UPS advice

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Dm7

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I've recently had a number of power cuts where I live, the power went out five times last night, for example.

This is going to murder my PC, so can you guys recommend a UPS? I'm a little worried about the transfer times from AC to battery for the cheaper models (though I know very little about UPSs). I don't need the the UPS to run the machine for several hours if the power drops, but I want enough time to be able to shut down properly.

My power supply is a CoolerMaster RS550-ACAAE3 GX 550W.

Other specs:

Intel Core i5-2500K
Biostar TZ68A+ LGA1155
1 TB HDD
8 gig RAM

Budget? Low, but I don't want to buy something for, say, R400 and it turns out to be useless.

Thanks in advance.
 
I can recommend the APC range, though it might be a bit pricey for you. The better models include PowerChute, software which can trigger an automatic shutdown on PCs running Windows.
 
I wouldn't bother with PowerChute software. It is crap, simply plug the UPS USB plug into the PC and you are set (Windows 7 will deal with the rest).

That said, of those available locally APC is the best priced when you consider the quality.

Any of those other UPSs, you pay for what you get. APC UPS will last you 10 years+ and die gracefully whereas a typical Sahara UPS will probably go up in smoke or flames after 1 or 2 years (search the forums I'm not joking).

BackUPS Pro 700 (I'm capped so I can't recall the exact model now) will be enough for your setup and they are very cheap considering what you get.
 
So I'm looking for something that meets the power supply wattage? (Sorry, my electrical knowledge is non-existent).

So something like this (Load Capacity:350VA/210W) wouldn't do?
 
What graphics card do you have?
Are you overclocking?

A budget of just R400 for an UPS is just silly, because:
1) it most likely won't be able to handle the load
2) it would not have voltage regulation
3) it most likely won't be able to switch fast enough from Eskom to battery power

If you're using onboard graphics, not overclocking and not connecting a screen to the UPS, then that APC BK 325i (350VA/210W) might do the trick.

Ideally you'd want to monitor the power usage with a Power Meter device before buying the UPS, because we can only make estimates on the power consumption if we know exactly what hardware you have.

Getting a 600W/1100VA UPS is overkill for your setup. I have one at my home, from which I run the following without any issues: i7 940 @ 3.8GHz + 2x GTX460 OC + 30" IPS + ADSL modem + Gigabit Router + Intel Atom home server.
I spent R3k on my APC SUA1100i UPS and was worth every penny when I have to compare it with how bad my previous Proline 600VA UPS was.
 
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LOL R400 for a UPS. Didn't see that.

F--k me, you considering that splashing on a UPS? A inexpensive quality UPS costs close to R1k with the midrange (yep midrange not even top) models selling for R3K. The top end double conversion online units start at R6K.
 
I didn't say my budget was R400, said I didn't want to spend only R400 and have a useless UPS. Was hoping for something around R800.

What graphics card do you have?
Are you overclocking?
Click to expand...

Onboard graphics and not overclocking.
 
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Dm7 said:
CoolerMaster RS550-ACAAE3 GX 550W
Smasung 21"
Click to expand...

Low efficiency (73.2%), low quality PSU (cannot put out 550w). No offense meant, it's just an analysis of the power requirements.

What Pada recommened would be enough for the Computer and Screen, depending on how much load you are placing the PC. At full load the UPS might be overloaded with that PSU and screen (it will just turn off immediatly if that happens).

However if you can afford a bit extra, get:http://www.wootware.co.za/apc-back-...active-with-avr-power-conditioning-650va.html for that extra headroom.

Neither UPS I would hook up to my "crappy hi-fi" rather keep that off the UPS...
 
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Dm7 said:
Ok, thanks. I can manage that price.
Click to expand...

Just want to point out, that UPS doesn't have a connection to the PC. So if you need that then it won't work for you. The connection to the PC is just so Windows can shut down for you if needed.
 
Neither UPS I would hook up to my "crappy hi-fi" rather keep that off the UPS...
Click to expand...

:) Yeah, I don't care about the hi-fi.

Just want to point out, that UPS doesn't have a connection to the PC. So if you need that then it won't work for you. The connection to the PC is just so Windows can shut down for you if needed.
Click to expand...

Will it switch to battery in time so I can shut down manually? Edit: I mean the one you linked to from wootware.
 
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Dm7 said:
Will it switch to battery in time so I can shut down manually? Edit: I mean the one you linked to from wootware.
Click to expand...

Yes, a UPS isn't dependant on the computer to switch and these UPSs have the best switching time in their price class.

The one Pada linked is offline unit, meaning it will supply power and when the power dips beyond a certain point switch to battery.
The one I linked is line interactive, if the power dips the UPS will correct it. If it cannot be corrected the UPS will switch to battery.

Eg. offline units cannot correct/condition the power, only switch between a battery and normal socket power.
 
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