Question Online UPS recomendations

[User1990]

Hello! I've had many electricians recommend me to purchase an Online UPS in order to solve my electricity issues.
My pc uses 750W Be quiet platinum power supply and I have a Benq Xl2566k.

Do you guys have any ups to recommend? Around 200$ I'd say my budget is.
Also how can I say the UPS is Online ?
Thanks a lot.

 

[COLGeek]

The UPS isn't online, it is in-line. Sits between your PC and the electrical outlet.

For example:

https://www.apc.com/shop/gr/en/cate...ter-and-peripheral/back-ups/N-1nzwthzZ1gh0cg5

Models vary to accommodate different plug styles.

 

[User1990]

The UPS isn't online, it is in-line. Sits between your PC and the electrical outlet.

For example:

https://www.apc.com/shop/gr/en/cate...ter-and-peripheral/back-ups/N-1nzwthzZ1gh0cg5

Models vary to accommodate different plug styles.

What they told me was not to buy a back-up UPS which only supplies your PC when the electricity goes down but an on-line ups which continuously supplies your PC with clean electricity.

 

[COLGeek]

Are you looking for sustained power, like to deal with extended periods of time, or just something to protect the system during a short drop to give you time to shut the system down?

You are describing something we used to call a power conditioner. You won't find that for your budget if I am understanding properly.

One of these might be closer (US version) to what they are describing:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00429N19W/

As I am understanding the recommendation, you are getting into rack mounted devices and those get expensive.

I could be misunderstanding.

 

[User1990]

Are you looking for sustained power, like to deal with extended periods of time, or just something to protect the system during a short drop to give you time to shut the system down?

You are describing something we used to call a power conditioner. You won't find that for your budget if I am understanding properly.

I'm not looking for a back-up during short drops. I have bad electricity due to heavy consumption in my block during peak hours and I've been told to buy an on-line UPS to supply my pc with good and steady electricity 24/7.

Was about to buy a power conditioner but they told me that alone would not help.
They said normal UPS wont help and I need on-line so my pc gets supplied by it.

 

[COLGeek]

I'm not looking for a back-up during short drops. I have bad electricity due to heavy consumption in my block during peak hours and I've been told to buy an on-line UPS to supply my pc with good and steady electricity 24/7.

Was about to buy a power conditioner but they told me that alone would not help.
They said normal UPS wont help and I need on-line so my pc gets supplied by it.

Understanding better now. A conditioner would still need battery storage.

To me, it sounds like you need something well beyond your budget. There are rack units that can do what you are describing, but they are several times more expensive.

Maybe someone will come along with a different solution.

 

[User1990]

Understanding better now. A conditioner would still need battery storage.

To me, it sounds like you need something well beyond your budget. There are rack units that can do what you are describing, but they are several times more expensive.

Maybe someone will come along with a different solution.

Yeah seems like these things are expensive and to be honest I would probably go for it either way if there was a way to be sure it would work and help me with this long time problem I've been having.

Do you have anything in mind ? No matter the price just want to have a general idea of what it would cost for it to just plug my pc and monitor on it.
Also thanks a lot for your time and help!

 

[COLGeek]

Yeah seems like these things are expensive and to be honest I would probably go for it either way if there was a way to be sure it would work and help me with this long time problem I've been having.

Do you have anything in mind ? No matter the price just want to have a general idea of what it would cost for it to just plug my pc and monitor on it.
Also thanks a lot for your time and help!

Is this a matter of hours thing or minutes? Sounds like hours to me.

 

[User1990]

Is this a matter of hours thing or minutes? Sounds like hours to me.

What exactly do you mean by that ?

 

[COLGeek]

What exactly do you mean by that ?

Do you need sustained power for hours at a time, or minutes?

 

[User1990]

Do you need sustained power for hours at a time, or minutes?

The electrician explained to me that electricity passes through on-line ups and gets "filtered" and sends it to my PC 24/7 compared to a normal one that works just on short power moments so I'd guess it would be working all the time.

 

[COLGeek]

We are getting closer. Sine wave UPS can help provide conditioned power, but can have issues in brownout conditions (which is what I am assuming your issue is). Power conditioners can deal with those less than optimal conditions, but generally lack battery backup for outages.

You need something for both.

This seems to be getting into the ballpark of your stated need. Not cheap.

https://www.eaton.com/sg/en-us/skuPage.5P1150IR.html

 

[kanewolf]

Hello! I've had many electricians recommend me to purchase an Online UPS in order to solve my electricity issues.
My pc uses 750W Be quiet platinum power supply and I have a Benq Xl2566k.

Do you guys have any ups to recommend? Around 200$ I'd say my budget is.
Also how can I say the UPS is Online ?
Thanks a lot.

