[SOLVED] Help me choose a UPS

[RodDiamant]

Hi,i never had a UPS in my life,i was quite ignorant and newbie on this but recently have read a ton now i know basic stuff but i lack in more deep knowledge. I need a UPS for my system since is expensive and now understanding the importance of it ALWAYS.

Im between these two UPS' but couldnt find the difference in the official page. Anyone can tell me in detail would be appreciated.

I want the best protection with double conversion online. My budget is about $450.

Would you choose any other UPS that has 1500 VA / 1000 Watts ~ 1500 Watts ?

Thanks.

LINKS :

APC SRV2KIL

https://www.apc.com/shop/dk/en/prod...0VA-230V-with-External-Battery-Pack/P-SRV2KIL

APC SRV2KI

https://www.apc.com/shop/hr/en/prod...e-SRV-2000VA-230V/P-SRV2KI?isCurrentSite=true

 

[RodDiamant]

Still waiting any help would be appreciated.

 

[kanewolf]

All of the UPS units I have are Smart UPS OnLine units. I purchased all mine via E-Bay. Commercial UPS units are durable, except for the batteries. If you can find one in good condition and get it shipped without batteries it saves a lot in shipping. Then buy batteries local.

 

[RodDiamant]

Is any external battery pack compatible with APC UPS's ?

What specific model UPS you have ?

Why do you say commercial batteries are not that good ? which one would you recommend me ?

Thanks.

 

[BogdanH]

You say your budget is about $450, but link you gave shows UPS that is 1800Euro?
You didn't mention what kind of PC+related devices you need to connect on UPS (saying "expensive" doesn't tell much).

For home use (even for more powerful PC's) and UPS of 1400-1500VA should be more than enough. In such case (APC) prices are between 150-300€ (depends on features).

 

[RodDiamant]

You say your budget is about $450, but link you gave shows UPS that is 1800Euro?
You didn't mention what kind of PC+related devices you need to connect on UPS (saying "expensive" doesn't tell much).

For home use (even for more powerful PC's) and UPS of 1400-1500VA should be more than enough. In such case (APC) prices are between 150-300€ (depends on features).

Hey, I noticed that price but for some reason in my country Santiago Chile is priced much much lower. I show you link below. It should be priced wrong on APC website ( I dont know )

These are the only available options online UPSes in my country market (Filtered to APC models since i dont trust any other brand)

Cotiza y ahorra cotizando todos tus productos de tecnología en un sólo lugar - SoloTodo

www.solotodo.cl

As you can see,first link is priced at $306.432 Chilean pesos, in dollars would be $423.31.

The Smart UPS that attracts me is

https://www.solotodo.cl/products/66030-apc-smart-ups-srt-2200va-230v-srt2200xli

but is way out of my budget so i was thinking on this

https://www.solotodo.cl/products/66036-apc-smart-ups-rt-1000va-230v-surt1000xli ( sadly doesnt have a LCD panel but is SMART )

or this

https://www.solotodo.cl/products/72406-apc-easy-ups-srv-2000va-230v-w-external-battery-pack-srv2kil ( Why does this cost more than the below ? This two are not SMART but EASY UPS )

https://www.solotodo.cl/products/66032-apc-easy-ups-srv-2000va-230v-srv2ki

My PC is a semi workstation type with future upgrades coming because im currently saving money for a quadro card and i cannot afford damages and loss of data. All my gear are expensive. I want the ultimate protection as possible. I agree im in search for around 1500~2000 VA.

I would only connect my PC,monitor,speakers,printer and main router. Just to use it less than an hour and shut off my computer safely as how it should be to avoid corrupted data or hardware malfunctioning. The rest is not neccesary as they are with surge protectors and are not vital for me.

Thank you.

 

[BogdanH]

All UPS you listed are considered as professional UPS-es. And as usual, the more you pay, the more you get. The question is, how much you actually need -so you don't spend money on something that's not really that important for you.

