PSU with Active PFC+UPS with Stepped approximation to sinewave (India)

[roshithbalu]

Hi guys... I have been planning for an upgrade.
Almost all my doubts are sorted out and I'm still stuck on one thing...
If you live in India, then you would be of great help to me...

The PSU that i chose is Seasonic S12II-520 520w Watt PSU. It has an active PFC Filter and here in India a Pure Sine wave generating UPS will cost same as an i5-2500K...!!!

What is the real risk in using a Stepped up/Modified Sine wave generating UPS with a PSU that has active PFC..???
I already learned about possible risks. I have searched quite a bit. Now what I need is real experiences from Indian users.
I don't expect my fellow Indian gamers to buy a UPS that costly, else they must be ridiculously rich...

Do anyone out here uses Stepped approximation sinewave UPS with Active PFC power supplies...???
Do you guys have any problem....? Please explain... And also, please show this thread to your friends at Toms who live in India.

http://www.ebay.in/itm/APC-Back-UPS-BR-600VA-BILL-2YR-Onsite-Warranty-/140757092681?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_203&hash=item20c5c6c949#ht_2389wt_905
(Here's an example)

So, will the 17ms holdup time of Seasonic S12II-520 520w Watt PSU (i believe it is 17ms) will hold it properly to switch to backup...???
The UPS I will be using is, APC 700VA UPS... I hope it will be enough to hold this PSU.. And say also, if my PSU can hold all my components without trouble...

Expecting a solution...

My Configuration:

Processor: AMD 3.6 GHz AM3+ FX4100 (pls don't say no to Bull Dozer, I really want to test this) (TDP: 95 Watts)

Motherboard: ASUS M5A97

Graphics Card: Sapphire AMD/ATI Radeon HD 6850 1 GB GDDR5 (TDP:125 Watts)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO Cooler

Ram: G.Skill RipjawsX DDR3 4 GB (1 x 4 GB) PC RAM (1600Mhz)

Cabinet: Corsair 400R Mid Tower Cabinet

Keyboard& Mouse Combo: Logitech Gaming Combo G100

Mouse: Logitech G300 Gaming Mouse

UPS: APC Backup UPS BR 700VA

 

[ko888]

The S12-II 520 is known to have a problem with simulated sine wave UPS' switching over to battery operation but immediately shutting down.

X-bit Labs review of the S12-II 520 tested with an APC SmartUPS SC 620 encountered this problem.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cases/display/seasonic-psu-roundup_2.html

It's not the holdup time that is causing the problem. It is the Active PFC circuit design in the S12-II 520 that is the problem.

 

[roshithbalu]

Oops..!! Thats bad....

How about Cooler Master GX 550 Watts PSU... My friend agreed to borrow it to me for a while...
Will this behave the same way...???

 

[ko888]

Cooler Master has two 550 Watt models in the GX Series:

Model: RS-550-ACAA-E3 made by Seventeam (recently discontinued)

and

Model: RS-550-ACAA-D3 made by Enhance Electronics


The model made by Seventeam should be avoided since some its minor rails will go out of spec when you draw more than 60% of the power supply's labeled power.

The model made by Enhance Electronics will work on a simulated sine wave UPS as long your power draw at the power supply's AC plug is less than 285 Watts at the time of the power grid interruption and the time the UPS switches over to battery operation.

The 285 Watts is just a rough guess. You will need to perform your own tests to find the actual stable maximum load for switchover with your particular power supply unit and UPS combination.

 

[roshithbalu]

Oh.. That was some useful piece of information...
Well, how about Corsair CMPSU-600CXV2UK 600 Watts PSU...?

http://www.flipkart.com/corsair-cmpsu-600cxv2uk-600-watts-psu/p/itmd5xz4qhbpvvzk?pid=PSUD5XZ4EFXTQNG7&ref=1e042fa2-85f5-4e85-8d1c-3643b0f68f2c

And I have given my specs above...
Could you tell me the net load from what i use...?
The CPU & GPU alone will use 220 Watts, and I have three 120mm Case fans by default and I'm planning to add two more 120mm fans...
Add these to the other components and can you calculate an approximate load on PSU...?

 

[ko888]

The Corsair Builder Series CX600 V2 (CMPSU-600CXV2) is made by CWT (Channel Well Technology).

There isn't any review of the CX600 V2 by X-bit Labs.

Most of the CWT built PSUs that have been tested by X-bit Labs have had no problems with their simulated sine wave APC SmartUPS SC 620 switching over to battery operation.

Simulated sine wave UPS compatibility is not guaranteed so you will have to do your own testing or rely on confirmation from someone that has actually used that model PSU with such a UPS.

With your system specifications it is possible to reach 340 Watts of DC power consumption especially if the GPU is overclocked and you're running CPU and GPU stress testing concurrently. Depending on the PSU's efficiency you could see around 405 Watts at the PSU wall outlet if using the CX600 V2 with the CPU and GPU under full load.

If you also have your monitor plugged into the UPS that will also need to be taken into account.

 

[roshithbalu]

My monitor is a 17" LCD, and it uses 33 Watts for operation...

So I think I better stick with Corsair CX600....

One more question... Does an APC 600VA UPS sufficient for my needs...???

Or do I have to go for a 700VA or more..?

 

[ko888]

For a system using a single Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 graphics card AMD specifies a minimum of a 500 Watt or greater power supply. The power supply should also have a combined +12 Volt continuous current rating of 27 Amps or greater and have at least one 6-pin PCI Express supplementary power connector.

Total Power Supply Wattage is NOT the crucial factor in power supply selection!!! Total Combined Continuous Power/Amperage Available on the +12V Rail(s) is the most important factor.

The Corsair Builder Series CX600 V2 (CMPSU-600CXV2), with its combined +12 Volt continuous current rating of 40 Amps and with two (6+2)-pin PCI Express supplementary power connectors, is more than sufficient to power your system configuration with a single Sapphire Radeon HD 6850.

If you're only looking for enough run time to do an orderly shutdown of your system during a power outage then your current UPS should work.

If you want to run your system for several minutes during the power outage then you'll definitely need a UPS with a much higher VA rating.

 

[roshithbalu]

Thnx buddy... You have lifted a stone from my heart....

One more doubt....
This VA rating is only about how much backup we receive... Right...???
I thought it was the Watts that the UPS can provide for backup, like 600 VA gives around 400 Watts.. Something like that...

Also, I'm planning to buy Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo CPU cooler...
Is it useful to use another fan in push-pull configuration...???

Please clarify this buddy... And I'm thanking you sincerely for your advice...

 

[ko888]

This VA rating is only about how much backup we receive... Right...???

It's a combination of both run time and power delivery capability.

Is it useful to use another fan in push-pull configuration...???

The best cooler performance is achieved by using one fan in push mode and a fan on the opposite side of the cooler fins in pull mode with the air direction facing towards the rear/top case exhaust fan(s).

 

[roshithbalu]

Best answer selected by roshithbalu.