power spikes that killed my motherboard and the other computer from killing this new one.
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=16534
Great tool - actually used it to determine our requirements for a 10k VA system at our new location
You should not hook up a laser printer to a UPS! Also, I don't know why you would want to plug a printer in - the purpose of the UPS is to give you enough juice to shut down your computer, not to keep messing around with stuff.
I think he wants the power filtered because of dirty power in his computer area. I had a similar problem (in spoilers).
You will eventually seriously damage your UPS if you run a laser printer through it (to the point where it is a fire hazard). The fuser takes a LOT of juice, the UPS can't handle it. My laser trips UPSes on the same circuit to switch to battery, in fact.
You should be able to run it through the surge-only outlets that most UPSes have (the surge-only outlets don't run through the battery), but I think most UPS manuals are pretty specific about just not plugging it into them at all, and don't distinguish. If you make a warranty claim, it may make all the difference.
If you have poor power quality (surges and dips), what you want is a line conditioner, which is basically built around (usually) a big iron-core transformer. Which is big and bulky and heavy. These are also the sorts of things that aren't sold at your typical big-box store. Line conditioners can handle laser printers, but you must choose one with the appropriate Watt capacity. You will need a pretty grunty one to handle the laser's warmup, and they're not inexpensive devices. Expect to pay around $180 for a 1200 Watt model (be careful about shipping costs because of the weight, a shop that offers free shipping could be an important purchasing factor). Tripp-Lite is a good brand.
As for selecting a UPS, choose one that can handle the wattage of equipment you're hooking up to it. After a certain point, extra VA rating is only going to get you a small amount of additional runtime, and is probably not worth it to you. You're looking for time to do an orderly shutdown, not continue to play Crysis for an hour. The only feature you want to look for is Automatic Voltage Regulation (AVR), which basically means the load is always running off the battery. It's harder on the battery, but it means that over- and under-voltage conditions are all taken out. Even cheap UPSes seem to have this feature now, so pretty much anything you choose ought to meet that. Other than that, make sure it comes with software for your OS. The Cyperpower UPSes are cheap (I think both Best Buy and Staples carry these), but appear to work just fine. APC is pretty well-known, but they have a huge premium on their name. Costco has a pretty nice Tripp-Lite unit that they almost always have in stock that runs around $99, I think.
Keep in mind that batteries do go bad, and must be replaced periodically (figure 3 years-ish). They almost always use standard sealed lead-acid batteries. I've found that it's pure insanity to buy the batteries from the manufacturer. I replaced all my APC batteries off of eBay from US-based vendors and saved a TON of money.
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ Brisbane 2.5GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor
CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX 520W ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UB Black /Blue Aluminum Bezel , SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower
This is my build and my monitor is an emachine 786n scavenged off another machine I will repair in the future. There is no video card but I will get a 4850 when that supposed price drop comes in February. That being said, with just the monitor and the hard drive plugged into the UPS, would 600V be enough?
edit: I tried using the sizing link from earlier but it first gave me a $140 model and now it gave me one that cost twice what it took to build this rig.
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=16534