Which device to buy to protect against electricity irregularities?

[sbab123]

Hi guys,

I was looking to buy a device which protects my expensive PC against electricity irregularities in my area such as blackouts(sudden power cuts), brownouts and power surges etc. There are 3 types of devices on the market:

1) UPS
2) Automatic Voltage Regulator (AVR)
3) Surge Protector


UPSs protect against blackouts, brownouts and power surges.
AVRs protect against brownouts and power surges only.
Surge Protectors protect against surges only.

I obviously want to buy a UPS. From what I read in several sources, it is advisable to use a UPS which outputs pure sine wave for PSUs with active PFC. Since I have a PSU with active PFC, I have to use these UPSs with pure sine wave output...but these are relatively expensive and I simply cannot afford to buy such UPS for my PC.

I am therefore thinking of buying an AVR to protect against brownouts and power surges only....forget about protection against sudden power cuts...I heard that brownouts cause the most damage to electronics anyway and not sudden power cuts. All retailers in my country sell mainly UPS and not AVR. The only AVR I can get here is of the brand APC: APC LE1200 Line-R 1200VA. There are no other AVR brands!

More details about this AVR are available here: http://

From the specs of the APC LE1200 Line-R 1200VA, do you guys think that it is enough to protect my PC against brownouts and power surges? Will this AVR not cause damage to my active PFC PSU? Does it output pure sine wave or simulated sine wave?

What do you guys think? Please let me know your thoughts.

Regards
sbab123

 

[greens]

Well there is a lot going on here...

Pure sin waves... well OK its true that a pure sin wave is best but your PC really aint gonna care any.
That unit is certainly enough to prevent brown outs and surges, keeping you AC power nice and clean.

That said it is almost completely pointless. The only time a power conditioner of any kind is noticeable is with extremely high end audio systems.

I live in the US, and while an AVR is super cool and appealing (and i do have a decent sound system) there is very little point. Even on the residential grid - there isn't THAT much noise or fluctuation. possibly enough to perceive in audio, but no where near enough to cause even a tiny amount of damage.

Get an AVR if you live in a third or second world that does not output consistent power.
Get a UPS if you have mission critical information on your PC that could be detrimental if corrupted due to power loss while working.
Get a surge protector if you don't want your PC to get burnt out from a surge (ultra rare) or lightning strike.

Again, unless your incandescent light bulbs blow up all the time due to surges, or if they dim when the laundry dryer is on - there is no point in an AVR.

Electronics like clean sin waves, but they do not need them. Almost every UPS out there that isn't a small fortune uses stepping sin waves.

 

[greens]

Huh. Do they have this one?
https://www.amazon.com/APC-LE1200-Automatic-Voltage-Regulator/dp/B00009RA60/ref=sr_1_7?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1487702433&sr=1-7&keywords=power+conditioner
it looks like yours is missing the top portion, which is kind of weird.

I still want one even though i know it is pointless for me 🙁 They are cool.

 

[greens]

https://www.amazon.com/X10-XPPF-Plug-Noise-Filter/dp/B0002M5OJI

These little bad boys would be sweet to put on each device too. Also completely pointless...

But i kind of like the idea of cleaning and massaging the power before my baby gets it, even if she doesn't care all that much.

 

[sbab123]

Huh. Do they have this one?
https://www.amazon.com/APC-LE1200-Automatic-Voltage-Regulator/dp/B00009RA60/ref=sr_1_7?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1487702433&sr=1-7&keywords=power+conditioner
it looks like yours is missing the top portion, which is kind of weird.

I still want one even though i know it is pointless for me 🙁 They are cool.

Thanks for your contribution greens!
Actually the one you showed me on amazon is LE1200 while the one which I can buy locally is LE1200I. Sorry I missed the "I" in my first post....

 

[sbab123]

Huh. Do they have this one?
https://www.amazon.com/APC-LE1200-Automatic-Voltage-Regulator/dp/B00009RA60/ref=sr_1_7?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1487702433&sr=1-7&keywords=power+conditioner
it looks like yours is missing the top portion, which is kind of weird.

I still want one even though i know it is pointless for me 🙁 They are cool.

This is the equivalent on amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/APC-Line-R-1200VA-Line-Conditioner/dp/B00TEYLD36/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1487707656&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=APC+LE1200I