[SOLVED] 900watt UPS is not enough for...?

madican

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Hi, i wanted to know i have some UPS with 900watt but my Power Supply has a 850watt and Gaming Monitor. So this UPS with 900watt is not enough for my gaming PC? Before i had to use this UPS due to electricity shutdowns.
 
Solution
It's not the wattage so much as the amount of time vs load. Your psu might be labeled as 850w, but in reality your entire constant load is only 400w. In that case a '900w' UPS may only buy you 3-4 seconds time during a complete power outage, but a '1500 VA may buy you 30-60 seconds instead.

And that's not including the 'type' of UPS. Those that use artificial/modified square sine waves will last far longer and cost far less than those that use 'real' sine waves, and there's a difference between those UPS which are basically nothing more than a battery backup if power is completely shut off and those that are line interactive so will also use the battery to supply extra power during a 'brown out' where power is there but the lights are...

kanewolf

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Hi, i wanted to know i have some UPS with 900watt but my Power Supply has a 850watt and Gaming Monitor. So this UPS with 900watt is not enough for my gaming PC? Before i had to use this UPS due to electricity shutdowns.
Unknown. More specifics are needed. What make and model 900W UPS? What is the full configuration of the PC?
To size a UPS you need to measure the wattage used with something like this (US model) -- https://www.amazon.com/P3-P4400-Electricity-Usage-Monitor/dp/B00009MDBU
Then use that information to look at run times on the UPS manufacturer's website.
 
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Karadjgne

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It's not the wattage so much as the amount of time vs load. Your psu might be labeled as 850w, but in reality your entire constant load is only 400w. In that case a '900w' UPS may only buy you 3-4 seconds time during a complete power outage, but a '1500 VA may buy you 30-60 seconds instead.

And that's not including the 'type' of UPS. Those that use artificial/modified square sine waves will last far longer and cost far less than those that use 'real' sine waves, and there's a difference between those UPS which are basically nothing more than a battery backup if power is completely shut off and those that are line interactive so will also use the battery to supply extra power during a 'brown out' where power is there but the lights are dim because it's only partial voltage.

UPS are not cheap, and if they are too cheap, there is most definitely a reason why, and it's almost guaranteed that that reason is because it will not do the job you really need it to do. A cheap UPS that only works at power loss, doesn't clean up the voltage, doesn't help with low/high voltage conditions and only lasts less than 10 seconds at fractional loads is a total waste of your money.
 
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Solution

madican

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Jun 5, 2016
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Unknown. More specifics are needed. What make and model 900W UPS? What is the full configuration of the PC?
To size a UPS you need to measure the wattage used with something like this (US model) -- https://www.amazon.com/P3-P4400-Electricity-Usage-Monitor/dp/B00009MDBU
Then use that information to look at run times on the UPS manufacturer's website.
SVC( Smart Voltage Control) 1500va, PC spec: i7 4790,gtx 1660S,16gb, 1080P Monitor 144Ghz. Lately this UPS stopped supporting:| Seems like not so good quality of performance...
 

madican

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Jun 5, 2016
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UPS's normally dont come in watts they come in VA.

For an 850W psu (at 100% usage) your looking at a 1500VA battery backup. 1500VA can handle 900w at full load for 4 min
Yes, you are right it has 1500VA, i just pay attention to watts:) But lately this UPS stopped handling, it is also turns off when Electricity shutdowns...
 

madican

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Jun 5, 2016
89
1
18,535
It's not the wattage so much as the amount of time vs load. Your psu might be labeled as 850w, but in reality your entire constant load is only 400w. In that case a '900w' UPS may only buy you 3-4 seconds time during a complete power outage, but a '1500 VA may buy you 30-60 seconds instead.

And that's not including the 'type' of UPS. Those that use artificial/modified square sine waves will last far longer and cost far less than those that use 'real' sine waves, and there's a difference between those UPS which are basically nothing more than a battery backup if power is completely shut off and those that are line interactive so will also use the battery to supply extra power during a 'brown out' where power is there but the lights are dim because it's only partial voltage.

UPS are not cheap, and if they are too cheap, there is most definitely a reason why, and it's almost guaranteed that that reason is because it will not do the job you really need it to do. A cheap UPS that only works at power loss, doesn't clean up the voltage, doesn't help with low/high voltage conditions and only lasts less than 10 seconds at fractional loads is a total waste of your money.
Man, thanks for more info! Yes i bought cheap UPS called "SVC V-1500 L" First time seemed that it works good and handled when Electricity was gone, but after few years it stopped helping with situation... He turns off with PC when power shutdowns:| Later i bought another UPS with more powers, hope this one will live as longer as possible
 

Karadjgne

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The batteries in a UPS don't last forever, they are sorta like car batteries and are also situated in a small, enclosed container that traps heat. You can generally expect 2-3 years on a battery setup.

I have a Minuteman 700 Pro. It's 13? Years old. It's so old it's only software connection to the pc is by a D-Sub. Still works. But it does eat up a battery every 18months-2 years. Battery costs @ $25, it's the exact same battery used in some commercial exit/fire escape lights.

Maybe you batteries are toast, which is why there's no power at main power loss.
 

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