UPS opinion

[VanTheMan]

Would the CyberPower CP485SL/AE485 be a good UPS for my system? All I want to do is have enough time to safely shut down and protect my computer from dirty power. Since I can get it for $20 it seems like a pretty good deal.

A8N-SLI
Athlon 64 3200+
GeForce 7600GT
2x HDDs
Enermax EG425P-VE 2.0 420W

CyberPower CP485SL

 

[Navid]

Don't forget you want to power your monitor with it too. So, you need to take the power of your monitor into account too.

I would not get that. It is only 260W. Assuming you have an LCD, that leaves only 200W for the PC.

 

[VanTheMan]

Oh, I don't want to power my monitor with it. I'm not really concerned about my monitor not being on a UPS since I have a pile of monitors that are all good enough for me.

 

[Navid]

Originally posted by: VanTheMan
Oh, I don't want to power my monitor with it. I'm not really concerned about my monitor not being on a UPS since I have a pile of monitors that are all good enough for me.

All I want to do is have enough time to safely shut down and protect my computer

So, how are you going to power the monitor to see what you are doing (close applications, save unsaved files, etc.) while you are shutting down your computer?

 

[VanTheMan]

My main purpose for a UPS is to protect the computer from dirty power. I can shut down my computer with Windows Key, U, U. The only thing I do on my computer that I would care about saving is some editing with Premier, but it auto-saves or I can always press Ctrl+S. I'm pretty much just wondering if this UPS will be sufficient to stop bad power from getting to my computer.

 

[Operandi]

According to Newegg your PSU has no PFC which will significantly shorten the run time.

I also don't know about the CyberPower brand (are they reputable?), APC has great deals on refurbished units through their factory direct store.

 

[Navid]

Originally posted by: VanTheMan
My main purpose for a UPS is to protect the computer from dirty power. I can shut down my computer with Windows Key, U, U. The only thing I do on my computer that I would care about saving is some editing with Premier, but it auto-saves or I can always press Ctrl+S. I'm pretty much just wondering if this UPS will be sufficient to stop bad power from getting to my computer.

OK.

You can even install a software utility to automatically shut down the PC when there is a power loss.

What do you mean exactly by bad power?
This UPS provides power to your PC directly from the outlet unless when the line voltage drops below a threshold. Then, the battery kicks in.

 

[MichaelD]

CyberPower is good to go. I have two of their big units, the AVR1250. They are very old now (8 years) and the batteries are done for, but the AVR function still works great.
The batteries lasted a long time too. I'd buy the brand again in a heartbeat.

BTW, I had no idea that WindowsKey/U opened up the speech/narrator program. I learned something today.

 

[pkme2]

I have a Cyberpower 1250 VAR.(6yrs old) We have had so many brownouts in March that UPS Backups were sold out at our local Costco and Walmart.

My students and clients bought Cyberpower and when brownouts re-occurred in April, their computers survived, protected by CyberPower AVR.

Cyberpower AVR Automatic Voltage Regulator
Cyberpower Home

 

[VanTheMan]

I'm not too worried about the run time. I'm assuming it's going to be at least 3 minutes or so. According to CyberPower's website, this particular model does not have AVR. Will that make a big difference? By bad power, I mean power with fluctuations. I read that some UPSes come with software to automatically save and shutdown, but are there apps that will work with any UPS?

 

[pkme2]

In many old surburbs, the electrical line power has a tendency to fluctuate and the AVR really protects against drops in voltage, thereby protecting your computer's operation.
It also protects against line spikes that could devastate your system. We are here to suggest what could protect your system, its up to you what you do with it.

 

[Navid]

Originally posted by: VanTheMan
I'm not too worried about the run time. I'm assuming it's going to be at least 3 minutes or so. According to CyberPower's website, this particular model does not have AVR. Will that make a big difference? By bad power, I mean power with fluctuations. I read that some UPSes come with software to automatically save and shutdown, but are there apps that will work with any UPS?

It is the voltage that may fluctuate.
AVR is a good thing. But, a lot of it is just marketing. You may think that because you have AVR on your UPS, the voltage given to your PC is always 120V. That is not always true. The AVR on a lot of UPS units does not kick in until the voltage has dropped below a certain threshold. I once saw one with a threshold of 108V!