$200 and UPS, doesn't buy much.
My interpretation of an "Online" UPS is a double conversion UPS. That is a UPS that is always creating AC from DC. It has a constant voltage output.
To get a UPS, you first need to measure the actual wattage used by your PC during the most strenuous usage. For most people on this board, that would be gaming, but your usage might be video transcoding. Whatever puts the most load on your PC is where you need to measure the ACTUAL wattage.
I recommend something like this (US model shown) -- https://www.amazon.com/P3-P4400-Electricity-Usage-Monitor/dp/B00009MDBU But there are similar devices for other countries.
Once you have an ACTUAL wattage, you can size the UPS. If you really aren't worried about power outage run time, you can get the smallest double conversion unit you can find. That is generally a 1000VA unit. I recommend buying a used commercial double conversion unit like an APC Smart-UPS ONLINE. Something like this -- https://www.ebay.com/itm/364671217138 . Ask them to ship WITHOUT BATTERIES to minimize shipping cost. Then purchase a new battery pack.
I have 3 units just like this one at my house.

 

[User1990]

Yes exactly, from what I understand I need a constant voltage output and for it to always create a AC - DC and not only when the power goes down.

Thanks a lot for your help, will get to it when I get back from work in a week and see what I can do.
Will try and see if I can find anyone that has one so I can test it before proceeding to buying one, as it seems that is really expensive to just buy without being sure it will actually help.

 

[kanewolf]

Yes exactly, from what I understand I need a constant voltage output and for it to always create a AC - DC and not only when the power goes down.

Thanks a lot for your help, will get to it when I get back from work in a week and see what I can do.
Will try and see if I can find anyone that has one so I can test it before proceeding to buying one, as it seems that is really expensive to just buy without being sure it will actually help.

A high quality UPS is not cheap. And there are continuing costs. The batteries have to be replaced every 3 to 5 years.

A high quality PC power supply is very forgiving about voltage input. Typically 90 to 250V AC input. So, unstable voltage is not usually an issue.
Here is an example Be Quiet 750W -- https://www.bequiet.com/en/powersupply/1768 It has 100 to 240VAC input specs.

If you start with the Kill-A-Watt I listed above (or similar for your country) you can record the voltage input for your PC. That is a cheap start.

 

[User1990]

A high quality UPS is not cheap. And there are continuing costs. The batteries have to be replaced every 3 to 5 years.

A high quality PC power supply is very forgiving about voltage input. Typically 90 to 250V AC input. So, unstable voltage is not usually an issue.
Here is an example Be Quiet 750W -- https://www.bequiet.com/en/powersupply/1768 It has 100 to 240VAC input specs.

If you start with the Kill-A-Watt I listed above (or similar for your country) you can record the voltage input for your PC. That is a cheap start.

Yeah I've heard and that's also the reason I bought the be quiet one.
Will proceed testing a bit more and also record the voltage before proceeding on buying anything.
Maybe it's something else that is causing the issues that I'm not aware of yet.

 

[srj.1209]

Hello! I've had many electricians recommend me to purchase an Online UPS in order to solve my electricity issues.
My pc uses 750W Be quiet platinum power supply and I have a Benq Xl2566k.

Do you guys have any ups to recommend? Around 200$ I'd say my budget is.
Also how can I say the UPS is Online ?
Thanks a lot.

My understanding is that you need to have at least 25% extra wattage than your computer. On that basis, I would prefer to have a 1000 watt UPS. Both CyberPower and APC seem to be good brands. Only caveat is that some of the models may come with completely drained batteries and we may have to buy new batteries. So be careful...

 

[srj.1209]

$200 and UPS, doesn't buy much.
My interpretation of an "Online" UPS is a double conversion UPS. That is a UPS that is always creating AC from DC. It has a constant voltage output.
To get a UPS, you first need to measure the actual wattage used by your PC during the most strenuous usage. For most people on this board, that would be gaming, but your usage might be video transcoding. Whatever puts the most load on your PC is where you need to measure the ACTUAL wattage.
I recommend something like this (US model shown) -- https://www.amazon.com/P3-P4400-Electricity-Usage-Monitor/dp/B00009MDBU But there are similar devices for other countries.
Once you have an ACTUAL wattage, you can size the UPS. If you really aren't worried about power outage run time, you can get the smallest double conversion unit you can find. That is generally a 1000VA unit. I recommend buying a used commercial double conversion unit like an APC Smart-UPS ONLINE. Something like this -- https://www.ebay.com/itm/364671217138 . Ask them to ship WITHOUT BATTERIES to minimize shipping cost. Then purchase a new battery pack.
I have 3 units just like this one at my house.

This is great info and I have learned a few tricks here!! Thanks a lot...

 

[COLGeek]

My understanding is that you need to have at least 25% extra wattage than your computer. On that basis, I would prefer to have a 1000 watt UPS. Both CyberPower and APC seem to be good brands. Only caveat is that some of the models may come with completely drained batteries and we may have to buy new batteries. So be careful...

Those typical inexpensive UPSes are great for stable power environments, but most are not up to the test needed in this thread. That is why this is a rather complicated topic.

Not as simple as picking up a consumer UPS.

 

[MWink64]

Hello! I've had many electricians recommend me to purchase an Online UPS in order to solve my electricity issues.
My pc uses 750W Be quiet platinum power supply and I have a Benq Xl2566k.

