UPS info request

buachille

buachille

buachille

Associate
Joined
28 Dec 2004
Posts
757
Hi,

I am thinking of getting a UPS.

I have a 1000 watt psu, two 8800gtx running in sli, and high end intel quad core cpu, and 2 gig of ram. Plus the UPS will need to power a 30 inch dell monitor and 2 routers.

Will this do the business, or do i need something bigger. (In the event of a power cut all i want is time to save everything and shut down the computer, i am not bothered about keeping on working.)

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showp...5&subcat=&name=APC Back-UPS ES 700VA 230V UPS

Any replies appreciated.

Cheers
 
buachille said:
I have a 1000 watt psu, two 8800gtx running in sli, and high end intel quad core cpu, and 2 gig of ram. Plus the UPS will need to power a 30 inch dell monitor and 2 routers.
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Max load is around 500W.

And VA != W
So you need to check watt rating or if that isn't available multiply VA-rating by 0.55. (only good UPSes have power factor above 0.6)
I would suggest getting at least 1000VA model if you go for general accessory brand instead of big name UPS maker.
 
EsaT said:
Max load is around 500W.

And VA != W
So you need to check watt rating or if that isn't available multiply VA-rating by 0.55. (only good UPSes have power factor above 0.6)
I would suggest getting at least 1000VA model if you go for general accessory brand instead of big name UPS maker.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply. Going by the figures you give, a 1000VA model would not give me 1000 watts which is what my psu can put out. Does this not matter because the psu will not be running at full load on my system, or am I misunderstanding something?

Cheers
 
VA tells only maximum apparent power and is entirely useless because all switching mode PSUs above 75W power are required to have PFC.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_factor

Probable peak consumption (during gaming) is around 500W so that APC Back-UPS RS 800VA is smallest I would accept for that. (check specs precisely for actual power rating)
 
buachille said:
Thanks for your reply. Going by the figures you give, a 1000VA model would not give me 1000 watts which is what my psu can put out. Does this not matter because the psu will not be running at full load on my system, or am I misunderstanding something?

Cheers
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Power consumption under use is not your PSU rating, it'll be way under that. If you drop back to desktop your GTX will use less also. A 30" probably uses 200W? Then your PC probably 300W on idle?
 
I've had UPS' from a variety of manuf's over the years and the one thing i've learnt moreso than any other element in a system is that you only have one brand that is worth the money, if it doesn't come from APC you end up regretting it. No matter what the specs say or what someone else tells you about how good something else is APC's build quality, replacemnt battery availability and support wipes the floor with anyhting else. They are simply THAT good. If all you want i a few mins to shut down your rig then 800va+ should be more than enough.
 
Avalon said:
I've had UPS' from a variety of manuf's over the years and the one thing i've learnt moreso than any other element in a system is that you only have one brand that is worth the money, if it doesn't come from APC you end up regretting it. No matter what the specs say or what someone else tells you about how good something else is APC's build quality, replacemnt battery availability and support wipes the floor with anyhting else. They are simply THAT good. If all you want i a few mins to shut down your rig then 800va+ should be more than enough.
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yeah, apc is the only manufacturer i am considering. Just wondering if it's worth it. I've been running computers now for about 6 years and I've never had a data loss due to a power cut.

However, I am still thinking it would be a wise move to make.
 
I've never had a data loss due to a power cut.
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I would have- was moving data across the LAN and burning off a disc. Not good for the hard drives either. Another time was updating Windows. It's not only data loss but also protection, how much exactly is your quad core, SLI, 30" system worth? I've got two PC's, two LCD monitors, and a 50" Pioneer plasma connected to the UPS.
 
badbob said:
Power consumption under use is not your PSU rating, it'll be way under that. If you drop back to desktop your GTX will use less also. A 30" probably uses 200W? Then your PC probably 300W on idle?
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2xG80 draws 140W for doing nothing (lousy design!) and something like 50W for rest makes that 200W, now because of entirely oversized PSU efficiency probably hangs at 80% so that's ~250W for PC.
To top of it that size TFT takes fair 100W at minimum:
http://www.digitalversus.com/duels.php?ty=6&ma1=88&mo1=316&p1=3023&ma2=88&mo2=237&p2=2302&ph=14
(big LCDs don't have any more environmentally friendly power draw than common size CRTs of their time)

Highest power draw will be during gaming even though CPU won't be reaching its peak (games barely use two cores fully) so that's 260W for graphic cards, and maybe fair 100W for rest. Now PSU might even achieve something like 85% efficiency so draw might be 450W before adding monitor to that.



Avalon said:
I've had UPS' from a variety of manuf's over the years and the one thing i've learnt moreso than any other element in a system is that you only have one brand that is worth the money, if it doesn't come from APC you end up regretting it.
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And exception approves the rule...
In one PC training event when there was talk about UPSes I mentioned importance of getting quality UPS like APC... Then one other trainer said he had had APC failing seriously, bbut no problems with cheap brand Musteks to which I wouldn't trust.
(I'm sure APC is eager to change batteries, they're sure making h*ll of a profit with that)

APC, Eaton-Powerware and MGE all make lot of server/enterprise UPSes. APC and MGE are both owned by Schneider and APC's data center product line has been extended with MGEs. MGE's office/server UPS department was merged to Eaton-Powerware. So how clear differences between them sound?

