How Do I Choose a Good UPS for My New Computer

[Troof2Troof]

Hello All,

I'm trying to research how to choose a good UPS for my computer. I've seen a lot of posts where people just ask if a specific one is good for their build. Can someone explain to me how I can go out and find one for myself or point me in the right direction? Maybe some links or articles? Thanks

 

[fil1p]

Hey,

The first thing you want to find out is what kind of computer will you be connecting to the UPS, and how many other devices you plan to connect to it. Once you know that you can find out the total wattage that you will be drawing. The wattage will decide how large of a UPS you need, followed by how long do you want to stay powered on in an event of power loss. Once you figure out your power draw, and the amount of backup time you want you can start choosing a UPS. I would recommend APC as I have used several of them, and they do very well.
APC has a simple web app for choosing an appropriate UPS, found here:
http://www.apc.com/tools/ups_selector/US/en/home/load

But if you provide us with specific device/power draw details we can look at more specific devices.

Hope this helps!

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Make sure your PSU is compatible with your UPS.

https://www.dougv.com/2010/03/01/active-pfc-enabled-psus-are-not-compatable-with-most-low-end-ups/

 

[Troof2Troof]

Hey,

The first thing you want to find out is what kind of computer will you be connecting to the UPS, and how many other devices you plan to connect to it. Once you know that you can find out the total wattage that you will be drawing. The wattage will decide how large of a UPS you need, followed by how long do you want to stay powered on in an event of power loss. Once you figure out your power draw, and the amount of backup time you want you can start choosing a UPS. I would recommend APC as I have used several of them, and they do very well.
APC has a simple web app for choosing an appropriate UPS, found here:
http://www.apc.com/tools/ups_selector/US/en/home/load

But if you provide us with specific device/power draw details we can look at more specific devices.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for the fast response. According to http://www.extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine I'm pulling around 550W right now but I plan on adding more fans, another HDD and eventually another GPU when the time comes. Would it be safe to assume I wouldn't go over 850W? My current specs on in my sig.

I don't need a lot of time on the UPC battery, 15 min MAX.

Do these UPS come with software? Say, if I'm not home and there is a power outage, will it go to battery power and automatically shut down my PC for me?

Also, on a little side note, What's a good rating (in joules) for a power surge protector? The one I have now is about 1,000 joules I think

 

[fil1p]

You should be fine with something like a ~1000VA UPS as under normal conditions you are unlikely to be under 100% load, that would give you a couple of minutes to save your work and shutdown. I haven't used other brands of UPS, but APC always has software included with theirs, and I believe most other manufactures do too. The APC software will tell you information on the UPS, power usage, input voltage, time remaining, etc. and it can be configured to shut down if a power failure is detected. As for the surge protector 1000 joules should be more than fine, just make sure you have a proper ground connection.

Also as JackNaylorPE said make sure your PSU is ok with the UPS you choose.