It's important to know, what these "power" ratings (for example, 2000 VA) mean. Yes, 2000 VA gives impression of 2000 Watts. But in UPS case, that's not sustained (long term) power that UPS can deliver -it's temporary (short peak) power.

If we take a look at specifications (in manual) of this APC 2000VA UPS, we can see it uses four 12V 9Ah lead batteries. Batteries are connected in series, which gives 48V 9Ah and so, 48V x 9A = 432 Watt -that's the maximum power these battery pack can deliver during time of one hour (in reality we can expect somewhat less). And finally, 48V must be transformed to 230V AC (alternate current), which can only be made with loss. And so, we end with about (I'm guessing) 360W or less.
What I'm saying, you shouldn't expect you'll be able to work on PC for an hour on UPS only. That's not UPS purpose. UPS is meant only to provide enough time for saving your work and shut down PC (+related devices). Of course, you can keep modem and WiFi router running as long it gets (if internet access is needed), because it draws less power.

I recommend you take a look at user manual of UPS you're interested on. There are usually also diagrams which shows time/power curve -so you get an impression of how long you can work on PC without having power from wall.
As for protection... you'll be safe with any UPS in this price range (power fluctuations, short power cut-offs, power peaks, etc.).

And finally, all lead batteries (used in UPS) have life span of about max 5 years. They won't just die in 5 years, but their capacity somehow degrade during the time. Means, if you're able to use PC on new UPS for 20 minutes, after 4+ years it will work only for about 10-15minutes (depends on UPS and battery quality).
I mentioned that, because good batteries aren't that cheap and you will need to replace them regularly.

 

[RodDiamant]

All UPS you listed are considered as professional UPS-es. And as usual, the more you pay, the more you get. The question is, how much you actually need -so you don't spend money on something that's not really that important for you.

It's important to know, what these "power" ratings (for example, 2000 VA) mean. Yes, 2000 VA gives impression of 2000 Watts. But in UPS case, that's not sustained (long term) power that UPS can deliver -it's temporary (short peak) power.

If we take a look at specifications (in manual) of this APC 2000VA UPS, we can see it uses four 12V 9Ah lead batteries. Batteries are connected in series, which gives 48V 9Ah and so, 48V x 9A = 432 Watt -that's the maximum power these battery pack can deliver during time of one hour (in reality we can expect somewhat less). And finally, 48V must be transformed to 230V AC (alternate current), which can only be made with loss. And so, we end with about (I'm guessing) 360W or less.
What I'm saying, you shouldn't expect you'll be able to work on PC for an hour on UPS only. That's not UPS purpose. UPS is meant only to provide enough time for saving your work and shut down PC (+related devices). Of course, you can keep modem and WiFi router running as long it gets (if internet access is needed), because it draws less power.

I recommend you take a look at user manual of UPS you're interested on. There are usually also diagrams which shows time/power curve -so you get an impression of how long you can work on PC without having power from wall.
As for protection... you'll be safe with any UPS in this price range (power fluctuations, short power cut-offs, power peaks, etc.).

And finally, all lead batteries (used in UPS) have life span of about max 5 years. They won't just die in 5 years, but their capacity somehow degrade during the time. Means, if you're able to use PC on new UPS for 20 minutes, after 4+ years it will work only for about 10-15minutes (depends on UPS and battery quality).
I mentioned that, because good batteries aren't that cheap and you will need to replace them regularly.

I will better wait a couple of weeks more if new UPS appear on my market. I honestly where i live the electricity is pretty good. I only experience blackouts like once a year. In bad cases twice or even three but is very rare. My apartment is new. 4 years old still looks new and in good condition. Cable electricity management seems fine.

As i grow up on age i have become more knowledgable on things i was ignorant. I always add more hardware by time. Your right. UPS's are made for a safe shutdown and not keep working but i would need higher watts to keep my main router/extender,TV to watch news and charge my tablet,notebook and phone. The above are not that power hungry so...

idk 2000 Watts should be fine for my needs.

Thanks for your explanation.
Thanks for your time.