[SOLVED] Uninterrupted Power Supply Recommendations, what do you use?

[threat]

Hey guys, finishing up my first build and looking into an Uninterupted Power Supply (UPS) to ensure a power outage doesn't wipe out on of my 12tb HD or anything else. I have read some reviews stating its not needed, some claim its added security, some say it can cause more issues, I think it would be a good security blanket and can be great if for some reason power does go out and I want to keep working.
I have a seasonic 750W focus plus power supply if that info is needed.

-I am looking at two units from CyberPower and APC after doing a lot of research. The BR1500MS from APC and the CP1500PFCLCD from cyber power- will attach links below.
The Sine wave is the way to go I see. Both of these units offer that. Which one would you select and why?
Very unfamiliar with both brands, is one superior? any issues with getting replacement batteries for either in say 3-5 years?
Do I need the 1500VA power for a desktop and monitor? PC part picker estimates my build to need 400w of power, I have a seasonic 750W focus plus power supply if that info is needed.

-I also would like to get a smaller UPS for just my modem and router because they are actually set up in a different area of my home. Have not looked into them at all yet though as I wanted to match the brand to whatever my main unit will be for my PC.

I am very open to any feedback, good/bad reviews, anger towards one company or the other, just looking for honest feedback to avoid making a bad purchase.
I cant thank the Toms Hardware forums enough for helping me through my first PC project.

These are the two links: ( If you recommend something else than these, please do add a Link or Part Number)

APC Sine Wave UPS Battery Backup & Surge Protector, 1500VA, APC Back-UPS Pro (BR1500MS)
https://www.amazon.com/APC-Sinewave...00MS&qid=1551376457&s=electronics&sr=1-2&th=1

CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD PFC Sinewave UPS System, 1500VA/900W, 10 Outlets, AVR, Mini-Tower
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00429N19W/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

 

[Aeacus]

In my honest opinion, every PC should have an UPS. UPS will eliminate all problems that are caused by the electrical grid.Those include: blackouts (power loss), brownouts (voltage drop) and surges (voltage increase). UPS also has AVR in it (Automatic Voltage Regulator) which stabilizes the income voltage from e.g 215V-225V to stable 220V for your PSU to consume.

My 2x PCs (Skylake and Haswell, full specs with pics in my sig) do have their own UPS, 1x UPS per PC.
I have two of these in use: CyberPower CP1300EPFCLCD (1300VA/780W, true/pure sine wave, line-interactive),
specs: https://www.cyberpower.com/hk/en/product/sku/CP1300EPFCLCD
review: http://softwareboom.wirevalley.com/review-cyberpower-cp1300epfclcd/
video introduction:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IURKCvLJpY

I searched far and wide, read tons of reviews and watched plenty of videos before buying my UPSes. Since i'm all about practicality (e.g 6x output sockets, user replaceable battery), longevity and ease of use, CyberPower PFC Sinewave series UPSes were the best option for my needs. And the small footprint of the UPS itself is also a bonus when you don't have lots of free space.
So far, i've had both of my UPSes constantly running for 12 months now and there's no degradation in the runtime which my UPSes provide. While my PC is on idle/web browsing, my UPS runtime is about 35 mins. On full load, my UPS can keep the PC running at about 15 mins or so.

CyberPower PFC Sinewave series UPS is also 3rd best UPS of 2019, further reading: https://wiki.ezvid.com/best-uninterrupted-power-supplies

And under the spoiler is combined image of my UPSes, click on spoiler to view.

