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Author Topic: PC Help: Uninterruptible Power Supply  (Read 2161 times)

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Kirosia

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PC Help: Uninterruptible Power Supply
« on: September 03, 2013, 03:08:23 PM »
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.
« Last Edit: September 03, 2013, 04:11:54 PM by Kirosia »
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shipsupt

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Re: PC Help: Uninterruptible Power Supply
« Reply #1 on: September 03, 2013, 07:08:22 PM »
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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Kirosia

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Re: PC Help: Uninterruptible Power Supply
« Reply #2 on: September 03, 2013, 09:00:18 PM »
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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DaveBSC

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Re: PC Help: Uninterruptible Power Supply
« Reply #3 on: September 03, 2013, 10:08:01 PM »
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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AstralStorm

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Re: PC Help: Uninterruptible Power Supply
« Reply #4 on: September 03, 2013, 11:09:15 PM »
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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Kirosia

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Re: PC Help: Uninterruptible Power Supply
« Reply #5 on: September 03, 2013, 11:50:44 PM »
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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Kirosia

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Re: PC Help: Uninterruptible Power Supply
« Reply #6 on: September 04, 2013, 09:31:43 PM »
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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DaveBSC

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Re: PC Help: Uninterruptible Power Supply
« Reply #7 on: September 04, 2013, 09:39:49 PM »
Quote from: Kirosia on September 04, 2013, 09:31:43 PM
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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Kirosia

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Re: PC Help: Uninterruptible Power Supply
« Reply #8 on: September 04, 2013, 09:42:30 PM »
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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DaveBSC

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Re: PC Help: Uninterruptible Power Supply
« Reply #9 on: September 04, 2013, 10:04:33 PM »
Quote from: Kirosia on September 04, 2013, 09:42:30 PM
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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