Computer hardware and software
Uninterruptible power supply question?
Question : Uninterruptible power supply question?
Hi, Im looking for a Uninterruptible power supply, but I dont understand the watts part that each of them have. Some say 300, 500, or 1000 ect. I dont want to buy one that wont work with the desktop. Any recommendations and info you could give me? I heard something also about if you use more than the watts it says it will overload or something like that.
Thanks, Mike.
uninterruptible power supply
Best answer:
Answer by iam_dsb
The numbers normally correspond to the length of ‘uptime’, any UPS will work, the more expensive ones with have direct link to the PC so where theres a power failure, it will shutdown Windows for you to prevent data lost.
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#2 written by nevserve 1 year ago
UPS are good way to protect you machine from power failure.
The higher the watts (VA) the longer the UPS will keep you computer powered after a power failure.Get a UPS that is rated in VA not Watts if possible.
Watts = current (I) or AMPS x Volts.
So if you PC draws ONE amp at 240v then it is rated at 240Watts. which almost the same as VA, don’t worry about the difference.
The thing is that a UPS main function is to power a device long enough so that it can be power down in a controlled manner, most if not all UPS have a connection either by USB or serial cable via some software to do this.
So for a Desktop computer a 300VA UPS will do, if you use the software to power down automatically after a power failure.
On the other hand, if you are using a UPS to power a mission critical server, use a very large UPS 2000VA this will hopefully power a single server for about 3- 5 hours and hopefully power is restored by then. Most large companies use very large UPS 10000VA and a generator to solve this problem.
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I got two UPS one each for my desktop PCs. I only use 500 VA as they are reasonable in price for a home setting. The runtime is about 2 minutes from the cut in supply just enough time to shut down the pc. It will auto save your documents for a graceful shutdown (tested it out). If you’re running a business, then you should get a huge one. I know those APC UPS brands that are sold are not what I want from a UPS because the peripherals cost too much, you need special mains cables to connect to the rear of the UPS and also to your equipment and it cost too much. A good brand I am using is Powerware by Eaton. They’re excellent and good value for money. Have had these two for more than 2 years without battery replacement. Also, they come with the software that shuts the PC down if the current is interrupted. The only big problem with my Powerware 5100 is that I can’t switch users in the windows interface as it tends to crash the PC. It’s the software part of the UPS but apart from that, everything works a charm.