And VAs don't power anything, maybe except pointer of ampere meter so forget them.
 
The thing is every issue i've had with another UPS brand has been an utter pita to sort out. On the rare occasion a APC unit has failed i've normally got a replacment on site before 'other' brands have managed to issue an RMA much less collect the offending bit of kit.

Where I work suffers power outages, brown out's and spikes at least monthly (very roural area), the voltage spikes are several times a day, so for us it's essential, in the city where I live i'd be unlucky to see more than one outage every two years so less of an issue, but then again I have mains surge protection.
 
You would need something like This when using a 1000watt PSU, simply because, when your computer shuts down the PSU draws it full power, ie. almost 1000watts, so if you have a too low rated UPS, it simply is unable to cope with the power demands from the PSU when the computer is shutting down, so the computer simply reboots and comes on again....
 
jbloggs said:
You would need something like This when using a 1000watt PSU, simply because, when your computer shuts down the PSU draws it full power, ie. almost 1000watts, so if you have a too low rated UPS, it simply is unable to cope with the power demands from the PSU when the computer is shutting down, so the computer simply reboots and comes on again....
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that psu is the one i've been looking at. bit expensive, but i suppose it is cheaper than the consequences of a complete pc disaster.
 
buachille said:
that psu is the one i've been looking at. bit expensive, but i suppose it is cheaper than the consequences of a complete pc disaster.
Click to expand...

Same one I've got. If you've got more than one PC it's worthwhile, as it has broadcast message plus remote shut down feature.
 
jbloggs said:
You would need something like This when using a 1000watt PSU, simply because, when your computer shuts down the PSU draws it full power, ie. almost 1000watts, so if you have a too low rated UPS, it simply is unable to cope with the power demands from the PSU when the computer is shutting down, so the computer simply reboots and comes on again....
Click to expand...

Where did you get that idea from ? Your PSU could be 1.21 gigawatts and if it's only powering a 50w system that's all it will draw. It may however be beneficial if you can combine it with a flux capacitor and get it to 88miles per hour :)
 
Higher power UPSes, especially sinewave ones, have often fans which can run all the time so how's that APC, badbob?
(those fans aren't often tweaked for quiet home use but for server use)



BTW, One UPS from AEC and Tecnoware has been banned here in Finland because of safety deficiencies so those might avoidable brands.


jbloggs said:
...when using a 1000watt PSU, simply because, when your computer shuts down the PSU draws it full power, ie. almost 1000watts, so if you have a too low rated UPS, it simply is unable to cope with the power demands from the PSU when the computer is shutting down, so the computer simply reboots and comes on again....
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Like Avalon said: Stop spreading BS everywhere and go to toilet instead.

Rough power requirements are in my previous post and only parts really stressed during shutdown are HDD and memory which are one of the least consuming parts in PC.
And if UPS shutdowns because of overload you can be sure PC won't reboot!
 
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Higher power UPSes, especially sinewave ones, have often fans which can run all the time so how's that APC, badbob?
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I'm sitting here about 1' from the Smart UPS and fan not spinning. It only switches on when in battery mode or charging. It is darn loud when it's on, but since it's on during power failure which is rare I can forgive it for that time period. Would be unnacceptable if the fan was on 24/7.
 
I have a belkin 1200va/670watts ups, and had it for 2yrs and the reason I bought is cos the power would trip off in our house at least every 2day, like sometime the power would trip 2 or 3 times a day. My ups never failed once to kick in when the power failed, I could say the ups has been a life saver, cos I guess my pc would have died pretty soon with the power off and on like a yoyo

About 3weeks ago we had the electric fixed and it hasnt been off once so far, but Im still using the ups cos its protecting me in otherways like.....
AVR (Automatic Voltage Regulation)
Protecting me from surges..... Apparntly the belkin 1200va ups can kill a 39.000.000 watt surge, yes 39.000.000watt., Ive even checked that with belkin and its true. So it should handle a bad thunderstorm no probs.

Heres what Ive got plugged into my ups:
PC
monitor
mouse
logi z680 speakers
printer/scanner
router
phone
2 external hdd
media player

All that switched on with pc at full load altogether Id say it would use about 350-400watts, cos the computer and monitor on its own at ide uses 180watts.

Remember guys a good qual ups on its own will use about 40watts or so, cos its continuously monitoring the power.
 
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EsaT said:
Higher power UPSes, especially sinewave ones, have often fans which can run all the time so how's that APC, badbob?
(those fans aren't often tweaked for quiet home use but for server use)
Click to expand...

My ups stays on 24/7 and it hasnt got a fan, but it only gets warm, and it gets warmer then normal when it needs to recharge the batts, or when its on battery mode.
 
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my apc rs-1500 has a fan but the fan only come on when its on battery back up mode.

it can put out 865 watts my pc on my signature inlcuding monitor dreaw 140 watts when surfing net.
 
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