Is a UPS worth it for home use?

azibux1

azibux1

azibux1

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Hi all,

Just wondering, what are your views on the above?

I was reading an article the other day which mentioned that your surge protectors probably don't actually provide any surge protection anymore after a few surges/power outages.

I remember seeing a 'surge' light on my extension lead / power tower (Masterplug Power Tower/Surger Protector) which I got years ago, I checked it today and yes, the light is no longer lit (don't know how long it has been like this) which means it provides no other function other than being an extension lead.

What do you all think? Is a UPS worth it over the cost of a good surge protector?
 
I'd just get a surge protector - a PC powering off spontaneously shouldn't be a problem for it, just turns off and there's no power any more. However stopping a surge I think is more useful, should stop components being damaged :)
 
Shivy011 said:
I'd just get a surge protector - a PC powering off spontaneously shouldn't be a problem for it, just turns off and there's no power any more. However stopping a surge I think is more useful, should stop components being damaged :)
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Thanks for the info :) Makes sense

I should also add that the PC doesn't have any mechanical drives, they're all SSDs, so I'm guessing that makes power failures less of a problem? If I'm correct, a mechanical drive can get ruined by a power failure can it not? If the head happens to scratch the platter? Or is that not correct?
 
Hyburnate said:
All depends what you use your PC for.
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Just uni work, general stuff, including things I wouldn't want to lose... They are all backup up to a NAS in the house... If there's a power issue, I'm guessing that chances of it making the data on both the PC AND the NAS corrupt is quite slim?
 
azibux1 said:
Just uni work, general stuff, including things I wouldn't want to lose... They are all backup up to a NAS in the house... If there's a power issue, I'm guessing that chances of it making the data on both the PC AND the NAS corrupt is quite slim?
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With the uni work if the power goes out you might lose it depending on how often you save thats another use for the UPS ;)
 
azibux1 said:
I should also add that the PC doesn't have any mechanical drives, they're all SSDs, so I'm guessing that makes power failures less of a problem?
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Not necessarily - depends on the SSD, SSDs still have a cache that contains data that may not necessarily get written, potentially causing corruption.
Newer SSDs include a capacitor to ensure that the SSD is powered for a few seconds to ensure writes are completed.
 
Hmmm seems like there's advantages and disadvantages both ways then

+ :
Data is (nearly) definitely safe
Nice to have

- :
Expensive
Could be spending on something unnecessary

Hmm, I'll have to have a think

Keep any views/ideas coming please
 
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need not be expensive. plenty of refurb sellers out there, picked my APC smartUPS1500 (for my microserver and storage) for about 140.
 
I'll have to have a think about what I'd want plugged into it, then work out what spec of UPS I'd need.

Annoying because the NAS is downstairs and my PC is upstairs... Could move the NAS, but that means also moving the two USB printers connected to it (they're not network ready), and I don't want them in my room lol
 
Personally I wouldn't be without a UPS, too many little on/off flickers where I live and it adds peace of mind where files on both the pc and my nas are concerned.

You don't need to spend a lot if it's just for peace of mind, I'm using an apc back-UPS es 700va which costs about £80. Gives me a couple of minutes to save work and shut down if needed, that's just enough for me to tell if the power is staying off.
 
lsg1r said:
Personally I wouldn't be without a UPS, too many little on/off flickers where I live and it adds peace of mind where files on both the pc and my nas are concerned.

You don't need to spend a lot if it's just for peace of mind, I'm using an apc back-UPS es 700va which costs about £80. Gives me a couple of minutes to save work and shut down if needed, that's just enough for me to tell if the power is staying off.
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Hmmm this is the one I was looking at. Because I'm pretty sure my PC doesn't pull THAT much. 400W with monitors etc max when desktop use...
 
Hyburnate said:
Hmmm this is the one I was looking at. Because I'm pretty sure my PC doesn't pull THAT much. 400W with monitors etc max when desktop use...
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1 pc with monitor in my case pulls about 350w max at the plug.... I'm sure some might be higher, you could grab yourself one of those meters like I did :)

Frozennova said:
700Va gives around 12 mins runtime at 400watts
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I normally go 5mins before considering turning off and theres juice left so thats probably pretty accurate.
 
With the "back-up" style of UPS the PC runs on mains voltage all the time, the UPS only steps in if you have a power cut. A fully active UPS will power the PC from a built in inverter so isolating the load from spikes and surges. These are more expensive and add more power consumption.
 
Thanks malcolm :) I remember briefly reading something about there being 3 different types of UPS, two of which you've mentioned

I've decided just to get another surge protector for now (the one I was talking about in the other thread) :)

Thanks all
 
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