Pondering cheap UPS

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ADKM

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#153919 12-Oct-2014 21:17

After a brief power cut on Dunedin that lost 5 hours work I found this and
wonder if someone could have a look and advise if its worth getting, please ?

http://www.trademe.co.nz/computers/peripherals/ups/auction-790293249.htm

Will it really hold power on the PC for 2.5 minutes? Perhaps its just be a glorified surge protector.
Is the battery (says included) any good? Does it use that to convert 12v to 230 ?

If there any concern a monitor and PC with quite a few HDs and CDROMs on board might overload it ?

Thanks, ADKM

timmmay

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#1152414 12-Oct-2014 21:22

Have you read this thread? The whole thread is interesting.

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ADKM

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#1152420 12-Oct-2014 21:37

Rightooo... thanks. Yes, I better research a bit more and forget about al cheapos !

Jase2985

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#1152491 13-Oct-2014 05:51

we run dynamix 650 UPS at work (on a ship) similar to the one you linked. We regularly loose power (3-4 time a week) or under voltage (10-15 time a day depending) and the ups seem to last about 18 months or so. they will run a basic computer and monitor for about 6-7 minutes.

we have 9 PC's running of these UPS and have little to no issues with them. I just keep a spare incase one falls over, and for $90 for a new one its no a huge outlay.

we also have 1x APC smart ups 620, it has a bigger battery (12ah ve 7ah) and easily lasts 2x as long as the dynamix ones, but they are about 5 times the price. They seem to last a bit longer given the conditions they are operating in.

we now test our ups every couple of years and replace those with stuffed batteries

hope that helps

Dynamic

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#1152492 13-Oct-2014 06:22

For a home PC one of these would be fine in my opinion. We use only quality UPS devices at work, but I run one of these on my home PC and am happy enough with it. I test it several times per year by booting the PC into a BIOS screen and then switching off the power and monitoring the time before it dies. Cheapie UPS devices are rubbish at reporting when the batteries are end-of-life.

Generally you only need to run a home PC for a minute or two before a graceful shutdown is started by the UPS software as you are guarding against unexpected shutdown and the potential corruption that can cause (plus surges/spikes when the power comes on).

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wsnz

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#1152811 13-Oct-2014 13:34

+1

That model should be fine for providing power to allow your PC to gracefully shutdown, but don't expect good protection from under/over voltage events.

Just make sure you size the UPS correctly, preferably during an extreme use scenario (e.g. shutdown/rendering etc.) and by using a meter rather than just totalling up the wattage figures given on the devices.

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#1152877 13-Oct-2014 14:26

Avoid.
Cheap UPS units are worse than useless - they give you a false sense of security.
Get an APC UPS - they cost a lot more, but are worth it.

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michaelmurfy

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#1152888 13-Oct-2014 14:42

Fire Risk.

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hio77

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#1153033 13-Oct-2014 17:31

Considering im moving to a rural area, where i know power issues can crop up every so often, following this thread rather closely.

i was actually considering much the same model, maybe a slightly higher VA rating... looking at the thread linked above though, might be rethinking that one.....

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Dynamic

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#1153034 13-Oct-2014 17:43

hio77: ...looking at the thread linked above though, might be rethinking that one.....

It was old when he got it. The cheap ones serve a purpose in my opinion, just don't expect it to have a long life.

The quality APC brand do have some reasonably inexpensive units like these http://www.apc.com/products/family/index.cfm?id=29 that do last (in my pretty reasonable experience). For example we have a client with 5 cheap APS UPS devices that are not on their 3rd set of batteries (approx 7 years old) and we test them twice annually for this client.

I have seen 3 APS UPS devices die. In all cases they were left in use with known-faulty batteries for months. For business sites on a 3 year server refresh cycle we typically buy a nice UPS one cycle and replace the batteries on the second cycle. After 6 years the UPS goes on TradeMe for someone else to enjoy and the business gets a new one (just in case).

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#1153183 13-Oct-2014 22:13

hio77: Considering im moving to a rural area, where i know power issues can crop up every so often, following this thread rather closely.

i was actually considering much the same model, maybe a slightly higher VA rating... looking at the thread linked above though, might be rethinking that one.....

If you're in a rural area, definitely get a line-interactive UPS which will help smooth out sags/spikes. Something like the APC SmartUps line or Eaton 5S line.

Whichever make and model you choose make sure its sized (in VA) correctly, as UPS's operate within defined efficiency bands which can impact their longevity, and you'd be throwing money away buying one that has a VA rating far higher than what you require it for.

Jase2985

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#1153244 14-Oct-2014 07:01

michaelmurfy: Fire Risk.

Never had one catch fire or get remotely close. Like i said earlier on the ship we are under voltaging 10-15 times a day and loosing power completely 3-4 times a week. thats more than an average home ups would see in probably about half a year.

if you have seen one ups catch fire it doesnt mean all of them will.

Sideface: Avoid.
Cheap UPS units are worse than useless - they give you a false sense of security.
Get an APC UPS - they cost a lot more, but are worth it.

and again like i said ours last at least 5 minutes on battery which is more than enough to let you save and shutdown. how is that a false sense of security? the batteries do fail over time but thats no different to what happens with an apc ups.

We had 2 APC ups and 2 dynamix ups require new batteries in a 2 year period. we only have 3 apc ups but have 8 dynamix ones. all run the same load.

Go figure

i dont honestly see the problem in using one of those on a single computer at home

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#1153365 14-Oct-2014 09:56

Jase2985:
Sideface: Avoid.
Cheap UPS units are worse than useless - they give you a false sense of security.
Get an APC UPS - they cost a lot more, but are worth it.

and again like i said ours last at least 5 minutes on battery which is more than enough to let you save and shutdown. how is that a false sense of security? the batteries do fail over time but thats no different to what happens with an apc ups.

We had 2 APC ups and 2 dynamix ups require new batteries in a 2 year period. we only have 3 apc ups but have 8 dynamix ones. all run the same load.

Go figure

i dont honestly see the problem in using one of those on a single computer at home

Depends on you needs.
A SOHO needs better UPS backup than a casual user.
My 1500VA APC UPS gives me up to 6 hours of backup, with a 12-month-old battery pack, running one server, modem, and router (before you ask, this is based on recent personal real-world experience, not mathematical theory).
You get what you pay for.

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Jase2985

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#1153391 14-Oct-2014 10:06

the op is asking about a basic computer.

All my comments are based on real world experience not "mathematical". we recently tested our ups on board (i work on a ship) and the best we got out of a dynamix 650 ups was 12 minutes. the APC one being bigger capacity lasted about 25 minutes. that was with a constant 250w load on it.

the Eaton 3kva ups we have only last about 30 minutes with a 1000w load on them.

like ive said the dynamix ups will be fine and give you enough time to save your work and shut down your PC in the event of a power outage.

if you want the best and to get more time out of your ups and be able to run scripts etc then pay the extra money and get a APC/Eaton otherwise save your $$ as dynamix does the job fine