[SOLVED] Looking for a good UPS for Home PC for under $200

[kenmtb]

My set up is:
Dell Inspirion (240W) with dual monitors.
I'm looking for an affordable UPS for under $200.
Would a Tripp Lite 1000VA Smart UPS be a decent choice?
I cant find many unbiased reviews.
Thanks

 

[Aeacus]

When it comes to UPSes, three best to look for are: APC, CyberPower and TrippLite. While there are other UPS brands as well, those three are the best out there.

The one you linked, has enough capacity for your setup. However, it outputs PWM sine wave (aka simulated sine wave) and your PC's PSU may not work with it. If your PSU has Active PFC, it isn't compatible with simulated sine wave and it working fine has 50:50 chance. Either UPS keeps the PC running during blackout, or it doesn't at all, shutting off PC as soon as blackout hits.

PSUs with Active PFC need true/pure sine wave to operate without issues. There are UPSes out there that output true/pure sine wave as well, but those cost considerably more.

 

[kenmtb]

Great point about the sine wave output. I changed my target purchase to
CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD PFC Sinewave UPS System, 1500VA/1000W

 

[Aeacus]

CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD PFC Sinewave UPS System, 1500VA/1000W

Great choice.

I have two of these in use: CyberPower CP1300EPFCLCD (line-interactive, true/pure sine wave), 1300VA/780W.

On full load, we can get ~10mins of runtime out of them, while on idle/web browsing, we can get ~30mins of runtime. More than enough time to save our work and safely shut down our PCs.