What rated UPS do I need to help cope with brown outs?

[Noel 4,501]

I'm looking for the least-rated UPS that will protect against brief brown outs. I turn my machine off when not in use (have for 15y now and am not interested in the discussion of turn off versus no turn off), so don't need (I think) a UPS that can keep the machine running off AC power for more that super brief periods. I have a 750W PS but max rated use for my components probably comes in in the high 500's to mid 600's tops. Again, don't need anything that can keep the beast running for several minutes, just want something that can buffer brief brownouts when I am using the computer.What do you know?Noel

[Guest stabile007]

How much are you willing to spend? Also what size monitor and what hardware needs to be attached to the unit? What are your other specs?

[Noel 4,501]

>How much are you willing to spend?The least amount and still have brown out protection, as in brief brown outs and surges.

[Guest stabile007]

Still need the rest of the specs. What parts that are in your PC determines how long a PSU can last. Also how long does it need to last. The least you can spend will probably give you 30 seconds of use if that's sufficient then there you go. Unfortunately you need to be pretty specific when it comes to PSU's. 2 extra minutes of life from a PSU can cost like $100 more in some cases it all depends on the computer and what needs to be connected to it.

[Noel 4,501]

Hmmm. Not sure what more you need. I would say when a brown-out occurs, it occurs for just a second or less, and I would also say that at the time it occurs, my PC is using around 700W max, including the LCD screen that is plugged into the same surge protector. I keep trying to explain I don't need the ability to maintain power for more than these brief lapses in my regular 110v power source--i just need a brief second of power be maintained when the main power source browns for brief second, that's it, a brief second. So, it needs to maintain 700W max for a brief second, to buffer these very brief brownouts, that's it. What I'm looking for is a power source that can BUFFER brief brownouts that occur when a high amp appliance cycles on and off. Ideally my PC should perhaps be on a different circuit in my house, it's just that that is not as posssible as picking up a device (UPS? high end surge protector?) that can help it cope with a power source that can become briefly overloaded, that's all.

[Guest ziporama]

To effectively deal with brownouts or surges, you really need a UPS with an inverter, meaning, one like this:wall power (100-140VAC) -> A/C to D/C redressor -> charge 24V battery -> D/C to A/C inverter @120VAC -> PCThe cheaper models give you a square A/C wave, the more expensive, a sine wave (similar to what comes in to the wall). I'm yet to be convinced a sine wave is superior to a square wave when it comes to current generation power supplies. Both work in my experience.The fact you always go to DC and back to AC also better handles surges you typically would get because the output power always goes through the DC system. The battery adds power when in a brownout, and since you always go through DC, you don't get a surge either. This makes inverters much safer than the $10 surge protector strip (in my experience anyway). I don't have the joule rating of a UPS, but it's probably far better than your typical surge suppressor strip.The cost of the UPS seems directly related to the size/number of batteries (UPS runtime - the number of minutes the unit can provide 120VAC under load) and the capacity to handle the load, which is measured in volt-amps, which is not exactly watts because there is quite a bit of loss. Why we can't have UPS measured in watt equivalent is always a mystery to me because you can compute one from the other, but just know that a typical 1500VA will only power up to 900 to 1000W of load. Another tidbit is that the higher the VA, the more robust the capacitors in the unit, and the better the ability to handle the variations in input power. I had an APC 1500VA get hit by 480 volts in an office environment a few years back thanks to electrical work being done, the rear of the UPS disintegrated in plastic goo, but the equipment was fully protected and didn't miss a beat.What I would do is get a UPS that has little battery life but good enough electronics to handle incoming power fluctuations. I have very good experience with an APC smart-UPS 1500s, bought used (had to replace a battery), and more recently, a rather cheap Belkin 1500VA (review here http://www.extremeoverclocking.com/reviews...WRK_UPS_1.html) that does the job splendidly for brownouts. I have my systems shutdown immediately if there is a power outage. As long as the battery lasts the few of minutes it takes to shutdown, good to go.Hope this helps,Etienne

[Chuck_B 2]

My adivce is: don't go for the minimum needed when it comes to protecting your power supply, even though it may be cheap. Like you I am more concerned that the wattage be there during nomral use and that the power being delivered is c-l-e-a-n and even, and most importantly, plentiful.I just bought this one last week -- at CircuitCity it was less than 130 USD on sale -- and it is awesome. << http://www.apc.com/resource/include/techsp...total_watts=200 >>I'm using it to fully power 2 computers and 4 flat panel monitors, stereo speakers with subwoofer, an external HD, and a network switch for 3 computers. Power delivery to my computers is smooth and the LCD is great to let me know what my systems are drawing at all times. I bought it just in time, too. We had three severe thunder storms over the weekend with lights flashing and dimming at various times and I never lost a bit of my flights. And I fly with a TON of memory dependent addons, many of which are going across my networkd via WideFS, so a good strong, dependable power supply is essential to me.Make sure you shop around though. It seems at any given time these are on drastic sale, at least lately in the United States they are.

[Guest stabile007]

Yeah the ones that were posted would probably all do the job and they would supply the necessary wattage your PC would need and they did a good job explaining why you need what they said. But basically I was just trying to figure out how many watts you needed that's why I was curious to the specs.

[Noel 4,501]

Thank you all for your thoughts and recommendations. I'm shopping right now so hopefully can nail down a good price. It looks like the 1300 and 1500 APCs can be had for under $200, which seems pretty reasonable. Noel

[Guest harleyman52]

Get the 1500 UPS from best Buy.....The one with AVR...That is what you are after...Automatic Voltage regulation......Thats what I use and the lights can dim and flash all day but the computer power stays clean and constant....

[Chuck_B 2]

1500 may be overkill and not worth the extra money. The 1300 will be fine.