Corsair Vs450 PSU vs APC Stepped Sine-Wave UPS

[arnuld]

I have this UPS and PSU:

https://bit.ly/2vnnKUv (Waveform type Stepped approximation to a sinewave)

https://amzn.to/2LVbqFv (Active PFC of 0.99)

I searched a lot but Can't make out if this stepped sine-wave UPS would go ok with PFC based PSU.

 

[arnuld]

Got answer at few places that a stepped up sine wave UPS can not be used with PFC based PSU. Hence Corsair VS450 can not go with APC 600V Back-UPS. I found answer here:

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-3749838/restarts-power-spike-ups.html

https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/question-ups-compatibiliy-with-active-pfc-psu.28366/

https://hardforum.com/threads/pfc-sine-wave-ups-interactions.764067/

 

[guanyu210379]

If you want a guarantee that your UPS will work without problems with any PSU, it is best to pick a UPS with pure sine wave output from the start.

 

[arnuld]

If you want a guarantee that your UPS will work without problems with any PSU, it is best to pick a UPS with pure sine wave output from the start.

I agree with that.

I bought this APC Back-UPS, hardly 3 months old, it is stepped sine wave. Cheapest pure sine-wave is damn expensive and can't really buy new one again.

Problem is all good quality PSU, which have 12V rails with 35-40 Amp, are also PFC. Local cheap PSUs in India, all are non-PFC but their 12V rails carry 19 Amp in total. That is not recommended here:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/314712-28-please-read-determine-power-required

So I dont know what to do now

 

[guanyu210379]

hmmmm....I would rather buy another UPS with pure sinewave and use the already bought UPS for something else.
Yes, all or vast majority of good PSUs are all equipped with PFC.
Getting cheaper no-name PSU, something that can accept stepped wave form..I would not call this as a solution.

 

[arnuld]

hmmmm....I would rather buy another UPS with pure sinewave and use the already bought UPS for something else.
Yes, all or vast majority of good PSUs are all equipped with PFC.
Getting cheaper no-name PSU, something that can accept stepped wave form..I would not call this as a solution.

Here is something interesting I came across. I ran my current rig in outversion power supply calculator and I got these values minimum requirements (I assume it calculates them for full load):

+12V = 15.4 A
+5 V = 10.3 A
+3.3 V = 8.1 A


All those local non-PFC PSUs have:

+12V = 19 A
+5 V = 45 A
+3.3 V = 28 A

Now I understood why, generally, everyone of my colleagues and friends can run local PSUs without any issues, it is because no one has that big power requirements and local PSUs satisfy whatever is needed.

 

[guanyu210379]

PSU max load capacity does not reflect the real power consumption.
You need to more or less calculate the real consumption to choose a UPS.

Problem between PFC (power factor correction) and Stepped Sinewave output UPS has nothing to do directly with the max capacity. The problem is due to how the PFC works.

Do not mix things up

 

[arnuld]

I am not mixing anything.

I thought outversion power supply calculator exists to tell you what kind of wattage of PSU and wattage and amperage requirements on each rail of PSU you need. It is independent of PFC or non-PFC. It is just the power requirement of your desktop computer.

 

[guanyu210379]

yup, that calculator is quite ok for the minimum recommendation.
There still more to think about like future upgrade plans, etc.