Do I Need a UPS?

Phone Man said:

A big advantage with a UPS, it gives you time to save and close anything you are working on in case you loose power. On my power grid they use a 3 trip breaker. If it sees a problem it will trip and reset twice and stays off on the 3rd trip. Causes my power to flash before going off which electronics don't like.

I have one of these on all my systems. Has software to Hibernate or Shutdown your system before the battery runs low.

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Jim

Agree!
MM

One thing to remember: a UPS can fail. It can be as bad as a problem with power from the utility.

I say this not to discourage anyone from buying a UPS. I'm using one on my primary system right now. I believe that the risk trade-off is entirely favorable toward the UPS. It's worth remembering that it doesn't eliminate the need for backups and other forms of good computing hygiene.

Phone Man said:

A big advantage with a UPS, it gives you time to save and close anything you are working on in case you loose power. On my power grid they use a 3 trip breaker. If it sees a problem it will trip and reset twice and stays off on the 3rd trip. Causes my power to flash before going off which electronics don't like.

I have one of these on all my systems. Has software to Hibernate or Shutdown your system before the battery runs low.

https://www.amazon.com/APC-Battery-B...ds=apc+ups+750

Jim

There are various styles listed (I.e., 650VA, 750VA). Which style is right for me given my build? The link to my build is linked below, for your reference:

Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core, GeForce GTX 1080 8GB Founders Edition, HAF 912 USB3.0 ATX Mid Tower - Lighter Rig w/ New MSI Mobo - xlooks Saved Part List - PCPartPicker

It depends on what you want to spend. I have the 750 units as I have my PC, Monitor, Cable Modem, Router and a Wireless phone unit on mine and it will last about 20 min on batteries. I would think the 550 would work but the 750 is only $22 more.

Jim

Phone Man said:

It depends on what you want to spend. I have the 750 units as I have my PC, Monitor, Cable Modem, Router and a Wireless phone unit on mine and it will last about 20 min on batteries. I would think the 550 would work but the 750 is only $22 more.

Jim

Having 4 PCs, I decided to get a separate UPS for each so I could use the feature that turns on power to the monitor when it senses current draw from the PC. Very handy and one less device to turn off and on. I use multiple 550 units for the other stuff. APC loves me! That said I've been very pleased with how long the batteries last and BTW when you need to replace them you don't necessarily need to by the batteries from APC.

SoFine409 said:

Having 4 PCs, I decided to get a separate UPS for each so I could use the feature that turns on power to the monitor when it senses current draw from the PC. Very handy and one less device to turn off and on. I use multiple 550 units for the other stuff. APC loves me! That said I've been very pleased with how long the batteries last and BTW when you need to replace them you don't necessarily need to by the batteries from APC.

Batteries these days are very "proprietary".
Using 3rd-party/after-market/generic batteries may void one's warranty on the UPS.
Since it's the "guts" of the device, I would be leery of trying to save a few pennies with a cheaper battery.
APC has a battery replacement program that is pretty efficient.
But when the UPS gets to be old, I tend to replace the entire unit, not just the battery.
(I donate the older UPS units or dispose of them via proper channels.)
The UPS technology evolves (especially energy-efficiency), and the new unit will have both new hardware and a warranty.

Needless to say, each user must balance the real cost of new UPS devices against the "theoretical"/"real" cost of data lost due to a power problem.

Just my two cents and worth less.

Cheers,
MM

Phone Man said:

It depends on what you want to spend. I have the 750 units as I have my PC, Monitor, Cable Modem, Router and a Wireless phone unit on mine and it will last about 20 min on batteries. I would think the 550 would work but the 750 is only $22 more.

Jim

Well I want to connect my PC and monitor.. that's all. And again, for your reference into how much power my PC draws, below is my PC parts list. Let me know if I should buy a 550 or 750 unit based on this info. Thanks.

Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core, GeForce GTX 1080 8GB Founders Edition, HAF 912 USB3.0 ATX Mid Tower - Lighter Rig w/ New MSI Mobo - xlooks Saved Part List - PCPartPicker

xlook said:

Well I want to connect my PC and monitor.. that's all. And again, for your reference into how much power my PC draws, below is my PC parts list. Let me know if I should buy a 550 or 750 unit based on this info. Thanks.

Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core, GeForce GTX 1080 8GB Founders Edition, HAF 912 USB3.0 ATX Mid Tower - Lighter Rig w/ New MSI Mobo - xlooks Saved Part List - PCPartPicker

Looking at your power supply I think 750 is best. I agree with Phone Man that you could probably get by with 550 but your run time would be longer with the 750. The extra cost is so small its nothing, unless of course you don't have $22.

SoFine409 said:

Looking at your power supply I think 750 is best. I agree with Phone Man that you could probably get by with 550 but your run time would be longer with the 750. The extra cost is so small its nothing, unless of course you don't have $22.

I think you're right. I saw a used 750 unit selling on eBay. I think I'll buy that one.