UPS woes

Tek7

Tek7

CGA President, Tribe of Judah Founder & President
Staff member
So the battery back-up I purchased in June 2010 started beeping today to let me know I needed to replace the battery. It's a APC Back-UPS RS 800.

I previously bought a APC Back-UPS 600 while it was on sale at Staples, thinking it would be good to have a backup and/or something to hook up for when I moved some of my equipment from the living room to the bedroom.

Trouble is, my computer has a 600W power supply, the RS 800 tech specs list 540W, and the 600 lists only 360W.

:(

I don't know how much load my computer puts on the UPS while running high-end games or software and I admit I'm not all that familiar with the wattage/voltage/amperage side of computers (other than knowing I needed a 600W power supply for my gaming rig when I updated).

I looked on Amazon and the APC BR1000G, which will support 600W, is listed at $118.99 shipped.

I then shopped around for replacement batteries for my RS 800 and it looks like they'll run ~$70.

I'm not too keen on dropping any more money than I need to to get my computer on a safe UPS that will safely keep it on battery backup in case of a brownout or blackout, even if I'm putting some stress on the system at the time.

So what do the experts among you recommend? Will the 600 suffice? (I'm assuming not.) Are there cheaper solutions I may have overlooked?

EDIT: This is the unit I'm leaning toward: CyberPower BRG1000AVRLCD UPS 1000VA/600W 10 Outlets AVR LCD USB Ports Mini Tower
 
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definitely not an expert.....

I have my 3 monitors and power sucking PC hooked up to a lower-than-needs-to-be UPS. When I loose power I have about 20 seconds for it to come back or I have to start the shutdown procedure. My UPS only last about 1 min before all the power is drained. I'd have to guess you would be in the same boat.
 
Sorry, I don't have the answer. But I am very interested in hearing the answer. This is a question I had myself before. Hopefully we have a resident engineer that can help us out here.
 
I just ordered the CyberPower BRG1000AVRLCD. I got tired of fixating on it and the reviews and CyberPower's brand reputation gave me enough confidence to make the purchase. I even sprung for the $10 2-year extended warranty.

Oy. I feel like my frugality is slipping...
 
It's those infants wearing you down :p . Quick ruffle through the couch for change to practice your penny pinching!
 
Hey we used to give the couch a shake down just to buy baby food. No penny pinching just dire need. The only problem with my ups is that the cats shut it off. It is tucked away behind everything in a narrow cat walk way.
 
I've never used a UPS for my home system. . .That's over 20 years of flying by the seat of my pants. I don't see a justification for their use outside of a professional environment.
 
Patriot said:
I've never used a UPS for my home system. . .That's over 20 years of flying by the seat of my pants. I don't see a justification for their use outside of a professional environment.
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I think Tek is just the extra security type. UPS is just an extension of a cautious character :).

For myself I wouldn't buy a UPS because I'm a poor boy and I've developed a nervous twitch over the years to compensate. One that presses ctrl-s every couple minutes :p . Of course my habit has it's own problems occasionally with redundant files and saving over things I sometimes shouldn't XD.
 
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The Mighty Gerbil said:
For myself I wouldn't buy a UPS because I'm a poor boy and I've developed a nervous twitch over the years to compensate. One that presses ctrl-s every couple minutes :p . Of course my habit has it's own problems occasionally with redundant files and saving over things I sometimes shouldn't XD.
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That's not a nervous twitch. That's a standard workflow when using Blender. :p
 
The Mighty Gerbil said:
I think Tek is just the extra security type. UPS is just an extension of a cautious character :).
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Yes indeed.

I FINALLY got to install the CyberPower UPS I bought. I bought it on 3/29 and I think it took me a week and a half to find a chunk of time to install it.

It looks like it has WAY more than enough juice to power what I have connected, so maybe it was indeed overkill. Nevertheless, it helps put my mind at ease that my gaming rig, wireless router, and U-Verse gateway are all on battery backup.
 
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