Spoiler: CyberPower CP1300EPFCLCD

Top left: After unboxing
Top right: Power-on test
Bottom left: Haswell build UPS in service
Bottom right: Skylake build UPS in service

For you, both the APC and CyberPower UPSes will do fine. Though, i prefer CyberPower more due to the lesser weight and silent operation. APC 1500VA UPS outputs 45 dB(A) when operational while my CyberPower UPSes output 0 dB(A) when operational, ideal for home use.
APC BR1500MS, specs: https://www.apc.com/shop/us/en/products/Back-UPS-PRO-BR-1500VA-SineWave-10-Outlets-2-USB-Charging-Ports-AVR-LCD-interface/P-BR1500MS
CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD, specs: https://www.cyberpowersystems.com/product/ups/cp1500pfclcd/#tab-additional_information

Tom's Hardware also made an UPS roundup where both CyberPower and APC UPSes in 1500VA range are present,
link: https://www.tomshardware.com/review...p1500pfclcd-tripp-lite-smart1500slt,2785.html

UPS can give you issues only when you buy simulated sine wave UPS while your PSU has Active PFC, since simulated sine wave isn't compatible with Active PFC. But since you're getting true/pure sine wave UPS for your PC that has PSU with Active PFC, there are no compatibility issues. And due to that, i believe i don't need to go deeper into explaining the incompatibility issues. Though, i can if you like to know more about UPSes.

 

[threat]

In my honest opinion, every PC should have an UPS. UPS will eliminate all problems that are caused by the electrical grid.Those include: blackouts (power loss), brownouts (voltage drop) and surges (voltage increase). UPS also has AVR in it (Automatic Voltage Regulator) which stabilizes the income voltage from e.g 215V-225V to stable 220V for your PSU to consume.

My 2x PCs (Skylake and Haswell, full specs with pics in my sig) do have their own UPS, 1x UPS per PC.
I have two of these in use: CyberPower CP1300EPFCLCD (1300VA/780W, true/pure sine wave, line-interactive),
specs: https://www.cyberpower.com/hk/en/product/sku/CP1300EPFCLCD
review: http://softwareboom.wirevalley.com/review-cyberpower-cp1300epfclcd/
video introduction:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IURKCvLJpY

I searched far and wide, read tons of reviews and watched plenty of videos before buying my UPSes. Since i'm all about practicality (e.g 6x output sockets, user replaceable battery), longevity and ease of use, CyberPower PFC Sinewave series UPSes were the best option for my needs. And the small footprint of the UPS itself is also a bonus when you don't have lots of free space.
So far, i've had both of my UPSes constantly running for 12 months now and there's no degradation in the runtime which my UPSes provide. While my PC is on idle/web browsing, my UPS runtime is about 35 mins. On full load, my UPS can keep the PC running at about 15 mins or so.

CyberPower PFC Sinewave series UPS is also 3rd best UPS of 2019, further reading: https://wiki.ezvid.com/best-uninterrupted-power-supplies

And under the spoiler is combined image of my UPSes, click on spoiler to view.

Spoiler: CyberPower CP1300EPFCLCD

Top left: After unboxing
Top right: Power-on test
Bottom left: Haswell build UPS in service
Bottom right: Skylake build UPS in service

For you, both the APC and CyberPower UPSes will do fine. Though, i prefer CyberPower more due to the lesser weight and silent operation. APC 1500VA UPS outputs 45 dB(A) when operational while my CyberPower UPSes output 0 dB(A) when operational, ideal for home use.
APC BR1500MS, specs: https://www.apc.com/shop/us/en/products/Back-UPS-PRO-BR-1500VA-SineWave-10-Outlets-2-USB-Charging-Ports-AVR-LCD-interface/P-BR1500MS
CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD, specs: https://www.cyberpowersystems.com/product/ups/cp1500pfclcd/#tab-additional_information

Tom's Hardware also made an UPS roundup where both CyberPower and APC UPSes in 1500VA range are present,
link: https://www.tomshardware.com/review...p1500pfclcd-tripp-lite-smart1500slt,2785.html

UPS can give you issues only when you buy simulated sine wave UPS while your PSU has Active PFC, since simulated sine wave isn't compatible with Active PFC. But since you're getting true/pure sine wave UPS for your PC that has PSU with Active PFC, there are no compatibility issues. And due to that, i believe i don't need to go deeper into explaining the incompatibility issues. Though, i can if you like to know more about UPSes.