Do you guys have any ups to recommend? Around 200$ I'd say my budget is.
Also how can I say the UPS is Online ?
Thanks a lot.

If you truly need an online (double-conversion) UPS, I'd expect to spend well over $200. Those are almost exclusively enterprise oriented. Even a decent consumer line-interactive UPS tends to run about $200 these days. I don't know your situation but I'm skeptical you actually need an online UPS. I might suggest buying a good line-interactive UPS from somewhere with a good return policy.

 

[User1990]

Could a line-interactive UPS actually help with problems like the one I have ?

 

[bill001g]

Could a line-interactive UPS actually help with problems like the one I have ?

The problem is nobody really knows what the problem you have is. Line interactive UPS have the ability to increase the voltage a small amount. So if you have a brownout issue like the voltage would drop to say 105 volts when it normally is closer to 120 the UPS could increase it. It can not fix say if it drops a lot to say 90 volts. I am not real sure if these UPS can run constantly in this mode.

More complex issues like say the frequency of the power does not stay at 60hz a cheaper line interactive unit will not be able to fix. It also can't fix what is called harmonic distortion which is why you can't run a computer on a cheap generator.

Note all of the above is for north american power the other parts of the world use stuff like 240 volts and 50hz.

Again unless the electrician will tell you what the problem really is in terms you can understand I would as recommended above get a device like a killawatt and try to learn what your power is doing. Put it some place you can see it while you are running so you can see what numbers change. This will give you a good idea about how much power you are using as well as if the voltages and frequencies are changing. I use a killawatt to adjust the power output of my generator.

 

[User1990]

The problem is nobody really knows what the problem you have is. Line interactive UPS have the ability to increase the voltage a small amount. So if you have a brownout issue like the voltage would drop to say 105 volts when it normally is closer to 120 the UPS could increase it. It can not fix say if it drops a lot to say 90 volts. I am not real sure if these UPS can run constantly in this mode.

More complex issues like say the frequency of the power does not stay at 60hz a cheaper line interactive unit will not be able to fix. It also can't fix what is called harmonic distortion which is why you can't run a computer on a cheap generator.

Note all of the above is for north american power the other parts of the world use stuff like 240 volts and 50hz.

Again unless the electrician will tell you what the problem really is in terms you can understand I would as recommended above get a device like a killawatt and try to learn what your power is doing. Put it some place you can see it while you are running so you can see what numbers change. This will give you a good idea about how much power you are using as well as if the voltages and frequencies are changing. I use a killawatt to adjust the power output of my generator.

Thanks, will proceed getting a killawatt before anything.

Something entirely different but what's ur opinion on something like this ? https://www.tagaharmony.com/en/product/9087/pf-400usb .
Do they offer any kind of help/filtering or do they just work as a normal power strip and so they are a waste of money ?

 

[bill001g]

This type of devices are smoke and mirrors. There really is no way to tell what they really do and no way to tell devices that actually do something from devices that are just a scam.

In theory they can put filters in that remove certain unwanted signals. A example where they intentionally produce "interference" are those powerline network adapters. They intentionally introduce a signal. Although a power strip will filter this, the signal does not actually hurt other devices so does it matter if you filter it or not.

Modern power supplies already have lots of filtering as the power is converted from AC to DC. Garbage signals do not actually get past the power supply into the pc power. These garbage signals also tend to not have much effect.

A motor say on your refrigerator might inject some noise but the noise is not the problem. It is more the power drop when the compressor first starts that causes all the problems. Cheap power strips can't fix that problem.

This is the problem with the techno babble you find from marketing people. They spout lots of numbers and such but a lot of it doesn't actually have any real world impact. Kinda like the stuff you find being sold to people who do audio stuff. Lots of outright frauds in that type of equipment.

 

[User1990]

This type of devices are smoke and mirrors. There really is no way to tell what they really do and no way to tell devices that actually do something from devices that are just a scam.

In theory they can put filters in that remove certain unwanted signals. A example where they intentionally produce "interference" are those powerline network adapters. They intentionally introduce a signal. Although a power strip will filter this, the signal does not actually hurt other devices so does it matter if you filter it or not.

Modern power supplies already have lots of filtering as the power is converted from AC to DC. Garbage signals do not actually get past the power supply into the pc power. These garbage signals also tend to not have much effect.

A motor say on your refrigerator might inject some noise but the noise is not the problem. It is more the power drop when the compressor first starts that causes all the problems. Cheap power strips can't fix that problem.

This is the problem with the techno babble you find from marketing people. They spout lots of numbers and such but a lot of it doesn't actually have any real world impact. Kinda like the stuff you find being sold to people who do audio stuff. Lots of outright frauds in that type of equipment.

Yeah I thought so. I spoke to an electrician today and he told me that I most likely have low voltage issue which causes all these issues with my electronic devices and most importantly my PC as in my house sometimes even my lights blink which is not normal either. I'll buy a device similar to what you told me to confirm it when I get back from work in a week or so and after I confirm it I'll call the company that's responsible for my power and tell them to come fix it.
Also thanks a lot for your help!