Getting the blahs in blackout land.

March 12, 2008 6:11 AM

Frequent power-outages are harshing my computer mellow. A reliable, battery-equipped UPS sounds like the answer. What brands and models should I be looking at?

I don't need a lot of umph in the power department, because I'll only be attaching my 24" iMac and my router and cable modem to the device. No laser printers, speakers, or other power-hungry equipment.

Preferably, I'd like a UPS with a post-blackout runtime of thirty minutes to an hour. Will I be able to buy such a device without cashing in my IRA? And if so, what model would you recommend? What makers should I steer towards or away from?

posted by Gordion Knott to computers & internet (10 answers total)

They're fairly inexpensive, so no worries about cashing in the retirement. I have heard good things (and consequently purchased one) about APC units. Check out Amazon.
posted by IronLizard at 6:21 AM on March 12, 2008

You might find APC's UPS Sizing tool useful. Typically a home UPS will run for 5 to 10 minutes, so you're moving into the higher end with the long battery runtime you're looking for. I punched in your configuration at an hour of runtime, and they're talking about units rated at 1500 VA and up, which are around the $500 range.

Aside: When you go UPS shopping, you'll typically see units rated in VA, which is a measurement of how much power they can push out. Trouble is, that doesn't really tell you anything about how long they'll run for. As a rule of thumb, the higher the VA, the higher the runtime, but it doesn't convert to hours and minutes.
posted by pocams at 6:39 AM on March 12, 2008

APC is the most well known and trusted brand in uninterruptible power supplies.
posted by doomtop at 7:34 AM on March 12, 2008

You can replace the batteries in most APC units, wait for sales if you can or search around for them. Outpost, Newegg, Buy, and big box electronic stores have sales on UPS units on a regular basis. You can pick them up for 40-50% off for a 1500va unit.
posted by iamabot at 7:55 AM on March 12, 2008

Newegg has several 900watt, 1500va models available for 200-250 bucks right about now. Pick a unit you'd like and then do some shopping around, I'm betting you can find one for 50-60 dollars less. Search for APC UPS.
posted by iamabot at 7:58 AM on March 12, 2008

My APC UPS died a horrific death and they wouldn't cover it under the warranty because they claimed I had overloaded it (which was bullshit).

I dig Cyberpower. (I've had two of them and they both have run extremely well, given that the power at my house fluctuates frequently.) Plus, it has a neat little menu that you can pop up and it will show you all the cool voltage in/out stuff and gives you a very good estimate in how long you have to shut down your computer if the power went out. (My current computer at home has about 20 minutes and is your basic setup: CPU, monitor, printer, speakers/subwoofer.)
posted by sperose at 8:21 AM on March 12, 2008

Before you go buy and shiny, new UPS for lots of money...

Cruise your local second-hand shops for one. You can usually replace the battery and end up saving about 50% overall on what you would have spent on a new one.

And a UPS either works or doesn't, so you don't really need something that smells of styrofoam and is shiny.
posted by SlyBevel at 8:24 AM on March 12, 2008

You can pick up refurbed APC smartpower units with new batteries, 1-year warranties, and the appropriate comm cables on ebay for pretty cheap. Or get an empty refurb and get your own new battery. Lots of companies sell replacement UPS batteries.
posted by pandanom at 10:27 AM on March 12, 2008

I've gotten a lot (more than ten UPSes) from Power Protection Partners. All refurb/reconditioned APC stuff, and never had a problem with any of it (other than normal battery wear during heavy storm seasons).
posted by mrbill at 12:53 PM on March 12, 2008

I agree with everyone talking about used/refurb APC units. APC is nice because it is so easy to get replacement batteries. (don't know if this is true for other brands) I work in a rural community and we have CONSTANT brown outs and blackouts. That said, I like to get bigger units that offer more uptime. I've purchased used from EBAY.. but shipping will kill you on larger units.

SlyBeval is definitely on the right track. However I would look specifically for a local Computer Recycler. I guarantee they will have lots of units available. And you will definitely need to replace batteries. I use a place called BatteriesPlus (no idea if they are a national chain) to replace batteries in all my UPS's... and they typically need to be replaced every year or so.

As far as sizing... little ones are good for short power outages but for me... I wouldn't bother. Look for a 1500va. I think the 1500va is the biggest you can get with the standard NEMA5-15 type electrical plug. 2200va models are great and will give you tons of backup time (especially if all we're talking about is a single desktop computer) but require a NEMA5-20 type electrical outlet. (call the electrician). Any bigger than that and all the electrical work you need to power them may not be worth it. (like converting to 240v or something)
posted by purenitrous at 10:52 PM on March 12, 2008