Wow! So much info, I cannot thank you enough!
I too believe everything electrical and important or valuable should have a UPS. I have always worked off laptops but want to ensure my first build is safe. I do not get many power outages where I am but one storm or car accident on a power pole could ruin that and I dont want to risk it.
The only thing I may be slightly confused with now is what power level to purchase. I see they go from 1000 to 1500 and the price slowly goes with it. I gather that all this does it allow you more time to work or get to your PC for a safe shut down process.
I will be going with cyber power after reading some of the links you shared, your personal feedback and the major issue, NOISE! I just spent hours finding the quietest fans I could as well because I plan to run the PC just about 24/7 and don't want to have to hear it!
I had a feeling that simulated sine wave was not something I wanted to mess with.

So now just to pick out which cyber power PFC model to go with!
Any input on a smaller unit that I could use for just my router and modem? It is in a central part of my home and my desk and computer area is elsewhere so would need two of these- although I may just be able to use a standard surge protector on that.

Thank you so much again for this information and photos!

 

[Aeacus]

You're welcome.

As far as UPS wattage goes, you need to consider the power draw of your PC and monitors. Maybe speakers too if you plan to plug those into the UPS as well. Though, printers, scanners and other such hardware (full list on your UPS manual) don't plug to the UPS since their startup power draw is way too much for UPS to handle and you can fry your UPS.

Taking PSU's max wattage as a baseline is good idea since it will give your UPS more headroom and you can get longer runtime out of your UPS. Since your PSU is 750W, at least one monitor is added on top of it. Depending on the monitor size, they use between 23W to 52W. For more accurate power consumption, i need to know your monitor(s) make and model so i can look up it's/their power consumption.

Wi-fi routers don't consume much power. For example, my Cisco EPC3940L consumes 12V at 3A which means 36W. And with wi-fi router, it's up to you if to use UPS as well or just the surge protector.
Though, if you know for a fact that your ISP has every single switch box and server backed up by an UPS, so that the internet connection isn't lost when there's power outage in your area, you can go with UPS for your wi-fi router. Else-ways, surge protector does just fine since you wouldn't have internet connection during blackout even when your wi-fi router is operational.

For wi-fi router UPS, you can go with CyberPower AVR UPS (685VA/390W),
lineup: https://www.cyberpowersystems.com/products/ups/avr/

And for wi-fi router surge protector, CyberPower also offers those,
lineup: https://www.cyberpowersystems.com/products/surge/

 

[threat]

As I view the price points on Amazon currently look, it seems the 1500 at 200$ is a better option than the 1350 at 190$
or the 1000 at 150$ - I know the 1000 would work but the 1500 may be the worth the extra 50$ - or I just want the biggest version lol

Here is my PC part picker list! I have ordered everything on this list excluding the UPS so far: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/nwMJ9J

Again, Thank you so much for these detailed responses!

 

[threat]

In my honest opinion, every PC should have an UPS. UPS will eliminate all problems that are caused by the electrical grid.Those include: blackouts (power loss), brownouts (voltage drop) and surges (voltage increase). UPS also has AVR in it (Automatic Voltage Regulator) which stabilizes the income voltage from e.g 215V-225V to stable 220V for your PSU to consume.

My 2x PCs (Skylake and Haswell, full specs with pics in my sig) do have their own UPS, 1x UPS per PC.
I have two of these in use: CyberPower CP1300EPFCLCD (1300VA/780W, true/pure sine wave, line-interactive),
specs: https://www.cyberpower.com/hk/en/product/sku/CP1300EPFCLCD
review: http://softwareboom.wirevalley.com/review-cyberpower-cp1300epfclcd/
video introduction:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IURKCvLJpY

I searched far and wide, read tons of reviews and watched plenty of videos before buying my UPSes. Since i'm all about practicality (e.g 6x output sockets, user replaceable battery), longevity and ease of use, CyberPower PFC Sinewave series UPSes were the best option for my needs. And the small footprint of the UPS itself is also a bonus when you don't have lots of free space.
So far, i've had both of my UPSes constantly running for 12 months now and there's no degradation in the runtime which my UPSes provide. While my PC is on idle/web browsing, my UPS runtime is about 35 mins. On full load, my UPS can keep the PC running at about 15 mins or so.

