Backup Power Supply

[888888]

Well, the power just went out for about an hour. Since I just plug my computer into a cheap surge protector, the computer went off immedietly. Luckily, I wasn't doing anything important, and nothing seems to have been damaged. Still, I imganie that if I was burning a DVDR or playing an unsaved game, this would have been very unpleasant. In other words, it is about time I get a backup power supply.

I found one for $26 on PriceWatch:
http://3btech.net/in32upspobar.html

Is this good? What do you guys think? Any suggestions?

[stiltman]

does your computer draw more than 180 watts?

personally, I wouldn't get anything but an APC with a consol connection. that way it will shut down your system nicely and not just a flip of the switch

[888888]

does your computer draw more than 180 watts?

Hmmm. I don't know really. I don't have any new GeForce card or case fans. Pretty basic system. Do I need some tester thingy to find out?

personally, I wouldn't get anything but an APC with a consol connection. that way it will shut down your system nicely and not just a flip of the switch

I am very new to the world of backups PSs (started today) so I am not sure what you are talking about. Doesn't a backup give you enough juice in the battery for you to safely turn it off yourself?

[sterno]

The "smart" backup devices have serial (some also use USB today) connectors and come with software that will shut your machine down for you automatically before the battery dies. That means your machine gets shut down nicely even if you're not there to do it yourself.

Buy an APC. They're pretty much an industry standard. If you watch for sales you'll probably find them for only a little more than the one you linked, which is made by some company I've never even heard of. This isn't the sort of thing where you should get the cheapest one you can find.

[redwudz]

I use just a basic 500VA, about 350W UPS (Interruptible Power Supply). It will run my computer, 17" monitor, etc. for about 8 minutes.

Has saved my ass quite a few times by allowing safe shutdown and exiting of programs. If you are burning a disk, probably kiss that off, but at least the files are safe.

It has a beeper that is loud enough to wake you up during power failures. Also a plus if your alarm clock quit working.

The APC type units are nice too. I believe they work with software through a USB port to automatically shut down the system.

Most UPSs are also great line filters and power conditioners, mine has the phone line going through it also.

I wouldn't worry about too big a unit, but IMO at least 400W is a good size to shoot for.

[888888]

The "smart" backup devices have serial (some also use USB today) connectors and come with software that will shut your machine down for you automatically before the battery dies. That means your machine gets shut down nicely even if you're not there to do it yourself.

Buy an APC. They're pretty much an industry standard. If you watch for sales you'll probably find them for only a little more than the one you linked, which is made by some company I've never even heard of. This isn't the sort of thing where you should get the cheapest one you can find.

Thanks for the info good buddy. I actually can't imagine a scenario where I will need my compuer to shut-off automatically. I am usually always 5 minutes away especially when burning DVDRs. Also, I don't want to use the special software because my system resources are hogged as is.

Any product suggestions for something that is cheap and doesn't have that feature. Basically, all I need is something that will power my computer for 5 minutes while I cancel my DVDR burn, save my programs, and shut down my computer in case of blackout.

[redwudz]

If you have a Staples or Office Depot nearby, check them. Every few weeks they have a sale and you can get a UPS for a decent price. You can check them over the net to see what is available. You want a unit that will power your computer and monitor for at least 5 minutes to give you time for an orderly shutdown.

[888888]

If you have a Staples or Office Depot nearby, check them. Every few weeks they have a sale and you can get a UPS for a decent price. You can check them over the net to see what is available. You want a unit that will power your computer and monitor for at least 5 minutes to give you time for an orderly shutdown.

All the ones I have seen on sites come with a USB or serial connection. Makes me wonder if that cheapo brand I posted first isn't alright.

[MeDiCo_BrUjO]

It also depends on the size of your monitor, I have a 19" Monitor and the first time power failed with my new UPS, My machine powered off after only 2 minutes. The monitor sucked up all the energy the UPS had.
Now I have 2 UPS's, one for the monitor and another for the CPU. I've tested them cutting the power and now they last 20 minutes.

[rallynavvie]

I picked up a Cyberpower 1500VA/950W unit. It can power two systems if I had a lesser one, but the two SMP machines would be a bit rough on the one so perhaps I'll get another for the Tyan. However the big UPS will power my main SMP machine and one of the 19" displays for just over an hour. I also have my router and DSL modem plugged into it. I really like the behemoth but I dropped $200 on it. I needed something that would last longer than just the 5-10 minutes most want because I get power outages occasionally and brown-outs just as often but they only last 15-30 minutes. I wish they'd just bury the lines already though. Another nice thing about mine is the voltage regulation. I share a circuit with an outside socket and when there are any power tools running on that socket it freaks the computer out. Not any more with the UPS.

If you're running XP you shouldn't have to worry about installing software to shut down your system. Most good UPS can use Window's UPS service. The built-in one is pretty basic but still effective. I use Cyberpower's since I can customize it more. Mine is set to shut down after 45 minutes of battery runtime. I wish I could set it to suspend so when powered on it would pick up where you left off. Now that would be a handy feature. I can do it with my laptop, dunno why it isn't possible with the desktop. It just writes RAM data to a hard disk and stores processes and stuff, right?

[808smokey]

A half way decent UPS is around $50

Mine last for about 10 minutes without AC power. I have both monitor and PC plugged into it.

With out the monitor it will last over 30 minutes.

Just have to set the software to save eveything shut it down

The best thing about an UPS...

It puts out perfect AC so your Power supply in the PC won't get beat up too much. My AC is terrible here it goes from 108 to 126 in a matter of seconds, it's all over the place. Without the UPS my monitor flickers constanly.

[tekkieman]

I've lost a couple of hard drives to flakey power. UPS is an absolute must. Far rather lose a $1.00 DVD than a $150.00 drive. When you don't need it, it seems like a waste of money compared to other things you may want, but the first time you need it, you're glad it's there.

[stiltman]

This will give you a rough idea on what you will need. Read the half load specs (same as in your link about as not under full load)
http://www.tripplite.com/selector/quick/Index.cfm?CFID=3263572&CFTOKEN=3581861

Also remember they are trying to up sell a little too
But at least it will get you moving in right direction

[sterno]

A battery backup without a serial/USB connector isn't necessarily bad, but that's gotten to be a standard feature even on most cheaper models so you aren't actually going to save money by getting one that doesn't have it. You don't have to use it if you don't want to. Most people I know don't bother because they're mainly worried about two things - avoiding the little dropouts that last just enough to reboot your machine, and having enough time to save currently-open work when there is a real outage.

[888888]

Thanks for everybody's help. I think I now know exactly what I need. I will be going to Best Buy soon and buy their cheapest one. It will probably be a BELKIN.

[888888]

Well, I finally bought a UPS. It is an "Energizer 450 VA Backup System"

http://www.energizerups.com/product.asp?productID=7

$40 at Staples. I did not bother installing the software or hooking up the USB. If the power goes out, I will just run.

[MeDiCo_BrUjO]

I think it will work just fine for what you need.

[888888]

So far so good- no blackouts

But today I realized I was being kind of stubborn not installing the software and USB connection, so I did. This is partly because I am going away from the city for a while and am leaving Bearshare on for a few days. Therefore, I won't be there to turn off the computer myself.


I'm glad I installed the software. Pretty useful info actually.