Oh *****, Damn UPS Backup

[quadcore86]

I had my 27" monitor, my PC and my projector plugged into a 550V UPS I bought yesterday....as soon as I turned on the projector...the UPS started beeping and the "overload" light came on and everything shut off. ALL while the projector was heating it's bulb....I hope it's not damaged.

What UPS do I need to buy so it will handle ALL of these components? It needs to handle 27" Dell monitor, a quadcore PC, and a Mitsubishi HC4900 1080p projector.

Do you know what "V" rating UPS I should get? (can you find me one in microcenter.com, prefably less than $100)

 

[Trap05]

I'd say you would need something 1200va or better and you aren't going to get that for $100...

 

[quadcore86]

What about this model? Sorry, I don't know much about the companies NOR UPS in general lol.

http://microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0277562

 

[RollingThunder]

What about this model? Sorry, I don't know much about the companies NOR UPS in general lol.

http://microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0277562

Quad,

Get an APC UPS. They are the best and competitively priced. Calculate the wattage on all your peripherls, leave some headroom, go to their site and see what they have to offer. Your projector is what's killing you.

http://www.apc.com/sizing/selectors.cfm

Trap is right, it ain't gonna be a $100 UPS............

 

[Trap05]

Another vote for APC I wouldn't trust my expensive stuff to anyone else

 

[quadcore86]

Okay, will this APC system be enough for 1 27" monitor, the quadcore pc, and the projector (i think the projector draws between 250-400watts)
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/APC-...sem/rpsm/oid/163987/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

Remember, as soon as the power goes off:
The monitor will be shut off instantly
The PC will shut off in 45 seconds
The projector will need 1-minute of power to cool down.

 

[Hazaro]

865 watt

Depends on how many vid cards, and your overclocks, along with the efficiency of your PSU. 27" CRT or LCD? That's at least 80watts there, + check whatever your projector draws.

 

[quadcore86]

Here are the specs of the PC:
Quadcore 6600, Geforce 8800GT, 1x Raptor, 1x 750gig, mATX mobo, 8gigs of ram (4x 2gig), TV Tuner USB, powersupply is going to be a 550watt PSU.

PC = 550watt

Monitor:
Dell 2707WFP 27" Monitor = 140 watt

Projector = 250W

Altogether, it's 940 watts....so the APC UPS is not enough?

 

[RollingThunder]

Here are the specs of the PC:
Quadcore 6600, Geforce 8800GT, 1x Raptor, 1x 750gig, mATX mobo, 8gigs of ram (4x 2gig), TV Tuner USB, powersupply is going to be a 550watt PSU.

PC = 550watt

Monitor:
Dell 2707WFP 27" Monitor = 140 watt

Projector = 250W

Altogether, it's 940 watts....so the APC UPS is not enough?

Quard,

Your PC may have a 550w power supply but your rig might draw 325/350 watts. Your projector should have a label on it for power. Make sure it accounts for its light bulb, they are usually quite power hungry. What does your light bulb say on it's glass label? You don't have to plug your monitor into the battery backup side, a surge plug would do and save 140 watts. Same if you have a printer.

When you know your requirements for sure, go to the APC site for their estimate then look at your local stores.

 

[Adragontattoo]

I really need to get moving and fixthe two dead UPSs that I have sitting in my condo.

I just need to go get a couple batteries for them and they will work.

 

[quadcore86]

I bought the APC 1500VA UPS and it's sitting about 4.5F away from my bed...is this dangerous? I don't want to be sleeping next to a transformer!

 

[noxqzs]

I bought the APC 1500VA UPS and it's sitting about 4.5F away from my bed...is this dangerous? I don't want to be sleeping next to a transformer!

There is no danger from the transformer, unless you physically touch the wrong parts of it. The only danger would be a leaky battery, that might cause a short.

 

[JamesXP]

...Not many things will kill you if you sleep nexto them

QC86... I warn you do not sleep near

Alpha Beta or Gamma.

And these aren't readily available substances.

 

[ratbuddy]

...Not many things will kill you if you sleep nexto them

Allow me to introduce you to my wife..

Also, something to remember, when a PSU is rated for 400 watts, that's what it's providing to the computer. It's drawing more from the wall, depending on the efficiency rating.. If it's 80% efficient, that same PSU is drawing 500 watts AC..

 

[JamesXP]

No... ratbuddy you got it wrong.

SMPS designs take power as the hardware asks for power.

 

[ratbuddy]

Err, I assumed people would understand I was talking about full load draws. I was wrong. Of course I am not saying that a 400 watt PSU is ALWAYS drawing 500 watts from the wall, the point I'm making is that you can't assume a '400 watt PSU' is only going to need a '400 watt UPS' ... Clear enough?

 

[Randyman...]

Why do you NEED a power-hungry Projector on a UPS? There is no need. It's not like the Projector will get corrupted if it has a hard shut-down . I guess you could argue that the FAN needs to stay on for a minute to cool the bulb if the power goes out - but whatever.... Keep the PC and your primary LCD Display on the UPS, and that's it (you can add your Router and Modem if you feel like it since they are very low-power devices). Keep speakers and other perhiferals like Printers on filtered line power. Also keep in mind the more load you put on the UPS the less Battery time you'll have.

Also keep in mind that most UPS's are rated in "VA" - and VA IS NOT equal to Watts!!! The associated Wattage Capacity is usually 75% of the specified VA rating (varies). So your 550VA UPS is actually like 400Watts...