CyberPower PFC Sinewave series UPS is also 3rd best UPS of 2019, further reading: https://wiki.ezvid.com/best-uninterrupted-power-supplies

And under the spoiler is combined image of my UPSes, click on spoiler to view.

Spoiler: CyberPower CP1300EPFCLCD

Top left: After unboxing
Top right: Power-on test
Bottom left: Haswell build UPS in service
Bottom right: Skylake build UPS in service

For you, both the APC and CyberPower UPSes will do fine. Though, i prefer CyberPower more due to the lesser weight and silent operation. APC 1500VA UPS outputs 45 dB(A) when operational while my CyberPower UPSes output 0 dB(A) when operational, ideal for home use.
APC BR1500MS, specs: https://www.apc.com/shop/us/en/products/Back-UPS-PRO-BR-1500VA-SineWave-10-Outlets-2-USB-Charging-Ports-AVR-LCD-interface/P-BR1500MS
CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD, specs: https://www.cyberpowersystems.com/product/ups/cp1500pfclcd/#tab-additional_information

Tom's Hardware also made an UPS roundup where both CyberPower and APC UPSes in 1500VA range are present,
link: https://www.tomshardware.com/review...p1500pfclcd-tripp-lite-smart1500slt,2785.html

UPS can give you issues only when you buy simulated sine wave UPS while your PSU has Active PFC, since simulated sine wave isn't compatible with Active PFC. But since you're getting true/pure sine wave UPS for your PC that has PSU with Active PFC, there are no compatibility issues. And due to that, i believe i don't need to go deeper into explaining the incompatibility issues. Though, i can if you like to know more about UPSes.

I just had a chance to read this complete article: right off the start I see they are labeling the cyberpower 1500 PFC unit as adaptive wave and the other 3 are Pure Sine. is this something I should take note of, or is it an error on the Toms Hardware review? This is kind of throwing me off as I assumed the PFC CyberPower units were Pure Sine!
EDIT* I realize the date is from 2010 on that article so very possible these units have been upgraded since the report was written.

 

[Aeacus]

Since your Dell monitor is very power hungry, at 130W,
specs: https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/sho...16d/apd/210-aggp/monitors-monitor-accessories
and when to add PSU's wattage (750W) to it, total would be 880W. Here, i'd go with 1500VA/900W UPS, especially since price difference between it and 1350VA/810W is only 10 bucks.

In reality, your PC consumes about 350W (150W GPU + 200W for the rest of the system). With CPU/GPU OC, about 100W is added to it.
So, non-OC PC (350W) + monitor (130W) = 480W
OC'd PC (450W) + monitor (130W) = 580W

1500VA/900W UPS at 600W load can keep your PC and monitor running for 7 minutes which would be more than enough time to stop what you're doing and safely shut down your PC.

As far as TH article goes, i belive CyberPower has upgraded their PFC Sinewave series UPSes from the time that article was written. TH article itself is 9 years old and that's a long time. I bought my UPSes 1 year ago and by that time CyberPower already offered true/pure sine wave on their PFC Sinewave series UPSes.
Since i didn't keep an eye on the UPS market, i don't know when (in which year between 2010 and 2018) CyberPower made the switch from adaptive sine wave to true/pure sine wave.

My two PCs that have CyberPower CP1300EPFCLCD UPSes are both powered by Seasonic PSUs where both PSUs have Active PFC. Skylake build has Seasonic PRIME 650 (80+ Titanium) PSU and Haswell build has Seasonic M12II-850 EVO (80+ Bronze) PSU (which i'll upgrade in near future). I've had several blackouts and my 2x UPSes have saved our work at 100% success rate. Sometimes, power losses are so short (0.5 seconds) that i even don't realize them happening. My UPSes have always catched even the shortest power losses. Also, my UPSes beep very loudly when power loss is happening. This is especially helpful in daytime when i'm in another room and our PCs are running.


