UPS Advice...

[kdw75]

I have had many UPS systems that I picked up at local stores over the years and they have all been pretty much worthless for anything other than protection from surges and letting my machine shut down.

I am looking for a UPS that will supply the 600watts my computer monitor, speakers and router actually uses and also last for at least an hour with that load. Most of the UPS systems seem to focus on higher output but have tiny batteries. I have found one called the Alpha Pinnacle 1000T that sounds promising since it takes external 36v batteries. The UPS can be bought easily for very little money but the extra battery packs seem to cost $400-500 dollars.

Any suggestions on what would be a good option? I want something quiet and hopefully not more than $300-400 dollars.

 

[ssddx]

keep in mind that most retail power supplies are only meant to provide enough power to allow you to shutdown your computer. the batteries aren't small, your draw is just high. they make bigger and better power supplies which is what you should be (and it appears you are) looking for.

are you sure that you are drawing 600w of power? keep in mind that what you actually draw is not the wattage rating on your psu. as an example my i7/470gtx/ssd system with a 1000w psu only draws about 230w idle, 360 load. my 40" lcd draws about 140-180. figure out what the average amount your pc draws and use this to calculate what you want. you wont always be running at max draw.

models meant to maintain a constant draw like that for a reasonable amount of time are normally business-class models which are expensive.

http://www.apc.com/products/family/index.cfm?id=165#anchor1

apc has a guide on their models (regardless, whether you want apc or not, its still a good reference for what size ups to get). it looks like based upon their calculations that if you really do have a 600w draw you're looking at a little more than a 3000va/2700w system.

the cheapest a quick search online found was about $950-1050.

odd, i googled your pinacle 1000t batteries and they were coming up $16-40. most likely the unit takes quite a few of these.

there are also solutions out there which involve a battery room and power panel (normally when you create your own power with wind/solar) but likely prices will be fairly high with this solution as well. also factor in that its not a self contained unit like ups devices.

----

you need to decide on how important backup power really is.

if you need the power for important work, a datacenter, or other critical applications then it might be beneficial to pursue such a large power supply (or battery backup room).

if however you only want the power for playing games or other non-important applications it most likely is not worth your money to invest in such an expensive ups. such things can be easily done when the power comes back on.

 

[kdw75]

I used a little plug in device called a "kill a watt" and it was showing my actual power draw to be around 580 watts under load of gaming and around 280 watts while idle.

The battery packs that go inside the pinnacle 100t are cheap but also pretty small. It is the external battery packs which are much longer lasting that cost so much. The internal ones last something like 10 min but with one external it shoots up to around 118 minutes and then with two it is over 300 minutes if I recall correctly. The external ones seem to be the high prices ones and I am not sure if you can hook up any 36v battery to it or if you have to use theirs.

 

[ssddx]

i was just checking to see if you were using the right readings as it makes a huge difference.

most likely you do not need to use a pinnacle brand 36v battery but you do need to match its specifications exactly. do consider that by not using their batteries you most likely void your warranty. if you manage to fry your system somehow with a non pinnacle battery you would be SOL.

 

[kdw75]

We are building a new house and I think that rather than worry about battery backups we are just going to put in a generator for the house and then I can use my small battery backup for surges and voltage spikes. It is cheaper to back up the whole house than to get a heavy duty battery backup system it seems.

 

[kdw75]

Best answer selected by kdw75.

 

[ssddx]

a generator would solve power issues across the board. it might cost more to buy but it also is alot more useful. (depending on what size generator you get of course).

the trouble is that battery prices are through the roof. if you were running an off the grid (solar powered) house you could easily amass $30,000 in costs for just the battery room. companies can more easily afford such things but homeowners often struggle.