Need Help Choosing Uninterruptible Power Supply

[NinjaNife]

Hey guys. After 10 power outages this year (and 4 Windows installation corruptions because of them), I am looking for a new UPS, and would like some help choosing. I have done some searching myself, and have come up with two possibilities, but since I don't have much experience with them I am open to any others you might suggest.

Here are the two (using Newegg pages so you can easily view the specs and such):

CyberPower Intelligent LCD Series GreenPower UPS C...

APC BR1500G 1500 VA 865 Watt 10 Outlets Power Savi...

I don't need this to be able to hold up my computer for very long; perhaps 5min at the most. All I need it to do is be able to hold up my computer for around 2-5min and then shut it down automatically (both should be able to do that via the USB connections). Ability to save open documents is preferred but not required.. Any ideas on this? Thanks for your help.


Brendan "NinjaNife" West

P.S.
I know neither of these matches with the max draw for my PSU, but there is no way my PC uses 1200W lol. Also I do not need my monitors to be connected to the UPS, just the PC (since all it will be doing is shutting down instead of just losing power).

 

[Neuromancer]

No idea on the UPS but MS office auto saves, so open documents should not be a problem on non user shutdowns, you can probably even change the save periodicity. Or with OOO if thats what you use.

 

[kciaccio]

Tough choice. I use both companies right now. The APC tower from 2005 with the original battery and still has 25 minutes of power after outage.

The Cyberpower one I have is from 2008 and is holding up well.

So far all I can say is the APC has a long life span on the battery longevity.

Cyberpower might, but since it is three years newer I can't come to that conclusion yet.

They both employ good software monitoring programs. Even though they are from 2005 and 2008 they both work well on my Windows 7 machine which tells you both companies keep up with their drivers.

Whichever you choose they will serve you well.

 

[whitrzac]

I bought a used one with a dead batt, then soldered alligator clips on it to use with a pair of large marine batts


I haven't tested it, but I don't doubt I could go 30+min...

 

[NinjaNife]

So nobody thinks one is better than the other? Even quality or something? I know that the APC can get an additional battery extension, but not sure about the CyberPower.. If you guys were getting one, what would you get? One of these, or another?

 

[Neuromancer]

Are they both NiMh? (cant believe I did not think of it before) same price point probably same thing.

NiMh has more charge cycles in it. Lipo has more charge in it per cycle.

 

[NinjaNife]

Are they both NiMh? (cant believe I did not think of it before) same price point probably same thing.

NiMh has more charge cycles in it. Lipo has more charge in it per cycle.

No clue.. Doesn't say for either one lol. I also found this one, which is Pure-Sine (I was told some PSU warranties are voided unless you use one of these):

CyberPower CP1350PFCLCD UPS 1350VA / 810W PFC co...

I kinda like that one, especially if any other will void my 7-Year PSU warranty


*EDIT*
So nobody has any idea if APC is better than CyberPower? Since they seem to be two of the biggest brands I was hoping someone would have an opinion

 

[Neuromancer]

You know it would be great if someone came up with a UPS PSU.

that is instead of taking an AC current converting it to DC for storage, converting it back to AC for your PSU, which converts it back to DC for your PC, they should have a UPS that has the 24 pin/ 8 pin and PCIE/peripheral adapters and enough cabling to plug into your pc

 

[slyfox2151]

You know it would be great if someone came up with a UPS PSU.

that is instead of taking an AC current converting it to DC for storage, converting it back to AC for your PSU, which converts it back to DC for your PC, they should have a UPS that has the 24 pin/ 8 pin and PCIE/peripheral adapters and enough cabling to plug into your pc

effectively an external PSU with onboard battery backup ?




only in-line UPS's work that way... the cheaper method is to use an Off-line UPS witch only uses the battery when it needs to.... you miss out on some benefits such as power smoothing.

 

[GREASEMONKEY]

Actually i have both of those.I can't really expand on the cyberpower a whole lot though.All it does is keep my modem and router powered up during and outage so i dont lose my network settings.

The APC unit however get's quite a workout.I've had it for around a year now,and it's been put to use at least a dozen times this last winter.It has TWOD) overclocked quad core amd machines hooked up to it along with a powered KVM and a 24" monitor.The display and software says it has 8 min run time,but that is not true.In real life,when the power goes i have about 3 1/2 min. to shut down both machines safely.It does have software that will close down a computer, but only 1.Want too add the fact that one of these machines is a 100% 24/7 cruncher.So i dont think i could realy expect much more from the APC.I've been more than satisfied with it.

We did have an outage last winter that left me without power for 36 hrs.Which the cyberpower kept my router and modem powered up the entire time.

 

[Neuromancer]

effectively an external PSU with onboard battery backup ?




only in-line UPS's work that way... the cheaper method is to use an Off-line UPS witch only uses the battery when it needs to.... you miss out on some benefits such as power smoothing.

Yes exactly. A good UPS power filters. That is what I was refering to