Oh, one more thing.
I don't know if you can switch your order or even if you can afford the switch but to keep your white theme and also give you slightly more runtime on your UPS, i'd switch the Seasonic Focus+ 750 (80+ Gold) PSU with Seasonic PRIME SnowSilent 750 (80+ Titanium) PSU,
specs: https://seasonic.com/prime-snow-silent
pcpp: https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/64cMnQ,sqPKHx/

Since your Phanteks P600S case has PSU window, you'd be seeing the black Focus+ PSU in your PC quite well. Here, the white SnowSilent PSU would fit better aesthetically.

Also, PSU's efficiency directly plays a role on how much runtime you'll get out of your UPS.
80+ Gold PSU, at 50% load, has efficiency of 90%. Which means that when your PC consumes 375W, your PSU pulls 412.5W from UPS.
80+ Titanium PSU, at 50% load, has efficiency of 94%. Which means that when your PC consumes 375W, your PSU pulls 397.5W from UPS.
Difference between the two isn't much, only 15W. In reality, 15W less power consumption can give you extra 10 seconds or so runtime.

Besides better looks and efficiency, with PRIME SnowSilent, you'll also get extra 2 years of warranty over Focus+. Focus+ comes with 10 years of warranty while PRIME SnowSilent comes with 12 years of warranty. Also, PRIME series is the flagship line of PSUs from Seasonic and they are the best PSUs money can buy at current date.
So, it's up to you to decide if the PSU switch would be worthwhile.

 

[threat]

Since your Dell monitor is very power hungry, at 130W,
specs: https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/sho...16d/apd/210-aggp/monitors-monitor-accessories
and when to add PSU's wattage (750W) to it, total would be 880W. Here, i'd go with 1500VA/900W UPS, especially since price difference between it and 1350VA/810W is only 10 bucks.

In reality, your PC consumes about 350W (150W GPU + 200W for the rest of the system). With CPU/GPU OC, about 100W is added to it.
So, non-OC PC (350W) + monitor (130W) = 480W
OC'd PC (450W) + monitor (130W) = 580W

1500VA/900W UPS at 600W load can keep your PC and monitor running for 7 minutes which would be more than enough time to stop what you're doing and safely shut down your PC.

As far as TH article goes, i belive CyberPower has upgraded their PFC Sinewave series UPSes from the time that article was written. TH article itself is 9 years old and that's a long time. I bought my UPSes 1 year ago and by that time CyberPower already offered true/pure sine wave on their PFC Sinewave series UPSes.
Since i didn't keep an eye on the UPS market, i don't know when (in which year between 2010 and 2018) CyberPower made the switch from adaptive sine wave to true/pure sine wave.

My two PCs that have CyberPower CP1300EPFCLCD UPSes are both powered by Seasonic PSUs where both PSUs have Active PFC. Skylake build has Seasonic PRIME 650 (80+ Titanium) PSU and Haswell build has Seasonic M12II-850 EVO (80+ Bronze) PSU (which i'll upgrade in near future). I've had several blackouts and my 2x UPSes have saved our work at 100% success rate. Sometimes, power losses are so short (0.5 seconds) that i even don't realize them happening. My UPSes have always catched even the shortest power losses. Also, my UPSes beep very loudly when power loss is happening. This is especially helpful in daytime when i'm in another room and our PCs are running.


Oh, one more thing.
I don't know if you can switch your order or even if you can afford the switch but to keep your white theme and also give you slightly more runtime on your UPS, i'd switch the Seasonic Focus+ 750 (80+ Gold) PSU with Seasonic PRIME SnowSilent 750 (80+ Titanium) PSU,
specs: https://seasonic.com/prime-snow-silent
pcpp: https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/64cMnQ,sqPKHx/

Since your Phanteks P600S case has PSU window, you'd be seeing the black Focus+ PSU in your PC quite well. Here, the white SnowSilent PSU would fit better aesthetically.

Also, PSU's efficiency directly plays a role on how much runtime you'll get out of your UPS.
80+ Gold PSU, at 50% load, has efficiency of 90%. Which means that when your PC consumes 375W, your PSU pulls 412.5W from UPS.
80+ Titanium PSU, at 50% load, has efficiency of 94%. Which means that when your PC consumes 375W, your PSU pulls 397.5W from UPS.
Difference between the two isn't much, only 15W. In reality, 15W less power consumption can give you extra 10 seconds or so runtime.

