CHANGSTAR: Audiophile Headphone Reviews and Early 90s Style BBS
Non-Audio Stuff => The Geek Cave: Home Theatre, Computers, and More! => Topic started by: Kirosia on September 03, 2013, 03:08:23 PM
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1) I've been using an APC ES 550 (330W) for half a decade.
2) My Seasonic 430w S12-II PSU is having problems with the UPS. Unable to switch over to battery during spikes/outages, etc. No "replace battery" red light, all green.
3) From what I've read the issue is likely too much power draw (the PC/UPS have shutoff twice during heavy gaming) and/or the PSU being Active PFC.
So... should buy a new UPS? I don't need the battery backup, but I don't want abrupt shutdowns damaging my computer/the OS. Looking at the APC SMC1500, since I also keep my other electronic equipment plugged in.
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How often do you have power outages? If it's very infrequent perhaps just some surge protection will keep you safe?
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My building's power is crud, not grounded properly or something. I've had spikes kill numerous electronics and brief outages are a bit too common. It wasn't until I bought an APC ES 550 that Gotham was mostly safe again.
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A 330W UPS is nowhere NEAR enough headroom for a 430W PSU, which would have a maximum wall power draw of somewhere around 480W. If you want to stay with a UPS you should have one that's at least 600W, and it should be pure sine wave. Active PFC computer supplies don't like being fed a "simulated" wave.
If you're just concerned about surges and spikes, you might want to look into something like a PS Audio Duet instead. Those things can take a ton of abuse from crappy power, and will keep downstream equipment safe, and they have effectively no limit in terms of power draw.
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If you have cash to spare, go for an online UPS. (as in not offline and not line-interactive) Such UPSes return a very clean sine wave as they have a full rectifier and inverter setup. They are quite a bit more expensive, you'd pay about $500 for a 600W/1000VA one (APC Smart-UPS SC 1000VA RM 2U, tried and true for finicky servers) which would last you 20-30 minutes tops.
Also do get a high quality surge protector, they're cheap too. Better that it goes than an expensive UPS.
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Looked at the line conditioners (APC/Tripp-Lite) and Online UPS- the noise. I have a quiet PC, and I've read that both can be quite noisier than a UPS. And the maintenance of an Online UPS (the battery costs specifically) would likely be too much.
I only need the UPS to last long enough for me to shut off my PC safely. I'm considering a refurb Smart-UPS SMT1500 or a new Cyberpower Sinewave 1500va, though I'm wary of the latter. Could still pick up a line conditioner down the... line, but I'd have to plug it in another room and use an extension.
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Would a 500w UPS be enough for my gaming PC and a few electronics (dac/amp, monitor, etc.)? Battery runtime isn't a major concern. A refurb APC Smart-UPS 750va is going for $150.
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Would a 500w UPS be enough for my gaming PC and a few electronics (dac/amp, monitor, etc.)? Battery runtime isn't a major concern. A refurb APC Smart-UPS 750va is going for $150.
500W is cutting it awfully close, especially if you have other components you need to power as well. I'd suggest picking up a kill-a-watt or similar device to see what your actual power draw is (just run wPrime and 3Dmark at the same time or something to tax your system to the absolute limit) and see where you are.
I would NOT suggest running audio components through a UPS.
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My Schiit Bifrost and Asgard for some reason won't plug into the "surge protection only" inputs of my current UPS, so I have to connect them to the battery backup portion. Don't know why.
So... might as well opt for the ~900 watt UPS? I do have a Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. Just looked at the power draw charts for them, pretty substantial. Damnit. Waiting for Upsforless to get back to me with some answers before I can pull the trigger on the SMT1500va, nothing yet. Could be because of Labor Day week.
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My Schiit Bifrost and Asgard for some reason won't plug into the "surge protection only" inputs of my current UPS, so I have to connect them to the battery backup portion. Don't know why.
So... might as well opt for the ~900 watt UPS? I do have a Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. Just looked at the power draw charts for them, pretty substantial. Damnit. Waiting for Upsforless to get back to me with some answers before I can pull the trigger on the SMT1500va, nothing yet. Could be because of Labor Day week.
Honestly you're better off running the audio stuff straight out of the wall, or if that makes you too nervous, a surge protector. The power that comes out of the battery fed sockets of most UPS models is pretty ugly in terms of noise. Uglier than straight out the wall.
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Alright, just ordered a CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD (900W). 5 batter backup inputs, 5 surge only for my audio equipment, etc. I know it's cheaper than the APC, but I just don't need the long runtime, and I've spent way too much cash in the past few months. If it doesn't pan out, I'll be sure to get APC's in the future.
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I love my CyberPower UPS. Mine's a true sine wave model. Let me go check the model...
...checking...
...it's the 850PFCLCD. I've had it for 1.5 yrs. It's got tons of features and more juice than I need. It was like $120 and has a battery that's easy to find when it needs to be replaced.
Cool thing I do with it is run my internet (LoS radio) and VoIP phone on it so when the neighborhood has a power problem, I'm still rolling for a while.
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So I think you made a super duper good choice with your UPS. It checks all the boxes:
- Pure Sine Wave
- High Wattage
- Low Voltage Boost
- High Voltage Trim - Battery Independent!
- Available Battery Model
- Diagnostic Screen
- Useful Software
Here's my setup in my "office" downstairs... and I don't even plug in any audio stuff to it. Shame on me. :-[
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2854/9681614291_ed4949545b.jpg)
Left to Right: above the old keyboard is my Line-of-Sight Radio internet stuff, then on the shelf is my UPS, my HP MicroServer running WHS2011 with a couple TB of storage, my wireless router sits on top, my external hard drive in a Vantec enclosure, my Canon multifunction printer managed by the server. It's a rockin' setup for the connected home. headbang
Based on my experience with the UPS, you'll love yours unless you get a lemon.
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I'm still paranoid that I didn't get the APC, but the Cyberpower has more inputs, a smaller footprint, and was just much cheaper. Really hope I don't regret it, I mean, my APC ES550 is pretty low-end, and has kept my electronics safe for years. The Cyberpower should be a significant step up.
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reviving a zombie thread - does anyone have experience with extending home wifi networks? any firmware pointers?
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Extending range? Newer routers these days have pretty good reach unless you live in a castle. Or run cable to an old router and create access points.
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The wirecutter has a good article on Wi-Fi extenders here: http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-wi-fi-extender/
Though you just might want to buy a couple of hotspots and spread them throughout the house.