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Any recommendations for a UPS?

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deez

Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2001
Location
Louisville, KY
Since moving to my new apartment I've recently discovered that crashes of my main system seem to happen at the same time the girlfriend has the hairdryer plugged into a socket in the bedroom. Its a beast of a hairdryer that dims the lights when turned on so...

I need to get a UPS but need some recommendations. I only need something that will keep 1 system with 300W PSU running for 7-10 minutes and I dont want to spend a whole lot of cash.

Any suggestions?
 
I'm partial to Tripp Lite and Powercon myself. I recently bought a Powercon King Pro 1000 that's very high quality for the price. That's probably more than you need, but the PowerCom KOF-375S or Tripp Lite Internet 525 might be sufficient.

APC is certainly the standard name in the UPS market, but usually you can do better for the money.
 
Checked out the various powercon models but the only thing that worries me is that their website is pretty crappy and im worried about warranty or repair.

anybody have any experience with powercon?
 
I have an APC UPS, and it works great(for Windows, as I am still trying to get an APC UPS to work on Linux).
 
My 1000 APC has been running perfect for the last 3 years. I got it for free though, so can't comment on prices ;)
 
deez said:


I need to get a UPS but need some recommendations. I only need something that will keep 1 system with 300W PSU running for 7-10 minutes and I dont want to spend a whole lot of cash.

Any suggestions?

Suggestion? Spend a little more freely. Just like with computer power supplies, getting a cheap UPS insures low output regardless of the numbers on the side. Anything in the 100 dollar and down range will not provide the run time you seek and will die in short order due to being heavily loaded. I personally use an APC BackUPS Pro 650 on my main rig, and I have an APC SmartUPS 1400 that is no overkill if run time is important to you. Also be aware that the least expensive UPS's are not line interactive units, meaning that they only suppress surge and cannot hold up low line voltages. These units are little better than a fancy surge protector.

Quality line interactive UPS's that have sufficient capacity for long life under the use yours will see typically cost 175-250 dollars. I've tried spending less, and it was to prove to be the functional equivalent of flushing the money down the crapper. You never regret buying the best, and are generally poorly served by the cheapest.

You can buy quality UPS's with dead batteries off of Ebay for a song. If absolute low dollars is the goal, I'd get one and budget for a new battery. Aftermarket batteries are a whole lot cheaper than the units sold by APC; there are battery shops around here called Batteries ETC that have them in stock for very reasonable prices.
 
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that ebay thing isn't a bad idea, I didn't think of that. Have batteries plus stores here and places like buy.com also sell batteries for ups
 
Yep, generally batteries fail in a few years, and the UPS gets thrown away or sold on ebay for a song regardless of how expensive it was orignally. I would highly recommend the APC Back UPS Pro 650, and the Smart UPS 700, 1000, 1250, or 1400 models. I have owned and used them all, and they are good stuff. Failures of anything besides the battery are rare.

The prices on the batteries at the local Batteries ETC compete fairly well as you don't have to pay shipping. Being simple lead-acid batteries, shipping is substantial, so be sure to figure on it if you mail order one. Also be aware that the battery in say a BUPS Pro 650 or SUPS 700 is inexpensive (I think I gave 30 bucks locally for the last one I bought), but the dual batteries for something like my SUPS 1400 cost quite a bit more.
 
ebay has some good deals but then the sellers all want $40-60 for shipping. Think I might grab a newspaper or head over to compusa today and see what they have.
 
Hmm, I guess that the dumb asses that can't change a battery can't conceive of removing the dead one for shipping. Even so, weight doesn't cost that much via UPS ground. Another common trait among the clueless-no clue how to ship cost effectively and they expect you to pay for their lazyness and ignorance.
 
my dad's APC UPS 450 (i think thats the model number) has been working flawlessly for the last 5-6 years. still on the same battery.

how's that for reliability?

i have a APC Backups CS350 and i just got a ES350 a couple days ago.

no problems with either.
 
I went to the store and ended up getting an APC 350. Cheapest APC they had but considering that I only want to protect one system from possible dips in power I think it will work. If I end up needing more a this UPS can always be used in another room .

