Help me Pick a UPS

[Shadow703793]

First off, sorry for posting this in the wrong section. Posted it here as most look in this section.

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It's going to be the hurricane season soon and thus more thunderstorms,etc. So I need a quality UPS and surge protector set up by then.

Currently I'm looking at this UPS: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=4965171&sku=P227-2000

Reviews look good: http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=1606&pageID=7123

I have used PC Power & Cooling PSUs so I'm guessing their UPS's should be top quality.

I am currently using a CyberPower 825VA to protect my NAS.

The PC Power will go to protecting my NAS and my i7 (see sig). The current APC will go to protecting my E2180 build.

Here are my questions:
1.Is the PC Power UPS good, as in uptime/reliability?

2.Are there any better (but smiler/better quality) UPS in the $250-350 range?

3.My NAS draws under 150W )it's a Atom ), and my i7 full load draws <420W under load. So total power (wattage) is well within the 900W capability; how long can I expect the system to be able to provide power for the NAS only? and for both?

4.I currently have my set up as this: surge protector => UPS => NAS, is this the best method?
Should I add a 2nd surge protector after UPS for this system (the i7)?

5.Any recommendations for a quality surge protector under $100?

 

[Shadow703793]

jonny doesn't seem very happy with his: http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story5&reid=159

So I still don't know.

 

[Shadow703793]

bump!

 

[kufan64]

I've only ever used APC UPS's. We use them at work and they're really reliable and quite nice. They make a ton of different models with different features and VA ratings, but I assume what you're looking for more than anything else is how long you can keep working (or playing) on the computer even after your power is knocked out.

Please post your system specs as well as what you do on the computer so I can get a good estimate as to how much power you'll need to be supplied with.

 

[westom]

It's going to be the hurricane season soon and thus more thunderstorms,etc. So I need a quality UPS and surge protector set up by then.

The UPS has only one function - to provide power during blackout and brownouts. To have time to save data. Does it provide surge protection? It will define each type of surge and protection from that surge in its numeric specs. In short, no plug-in UPS claims effective surge protection.

Never plug a power strip protector into a UPS output. UPSes in battery backup mode output some of the 'dirtiest' electricity. Most do not know that when most only know what they were told. The UPS manufacturer will not discuss how dirty his output really is. And so we put an oscilloscope on the output of this 120 volt UPS. Two 200 volt square waves with a spike of up to 270 volts between those square waves. That may be harmful to small electric motors and protectors. But that is completely irrelevant to all computers. All computers are so robust as to make that 'dirty' UPS power irrelevant.

Same circuits that make a computer so robust also make protectors adjacent to the computer irrelevant. But the rare and destructive surge can overwhelm that protection. So we install the surge protector that actually works. A 'whole house' protector properly earthed means protection inside every appliance (including dishwasher, air conditioner, furnace, clock radios, bathroom GFCIs, etc) is not overwhelmed. The rare surge that can overwhelm appliance protection must be earthed BEFORE entering the building - using a 'whole house' protector that costs about $1 per protected appliance.

UPS is for blackouts and brownouts. Surge protection is about earthing so that a surge does not go hunting for earth ground destructively via appliances. That UPS has the same surge protection specs that the power strip has. Just another reason why more responsible homeowners upgrade the building earthing and install one 'whole house' protector.

 

[scott_see]

I've got the APC Back-UPS XS 1500 and I must admit it's nice to have the display on the front with the estimated run time when the power goes out. Tells me how much I have to hurry up. And where I live, the power goes out a lot in the winter. Nice to have the utility to auto-shut down the apps if I'm not around.

 

[Shadow703793]

Please post your system specs as well as what you do on the computer so I can get a good estimate as to how much power you'll need to be supplied with.

the rig is the i7 rig on my sig

i7 specs:
i7 @3.8Ghz
XFX 4870 OCed
Corsair 750TX
WCing system
X58-UD3R + 6GB DDR3

NAS:
Atom 330
High Point PCI RAID
2xWD 640 in JBOD

Just another reason why more responsible homeowners upgrade the building earthing and install one 'whole house' protector.

We do have a whole house unit, but I feel safer using a surge protecter for my PCs .

I've got the APC Back-UPS XS 1500 and I must admit it's nice to have the display on the front with the estimated run time when the power goes out.

I will take a look in to that.

 

[westom]

We do have a whole house unit, but I feel safer using a surge protecter for my PCs .

Feel all you want. But that does not change facts - such as the protector does not even claim to provide protection. Or that a protector too close to electronics and too far from earth ground can even contribute to electronics damage. Or that anything that protector would provide is already inside the UPS.

If using feelings to make decisions, what are your feelings about these scary pictures - a problem seen by most every fire department?:
http://www.hanford.gov/rl/?page=556&parent=554
http://www.westwhitelandfire.com/Articles/Surge%20Protectors.pdf
http://www.ddxg.net/old/surge_protectors.htm
http://www.zerosurge.com/HTML/movs.html
http://tinyurl.com/3x73ol
http://www3.cw56.com/news/articles/local/BO63312/
http://www.nmsu.edu/~safety/news/lesson-learned/surgeprotectorfire.htm
http://www.pennsburgfireco.com/fullstory.php?58339

You post implies you did not read (grasp) what was posted. Insufficient that you have a 'whole house' unit. What is your earthing? The protector is only a connecting device. What determines protection quality? Earth ground. A protector is not critical. The other item - the protection - is critical. A protector is only as effective as its ...

Want to feel you have better protection? Then do what actually does create better protection. Expand the earthing system.

No, I am not trying to be difficult. Too many just refuse to dispose of how they were originally instructed to think. Let's use better words. That power strip is an anti protector. Earth ground is protection. Now which one would make you feel better. These new words more reflect what they really do.

Your post implies you are still thinking some 'magic box' is protection. View what some 'magic boxes' do - that also do not claim to provide protection - and cost more money. What happens when so many 'feel' rather than grasp hard facts?

Those scary pictures are another reason to inspect (and may describe for further insight) your earthing system. A better earthing system reduced the probability of scary pictures.

 

[Shadow703793]

^ I see what you mean. Make sense. Unfortunately, I do not know specifics as the house was not bought new (as in we did not buy it from the builder). Would you mind providing a link or two to a guide/tutorial which I can use for figuring this out?

 

[westom]

^ I see what you mean. Make sense. Unfortunately, I do not know specifics as the house was not bought new

Analysis starts with locating the single point earth ground.

Find the NID - a box where telco wires meet yours. Then follow the wire from that box to earth ground. You have located what must be the single point earth ground AND how that telco protector connects to earth.

Find a bare copper wire from the breaker box to that same earth ground. If earth ground is not a dedicated ground rod or something equivalent, then your earthing probably does not even meet post 1990 National Electrical code. Anyone can perform these inspections.

Find the TV coax wire where it drops to connect to that same earth ground. A copper wire will connect a ground rod or splitter, again, 'less than 10 feet' to that same earthing electrode.

A surge absorbed by earth before it can enter the building means no damage. If that short connection to single point earth ground does not exist, then no protection. Nothing to dissipate surge energy. No earth ground means a surge will hunt for earth ground destructively inside the building.

Many older buildings are missing earth ground even for human safety. You are doing that inspection not just for transistor safety. Also necessary for human safety. First learn what you have. Solutions come later.

 

[Shadow703793]

^Thank you.