Besides better looks and efficiency, with PRIME SnowSilent, you'll also get extra 2 years of warranty over Focus+. Focus+ comes with 10 years of warranty while PRIME SnowSilent comes with 12 years of warranty. Also, PRIME series is the flagship line of PSUs from Seasonic and they are the best PSUs money can buy at current date.
So, it's up to you to decide if the PSU switch would be worthwhile.

That is the one I really did want ( seasonic snow silent, but I couldnt justify the 95$ price difference so I went with the gold. I did go back and forth so many times and tried selling myself on that idea of it will look so much better but I wanted to put that 100 into another area for now. I honestly told myself if I hated the look I would create a block off plate to cover the opening showing the battery lol. About to start assembly tonight! Thank you so much for all the info.

Also
going to order the cyber power 1500 - I was debating between the APC beacause it is a little cheaper but I hear they run a little louder so I will go with the cyber power, plus your feedback leaves me way more comfortable using them as well.

 

[Aeacus]

Yeah, sometimes getting aesthetically matching component isn't worthwhile, especially when it costs almost double and money is tight.

Though, there are actually 2x versions of Seasonic SnowSilent PSUs, both having the white coloring:

1. SnowSilent (7 years of warranty), specs: https://seasonic.com/snow-silent-xp3-xp2s
2. PRIME SnowSilent (12 years of warranty), specs: https://seasonic.com/prime-snow-silent

PRIME SnowSilent is the successor of the original SnowSilent series.

Since both SnowSilent PSUs and Focus+ PSU does come with black colored power cables, if you have the money, you can go with CableMod SE-series custom sleeved power cables, e.g:
white: https://cablemod.com/product/cablemod-se-series-xp2-km3-cable-kit-white/
black & white: https://cablemod.com/product/cablemod-se-series-xp2-xp3-km3-fl2-cable-kit-black-white/

All 3x of my PCs have CableMod custom sleeved power and MoBo I/O cables, just to get the final touch in the color theme.

 

[threat]

Yeah, sometimes getting aesthetically matching component isn't worthwhile, especially when it costs almost double and money is tight.

Though, there are actually 2x versions of Seasonic SnowSilent PSUs, both having the white coloring:

1. SnowSilent (7 years of warranty), specs: https://seasonic.com/snow-silent-xp3-xp2s
2. PRIME SnowSilent (12 years of warranty), specs: https://seasonic.com/prime-snow-silent

PRIME SnowSilent is the successor of the original SnowSilent series.

Since both SnowSilent PSUs and Focus+ PSU does come with black colored power cables, if you have the money, you can go with CableMod SE-series custom sleeved power cables, e.g:
white: https://cablemod.com/product/cablemod-se-series-xp2-km3-cable-kit-white/
black & white: https://cablemod.com/product/cablemod-se-series-xp2-xp3-km3-fl2-cable-kit-black-white/

All 3x of my PCs have CableMod custom sleeved power and MoBo I/O cables, just to get the final touch in the color theme.

Yes, I couldnt justify the PSU price jump over a color choice and small gain in efficiency.

I want to get the cable mod kit for sure! I plan to get it built and then add that cable mods after as it takes a few weeks for them to arrive and im getting impatient lol. I also think I will just do a custom set once I know exactly every cable I need. I was so confused trying to figure out what I need and what the names are for each cable and what length etc. This is my first build so a lot to learn terminology wise still.

 

[Aeacus]

This article here gives you all you need to know and then some more about PSU connectors,
link: http://www.playtool.com/pages/psuconnectors/connectors.html

As far as power cables that you need goes;
1x 24-pin ATX (to power MoBo)
1x 4/8-pin EPS12V (to power CPU)
1x 6/8-pin PCI-E (to power GPU)
1x SATA with 2x connectors (to power 2.5" SSD and 3.5" HDD)

But if your 12TB HDD uses SATA 3.3 connector (usually high capacity server drives do), then you'd need 1x molex as well to use molex to SATA 3.3 adapter.