I know I missed the compusa deal the other day but I couldn't have made it there on Fri afternoon anyway :( work
 
my dad and brother are both using APC 350's, i'm using a CyberPower585 (300W i think, can't remember right now). we never had a problem with any of them so far.
 
Larva mentioned something in passing that a lot of first time PSU buyers only learn about the hard way.

There are two kinds of UPS. One, and what you are most likely to find in your big box electronics and office supply store, is a straight backup. This kind of UPS is nothing more than a very expensive surge protector while your power is on.

This kind of UPS will do nothing for the problem Deez described. You need to look for a line interactive UPS and drop a one in front of the price for a straight backup UPS at Office Max. Retail packaging can be very deceptive so I strongly recommend checking manufacturer websites and e-mailing if necessisary before buying.

But Deez, I think this might be a band aid on a bigger and possibly dangerous problem. If you have power problems when nothing else on the circuit is running, that's evidence of a dirty power problem like old wiring. But if the problem is tied to the use of something else, like an air conditioner or a hair dryer, you might be overloading the circuit and this can be a major fire hazard.

If you have a good relationship with your landlord, it might be worth talking to him or her about it. No one wants to pay an electrican to fix a little problem like this. But that's a lot more agreeable than dealing with an insurance adjustor after a fire. If your landlord is evil incarnate, I'd talk to a licensed electrican and then go to your landlord.




BHD
 
Well I discovered what could be the main cause of the problem last night: the girlfriend left the iron on and it has been on for about 1 1/2 weeks at least.

lucky she didn't burn the place down :mad:
 
Well the new UPS has already come in handy, the other night power in my apt. building flicked on and off for a sec and the UPS kept my system running strong. Voltage readings also appear to be a bit more steady now.

I haven't had any other problems since the iron has been unplugged ;)
 
BaldHeadedDork said:
Larva mentioned something in passing that a lot of first time PSU buyers only learn about the hard way.

There are two kinds of UPS. One, and what you are most likely to find in your big box electronics and office supply store, is a straight backup. This kind of UPS is nothing more than a very expensive surge protector while your power is on.

This kind of UPS will do nothing for the problem Deez described. You need to look interactive UPS[/i] and drop a one in front of the price for a straight backup UPS at Office Max. Retail packaging can be very deceptive so Ifor a line strongly recommend checking manufacturer websites and e-mailing if necessisary before buying.


BHD


That statment could not be more false. While the power is on, and lets say that it drops to 95v what is going to happen? Well your lights dim, and you computer locks up. However if you are running a battery back ups unit, it will sense this drop in voltage and transfer over to battery power, untill the input power returns to normal operating ranges.

You do not need a line interactive UPS to keep you computer running during brownout (undervoltages). If you want the unit to last long, especially the battery, then what you are going to want is an unit with AVR (auto. voltage regulation) found mainly in line interactive units, but also can be found on standby topoligies.

APC units with AVR are as follows:

LS Series (boost only)
PN# BP500UC, BP500clr, BP700

Smart Ups Series (smart boost and smart trim)
SU700 or larger

Back-Ups Pro Models (boost and trim)
 
{PMS}fishy said:


That statment could not be more false. While the power is on, and lets say that it drops to 95v ...

That's not exactly true. Perhaps it is not stated perfectly, but standby UPS models cannot condition the line. They only switch between line voltage and the battery, and do so at a fixed value. As such transients are passed to the computer as long as the don't dip below this switching threshold. Do you really want 96V making it to the supply?

The AVR feature in non-line interactive UPSs is a new development. It eliminates much of the impetus to go with the line interactive units, but line interactive is still preferable. But the real point is, there is no AVR in the standby units that flood the retail outlets. The LS series units you mentioned are few in number, and are not the units people are buying at office depot in droves. As illustrated by your list of APC's with AVR, buying a line interactive unit is still the common way to insure first class protection. I have not regretted the money I spent on my Back-UPS Pro, and I don't think anyone else here would either.
 
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