UPS !

[davemar14]

I recently had a long power outage, and I am considering getting a UPS. We have a lot of power outages, and its annoying when you are in the middle of something. How big of a UPS do I need to power my system for lets say 5 minutes?

Athlon XP 2400+
Asus A7N8X Deluxe
Corsair 512 MB DDR400
GeForce4 Ti 4200
2x74 GB Raptors in RAID 0
Western Digital 80 GB
Plextor 708A DVD burner
Plexwriter 48x24x48
Antec 1080 w/430 watt PSU

 

[Crashman]

A small one. My UPS used 4 of the mid-sized 6v batteries (I converted it to two 12v batteries when the old ones went bad), and powers a similar system for around 45 minutes.

As far as I can see these things are rated in max load, not battery capacity. Mine's a 900, so anything in the 400 range should be fine for capacity so long as it can also handle the load!

I was thinking of powering my 400 off a deep cycle marine battery for extended use (hours). A 900 with two deep cycle marine batteries? Maybe days!

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

 

[davemar14]

I am looking at the following UPS. Any feedback would be appreciated.

<A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=42-102-004&depa=0" target="_new">http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=42-102-004&depa=0</A>

 

[Crashman]

That should do the job, depending on how many watts your monitor uses.

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

 

[davemar14]

Its a 17" CRT. Is there a way to find out how many watts it uses.

 

[Crashman]

Yes, multiply the amps times volts. One of my 19" monitors says 2.5A at 115v, that's 288 watts, probably startup power. So it's probably closer to 180W when it's warmed up. Your PC probably uses around 250W unless you're gaming, that could put it up to 300W.

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

 

[Crashman]

BTW, I'm GUESSING that unit would be large enough, but it's just a guess!

It really sucks that it cost so much more to get a huge one with huge batteries just to handle a slightly higher load, when you don't even need the huge batteries because you're looking at a short operational period.

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

 

[Crashman]

Oh, and one more thing: Most UPS's have the ability to initiate a shut-down sequence for your PC, if you enable that feature, so for an unattended shutdown you wouldn't even need to have your monitor on the UPS.

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

 

[davemar14]

Thanks for the info. My monitor doesn't specify the amps. It shows 100 v. Its a Compaq CV735.

 

[Crashman]

You want me to take a guess? I'll guess 250W max to warm the screen up an 150W max after it's already started. That guess is responsible for my other guess that the UPS you're considering will likely work for your purposes.

I got my UPS free from a government auction: Nobody wanted to bid on it so they threw it it with a computer that sold for $22. Since the same auction sold computers of the same specification for $20-$28, I'm calling my UPS a freebie. It cost me an amazingly low price of $13.50 (total) to replace all four of my 6v batteries with 2 12v batteries (which fit perfectly because they were exactly 2x as wide as the 6v batteries).

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

 

[davemar14]

Ok. I have finally decided on this UPS. Its a little more money, but it should power everything no problem. I configured it with my PC and monitor, and it says I will be using around 50% usage. So I should get a good amount out of it. Also, I have found it online for $110, which is a lot cheaper than the advertised price on APC's site.

<A HREF="http://www.apc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=BR800&fnl=4605,2&fnl_basket=4605,3c" target="_new">http://www.apc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=BR800&fnl=4605,2&fnl_basket=4605,3c</A>

 

[Crashman]

That should be perfect.

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>