UPS for home computers - Gameing pc's

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shanejh

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#324328 29-Mar-2026 12:40

I have been looking at UPS's as my power is just so dodgy, I'm wondering if the low-end Eaton UPS's are any good. I have two gaming PC's I want to put on sperate UPS's, one would also have a router and switch also connected. PC's are both 1000w PSU, one or two screens. I think the Eaton UPS below should be adequate, but it almost feels too cheap. APC do a gaming UPS that is twice the price and probably me second option.

I'm looking at Eaton 5E Gen 2 Tower UPS, 2200VA / 1200W or APC Back-UPS Pro 2200VA/1320W. The Eaton is almost half the price, but very basic. The APC is "fancy" in comparison and sold as a gaming PC ups. Really just interested in people opinions / experience.

Links to products:

Eaton 5E Gen2 UPS Brochure
BGM2200-AZ - APC Back-UPS Pro for Gaming, 2200VA/1320W, Tower, 230V, 6x Australian outlets, RGB Lights, Pure Sine Wave, Arctic (White) | Schneider Electric New Zealand

Totally open to suggestions. These are just what I've found so far. I don't think I should be going any lower than 1200W, but happy to be told I'm wrong there. I know the PC's are not pulling anything close to that 1000W other than maybe on startup.

xpd

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#3474980 29-Mar-2026 12:55

Depends what you're wanting.

Run time, or just clean shut down ?

I have a 5E 650 connected to my home "server" and get approx 15mins runtime - I have it set to shutdown once it hits 5mins left. System has 5 drives, RAID card and thats it - no video etc or any peripherals.

Anytime the power does get a bit twitchy, I hear the UPS kick in for a moment and then switch back.

If you're wanting a clean supply and uptime, then prepare to pay a lot more - buy a small generator with an auto cutover and a couple of small UPS's for your desktops.

XPD / Gavin

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tweake

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#3474983 29-Mar-2026 13:12

the main difference is apc is pure sine wave, which frankly isn't that important for home pc's.

i would go with the eaton if everything else is ok. just check what batteries it uses, hopefully it uses a standard battery thats easy to find and not to expensive.

shanejh

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#3474994 29-Mar-2026 14:11

Clean supply and time to shut down.

I have a 6KW generator for when the power goes out for long periods, it's not auto switch over, but takes 10 minutes to hook up to the house and put on. Most of the time we are talking 3-5 minutes of power loss though. I have an older UPS my NAS is on for that reason. Recently I had a switch fail after one of these blips though which is why I'm now looking at protection for my PC's.

Long term I will probably look into putting solar and more importantly a couple of power walls or similar in as I'm so over it at this stage. But for now, clean power and time to shit down would be good.

linw

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#3475052 29-Mar-2026 15:45

Somebody has to be first to ask about the last line☺️

shanejh

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#3475054 29-Mar-2026 15:51

linw:

Somebody has to be first to ask about the last line☺️

I mean shut down would be good too ....... 🤦‍♂️

SpartanVXL

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#3475155 29-Mar-2026 17:06

I had a dynamix upsd1200 covering my machine, it was fine for quick shutdown and powering ONT and router for a while.

You won’t need much at all and a pure sine wave isn’t really needed if you’re just after shutdown.

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antoniosk

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#3475157 29-Mar-2026 17:24

I have both Eaton and APC’s. They are good for breaking the direct line from the grid to your computer, and effective at the shutdown process - but you won’t get much in the way of real shutdown time whatever the specs. 16 mins typically becomes 5 - so just enough time to turn things off safely

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Jase2985

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#3475555 30-Mar-2026 14:44

i have an Eaton 5E1600 AU G2 as my previous one didnt like the upgraded PC with 4070.

PC running 100% CPU and GPU will last about 4 minutes, idling or doing basic tasks gives me 15-20 mins.

shanejh

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#3475619 30-Mar-2026 15:19

Jase2985:

i have an Eaton 5E1600 AU G2 as my previous one didnt like the upgraded PC with 4070.

PC running 100% CPU and GPU will last about 4 minutes, idling or doing basic tasks gives me 15-20 mins.

That is good to know! .... I have a 5070 in one machine and a 5080 in the other, it's sounding more and more like either of these options will work.

richms

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#3475678 30-Mar-2026 17:04

Just remember that lead acid batteries in old-tech UPSs will pretty much be history after the first discharge down to near 0 and need replacing

Richard rich.ms