Do you plug your PSU into the wall, surge protector, or UPS?

[bikeracer4487]

I've heard some people swear by surge protectors / UPS's, and others that say that the PSU doesn't get the wattage it needs when connected to those, and I'm wondering if there's any generally accepted opinion.

 

[fkr]

surge protector are a great idea just for some safety of your equipment. a ups will allow you to keep your computer running in case of a power outage and also cleans up or regulates the power so that is always good for equipment.

a minimum of a surge protector should be used and a ups is the best way to go.

 

[bikeracer4487]

surge protector are a great idea just for some safety of your equipment. a ups will allow you to keep your computer running in case of a power outage and also cleans up or regulates the power so that is always good for equipment.

a minimum of a surge protector should be used and a ups is the best way to go.

Oh, I'm a familiar with the tech (and I'm currently plugged into a surge protetcor). The reason I don't have a UPS available is because I have a 1200W PSU, and a UPS powerful enough run that is just crazy expensive... I'm just looking to find out if there's any truth to the rumors about surge protectors not delivering enough juice to the PSU.

 

[fkr]

could there be some that do not work properly, I would guess so but if you buy a quality unit then there is no chance that it does not provide the correct amount of electricity as it is just a pass through with a fuse.

there would have to be some kind of defect in order for it not to send the electricity through.

maybe if they used really thin wires or something that could do it but would also catch on fire because resistance.

 

[Bombie1138]

I have a great surge suppressor,..
but I forgot to run my ethernet through it when that lightning bolt fried my modem and motherboard,.
always use a surge suppressor,..and don't buy a cheap one,..
I have more issues with a suppressor interfering with my internet stream then a problem with the power unit,..

 

[Mr5oh]

It should be mentioned surge protectors are disposable, that is degrade over time. Every time they protect you from a surge, they lose some ability to protect from future surges. So if you have a surge protector that is 10 years old, it's probably not doing anything for you any more.

 

[Saberus]

Surge protector at a minimum, but consider it spent after the first surge. They are way cheaper to replace than a dead PSU, or PC if the PSU wasn't all that great.

UPS will set you back a bit more, but they last a good while longer than a surge protector. The highest quality models have replaceable battery packs and can last years as long as the batteries are good and replaced when they start to wear down.

 

[littleleo]

If you have the option do the UPS provided you get a good one that can support your system. Keep in mind a UPS isn't so run can run your PC for hours after you have a power outage. If you want to that go get a generator. A UPS is just to protect your computer from spikes and dips in power and allow you to safely save your files, games or whatever then shut down your computer. A surge protector just protects you against surges and it should be UL 1449 rated to be a real surge protector. Keep in mind nothing last forever and if you are in an area that experiences frequent blackouts, brownouts and bad power issues you may need to change your surge and/or UPSs from time to time.

 

[nostall]

surge protector are a great idea just for some safety of your equipment. a ups will allow you to keep your computer running in case of a power outage and also cleans up or regulates the power so that is always good for equipment.

a minimum of a surge protector should be used and a ups is the best way to go.

Oh, I'm a familiar with the tech (and I'm currently plugged into a surge protetcor). The reason I don't have a UPS available is because I have a 1200W PSU, and a UPS powerful enough run that is just crazy expensive... I'm just looking to find out if there's any truth to the rumors about surge protectors not delivering enough juice to the PSU.

Your 1200watt psu actually has almost nothing to do with the selection of a UPS as it probably will never have to deliver the full 1200 watts when in normal use. WHAT is important are the components of your PC system including your monitor(s) and external items you want to keep running during a power outage - until you can shut them down or software shuts them down.
On that note, please list your PC components; from there we can point you towards a good UPS that should give you 10 or so minutes of run time.

 

[bikeracer4487]

surge protector are a great idea just for some safety of your equipment. a ups will allow you to keep your computer running in case of a power outage and also cleans up or regulates the power so that is always good for equipment.

a minimum of a surge protector should be used and a ups is the best way to go.

Oh, I'm a familiar with the tech (and I'm currently plugged into a surge protetcor). The reason I don't have a UPS available is because I have a 1200W PSU, and a UPS powerful enough run that is just crazy expensive... I'm just looking to find out if there's any truth to the rumors about surge protectors not delivering enough juice to the PSU.

Your 1200watt psu actually has almost nothing to do with the selection of a UPS as it probably will never have to deliver the full 1200 watts when in normal use. WHAT is important are the components of your PC system including your monitor(s) and external items you want to keep running during a power outage - until you can shut them down or software shuts them down.
On that note, please list your PC components; from there we can point you towards a good UPS that should give you 10 or so minutes of run time.

Heh, well I did want a decent buffer on the PSU, but without a wattage meter I'm not sure quite how close I get. In any case, the components are the same as those in my sig:

ASUS Rampage IV Black Edition Mobo
Intel Core i7 3930K (no overclock)
4x4GB DDR3-1600
2x Gigabyte Radeon R9 290X Windforce 3x OC GFX Cards
Samsung 840 Pro 256GB SSD
3x 7200RPM HDD
Blu-Ray Reader/Writer
3x 120mm fans
2x 140mm fans
Corsair H100i Water Cooling

 

[westom]

Heh, well I did want a decent buffer on the PSU, but without a wattage meter I'm not sure quite how close I get.

