[SOLVED] Looking for a solid UPS unit in case of power loss.

[liberty610]

Hi all!

I am currently looking or a UPS (uninterrupted power supply) for my system. I have been putting off buying one, but after tonight's recent power outage, I think I need to get on this now.

Here is a PC parts picker link for my setup.
https://pcpartpicker.com/user/liberty610/builds/#view=BqHhP6

I run a small project studio where I do a lot of video and audio work. I do a little bit of gaming as well, especially when waiting on videos to render.I know there are several different ones out there, but I would like a higher end one with extended battery backup. One that might allow me to work for a couple hours if the does happen to go out. It doesn't happen often here, but if it does, I would like to keep working on projects.

As of right now I have most my main gear bolted in a rolling rack case. My PC tower sits on top if it and the first piece in the rack case is a Furman power conditioner. I have the PC plugged into that. With a UPS system installed, would I plug the Furman power conditioner into the UPS? Would that cause any issues?

I want a solid unit for this. Budget wise I would like to keep it under $500. I know that the more pieces of gear that are plugged in and taking power will determine how long the batter last, but in most cases my monitor, PC, and Focusrite audio interface is what I main;y need powered on during sessions.

Thanks for any feedback or suggestions.

 

[TommyTwoTone66]

The UPS will act as a power conditioner so it would no longer be required.

For $500 you’re looking at the APC BR1500. APC would be the only brand I’d reccomend.

 

[avg9956]

APC UPS are expensive and well known. They're the brand that charges a premium for their UPS but they do generally have good UPS's, especially on their latest models.
There was one particular model they had in the BX series where they used bad capacitors for that particular model and someone complained it in a forum, but I will leave it at there.

If you're looking for a budget UPS, it depends where you're geographically located. I have noticed the Asian market offers different UPS brands (Powerlink, iLogic, etc.) in contrast to Western market (eaton, cyberpower). Just check the reviews of the UPS before buying. APC UPS however I've noticed are available globally which is probably why they're quite reputable.

I know that the more pieces of gear that are plugged in and taking power will determine how long the batter last, but in most cases my monitor, PC, and Focusrite audio interface is what I mainly need powered on during sessions.

Yes, you will need to determine the total wattage consumption of all of your equipment. You can measure it with a kill-a-watt when you're using all of your equipment under load to get the actual figure but my estimate would be, looking at your current PSU of 860W - then you would need at least around 900-1000W UPS. If you get the VA rating of the UPS instead, you multiply it by 0.6 or by 0.7 to get the UPS' wattage rating or look at its specs.

As for the power conditioner, personally I find it unnecessary. I haven't used one yet, but I find it somewhat redundant. There are 4 schools of thought about it:

The first school consists of people that believe in using a power conditioner. These people believe a conditioner is an effective and necessary tool that allows you to get the most out of your gear as well as preserve its components by providing the unit with consistent, stable, and clean power. They believe it reduces stress on their gear from things like brownouts and voltage sag.

The second school is made up of people that don’t believe anyone in the first school. They believe that any power conditioner within a few hundred dollars is not really conditioning anything and is nothing more than a rack mountable surge protector. Because of this, they choose to buy a $10 surge protector power strip, or a $30 rack mountable power strip and call it a day.

The third school believes in using a pure sine wave UPS (they almost always include a built in a surge protector). It is important that you look for a UPS that puts out a pure sine wave as many of the lower priced units use a simulated sine wave, which can cause some power supplies to buzz and are not recommended for professional use.

The last school believes you really need to use a voltage regulator. Voltage regulators, which are also made by Furman, can run you well over $1,000. It seems that many people believe their power conditioners are regulating the voltage when that’s not actually the case. The Furman P-1800 AR Advanced Level Voltage Regulator/Power Conditioner, claims to offer “True RMS Voltage Regulation delivers a stable 120 volts of AC power to protect equipment from problems caused by AC line voltage irregularities.”

What a power conditioner does

Power conditioners reduce the amount of electrical noise that comes from an outlet, so you’d only see a difference if you have dirty power. If you’ve never had any issues with your power, and you currently don’t notice electrical interference, then a power conditioner isn’t worth it.

I find that my APC UPS also detects electrical noise and is able to filter them.

A power conditioner has no battery backup to allow you to save your work in the case of a power outage. A UPS does.

 

[TommyTwoTone66]

Powerlink and Cyberpower are just rebadged APC units.

An 860W PSU does not necessarily need an 860W output on the UPS. You should be able to get away with 500W with those components, even if you were rendering video when the power went out.

 

[avg9956]

An 860W PSU does not necessarily need an 860W output on the UPS.

Yes. I just used his figure to estimate what he's currently using. If 860W works for him at the moment then that's what I recommended. Since he mentioned he's in a studio setting, he might be looking to plug something high powered in the future, so additional wattage room doesn't hurt.

 

[liberty610]

Thanks for the replies guys!

From the research I'm doing, it appears a basic UPS will only give me a few minuets to power everything down correctly. Which at this point is fine, we're thinking about getting a full house generator installed eventually.

I was looking around online, and APC of course is popping up in my searches. But I was also looking into a Cyberpower unit that had good reviews.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/cyberp...-back-up-system-black/6408459.p?skuId=6408459

The APC unit is here, which I am also considering.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/apc-ba...surge-protector-black/6165881.p?skuId=6165881

 

[avg9956]

it appears a basic UPS will only give me a few minutes to power everything down correctly.

That's what a UPS does. It doesn't let you forever be able to continue your work for hours, but just gives you enough time to save your work and power your computer off.

Either is fine. You do need to change the UPS batteries though every 2 years or when the UPS emits the beep code for it.