It all depends on how sensitive the equipment powered by the UPS is. A typical home PC should be fine with a standby type UPS with no AVR.

I still think that this is too small. Also keep in mind that a UPS battery ages fast. The run time advertised is always for a new battery. And it may be for the UPS at half load. Read the manual carefully for the definition of the run time.

If you run windows XP, you can use it to set up the APC control to shut down in case of power loss. You won't even need to install any software for that. You just need to make sure that the UPS can get connected to the PC. These days, that is done through USB.

 

[VanTheMan]

I used the APC calculator to determine what UPS would best suit me. I selected mini-tower, 16-17 inch monitor, Athlon 64, 3 hard drives, 20% power for future expansion and 5 minutes run time during power failure. It selected the APC BACK-UPS ES 8 Outlet 500VA 120V which is fairly comparable to the UPS I'm asking about. It says I would be at 68% of maximum capacity and have 9 minutes of run time. The options I selected for the calculator were more than I would be putting on the UPS. What other UPSes would you guys recommend I check out for comparison?

 

[Navid]

1- That APC unit is a 300W unit. The CyberPower one you are considering is a 260W unit.

2- This is the runtime chart for a few APC units including the 500VA one (the forth one in the chart). It shows the runtime as a function of the power used. As you can see, for a 300W power usage, the runtime is only 4 minutes. As I said before, this is for a brand new battery.

3- I do not trust that calculator even though it is on the APC web site.
APC has the best UPS units. But, they do marketing too!

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

IDK, it's all your call. A decent UPS w/AVR will cost $80~$150.

If you live in an area where lightning strikes are common, look for a high joule rating.
I would think 1200 or better. Be careful of NOS sales (new old stock) because batteries
that have been inactive for long periods of time will sulfate. This reduces capacity and
run time. Battery life is also shortened. Look to a volume dealer/vendor w/free shipping.
Some buy from a B&M to avoid high shipping costs.

Three months ago I bought my second Belkin, a 1500 this time, for $120 shipped. After
charging for 24 hours it was tested with a 500W halogen shop lamp. It supported it on
battery for 5.5 minuets. Belkin is good enough for me but there are better more expensive
units out there.


...Galvanized

 

[Navid]

You can buy an APC UPS from anywhere no matter how long it has been sitting!

Bring it home; hook it up and let it charge following the instruction manual. Then, hook up a 100W lamp to it and unplug the UPS. Time it and find out exactly how long it takes for the critical alarm to come on. Compare your measurement to the runtime chart on the APC web site. If it is any shorter, call them. They will send you another one with a postage paid label. Put the old one in the box and ship it back to them.

I highly recommend APC.

 

[pkme2]

Cyberpower CP1200AVR

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

OP, for on the cheap. A used APC from eBay w/o batteries would be do able. Then just
buy new batteries. The batteries are probably 75% of the shipping weigth. Many have
done well this way.


...Galvanized

 

[VanTheMan]

There's an enormous radio tower about six or seven hundred yards from my house, so lightning strikes aren't a concern. Cost is the main factor for me here because I'm trying to decide whether or not I can justify spending a lot of money on a UPS since I've already gone over budget building this computer . I definitely can't spend $80-100. I was interested in the aforementioned CyberPowerUPS because Staples is having a sale and they're $20. My housemates don't have UPSes and their computers are fine. What would be a good model APC for me to look for on ebay? Would I have to buy batteries online and then have them shipped to me? Thank you guys for your patience and assistance.

 

[PsYcHoCoW]

I've done some testing with an UPS equipped with AVR. When RMS voltage hit ~110V, the AVR kicks in, upping the voltage to about 135V... the AVR is just a transformer tap that has a ratio of more than 1:1. The noise and harmonic frequencies are present on both sides of the AVR (and even amplified on the "protected" side of the AVR).

Since there's only one other transformer tap for the AVR, it basically works as an on/off boost ; I would have loved to see a feature promising so much to compensate progressively. In my testing, the AVR initially switched on at 110V and made the ouput voltage 136V... the target being 120V, it actually worsened the situation.

My take on the situation: dirty electricity, and whatever harmonics that may be present on the signal, are just going to get filtered by capacitors in the computer, and the regulators inside the power supply are going to do their job anyway.

I use a UPS at home, but I think an AVR is not worth it.