Does your computer get so hot as to also toast bread? Then it is probably consuming 200 watts and never more than 350 watts. We tell computer assemblers to buy a 700 watt supply so as to keep help lines free.

Same applies to surge protectors. Most only know what they were told to believe. Destructive surges are hundreds of thousands of joules. How many joules does that power strip claim to absorb? Hundreds? A thousands. Near zero. Just enough above zero so that the majority will recommend it as 100% protection. It is called a surge protector. Therefore it must do 100% protection?

No protector does protection. Protectors only connect to what does protection. To what harmlessly absorbs hundreds of thousands of joules. Only 'whole house' type protectors make that connection to earth.

But the myths live on. A UPS typically claims to absorb even less joules. But advertising and hearsay is good enough. So a UPS is recommended as even better protection. When even its specification numbers say that near zero protection is even smaller.

Protectors adjacent to appliances can even make appliance damage easier. As made obvious by recommendations that Xbox and PS3 games not be plugged into a protector.

Informed consumers do what has been done over 100 years ago to have direct lightning strikes without damage. Even the protector must not fail. This 'whole house' solution is available from other manufacturers with better integrity. How do you know? They provide relevant numbers. A direct lightning strike may be 20,000 amps. So a minimal 'whole house' protector (costing about $1 per protected appliance) is rated at least 50,000 amps. Again, only valid recommendation also provide hard numbers.

A protector is only as effective as what dissipates hundreds of thousands of joules. Only the 'whole house' type protector makes that low impedance (ie 'less than 10 foot') connection to single point earth ground. A protector is only as effective as its earth ground. How many others forgot to mention that? Advertising will not discuss it. This is how protection has been done for over 100 years ... in facilities that must suffer direct lightning strikes without damage.

 

[nostall]

Sorry, didn't see the list in your sig.
This will give you more then adequate protection and probably 10 or more minutes run time upon power failure.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16842102133
CyberPower CP1350PFCLCD UPS 1350VA / 810W PFC compatible Pure sine wave

You will want a UPS with a Pure Sine wave for that PSU (per Corsair Tech support), but I have linked to this one to give you an idea of what to search for. APC and Tripp-Lite are also good brands. If you look at my sig., I have this PC backed up with a 1000VA Trip-lite and I get about 7-10 minutes to shut it down, a bit less (4-6) if I am in the middle of a game.
Your selection of power was very good/excellent for that rig. http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm
per that link the recommended power in CF is 1000 watts.

 

[westom]

The CyberPower CP1350PFCLCD UPS 1350VA / 810W PFC is a near zero protector. Its few joules (read its specifications) means it will absorb only 345 joules and never more than 690 joules. Most computers convert surges that tiny into DC electricity to power its semiconductors.

The pure sine wave is also only hype. For example, sufficient power for any electronics is the output from this 120 volt UPS. 200 volt square waves with a spike of up to 270 volts. All electronics are so robust that even 'dirty' UPS power is perfectly good.

Again, surge protection means one knows where hundreds of thousands of joules are harmlessly absorbed. Once that surge gets into a building, then nothing (not even that Cyberpower) claims or does protection. A protector is only as effective as its earth ground - that the Cyberpower does not have and will not discuss.

Best protection at a computer is already inside the computer (see numbers output by a 'dirty' UPS). So that existing and superior protection is not overwhelmed, informed consumers spend many times less money (about $1 per protected appliance) for the proven 'whole house' solution.

 

[Baralis]

I've heard some people swear by surge protectors / UPS's, and others that say that the PSU doesn't get the wattage it needs when connected to those, and I'm wondering if there's any generally accepted opinion.

In 2011 lightening struck the utility pole in my back yard which sent a huge power surge into my home. Several of my homes electronics and appliances were destroyed, some house wiring melted, the carpet under the breaker box is even burnt from where molten metal dripped. It caused a lot of damage.

However all of my PCs were on surge protection and none of them destroyed. Coincidence or just lucky? I dont think we can be certain one way or the other but rest assured I will always keep some type of surge protection on my valuable electronics from now on.

 

[westom]

> However all of my PCs were on surge protection and none of them destroyed
> Coincidence or just lucky?

A surge was incoming to all household appliances. So all were damaged (except those on a protector?) Every GFCI in kitchen and bathrooms were destroyed? All clocks damaged? Dishwasher and microwave destroyed? Washing machine and air conditioner damaged? Furnace needed repair? Every recharging device damaged? All smoke detectors failed?

Obviously not. Only damaged were items that also made an outgoing connection to earth. Those damaged appliances did what a properly earthed 'whole house' protector would have done ... for everything. You did not earth a surge BEFORE it could enter. So a surge entered the building hunting for and selecting only some appliances to be damaged.

Again, the surge was incoming to everything. But it only damaged the few items that made an outgoing connect to earth. Those few appliances protected all others.

Where did hundreds of thousands of joules harmlessly dissipate? If those protectors did protection, then why did the indicator light not report damage to those near zero protectors? Because other appliances were also protecting power strip protectors.

Protection is always about how a surge connects to earth. Either harmlessly outside the building (by spending about $1 per protected appliance for one 'whole house' protector). Or destructively inside via appliances chosen by the surge.

Your observation is valid only if you can say how those power strip somehow blocked or absorbed a destructive surge ... and its near zero protector parts were not damaged. Simple. A surge found outgoing paths to earth via other victims.