determining what UPS battery my PC needs

[Diosoth]

I'm shopping for a battery backup UPS for my PC. My current pick is an APC BE550G. Unfortunately, I've hit a snag- something about "approximation of a sine wave" and "pure sine wave". In other words, if the UPS switches over on approximation and my PC requires pure, the battery backup won't work and my PC will shut off when it tries to switch from AC power to the battery.

The PSU in my computer is a Lite On 300W PS-6301-08A
PC is a Gateway DX4822-01 with an Intel 5300 processor. And as it will also have to run off the battery, my monitor is a Gateway HX2000.

I have gone through Google searches, and could not turn up solid info. I called APC and they researched it but could not answer definite about the PSU's needs. I can not spend $50 on this UPS if it's not going to work, nor do I care to drive back to the store to return it seeing as it'll cost me about $13 in gas expenses to get to Best Buy, each trip.

 

[Maguscreed]

what you want is a cyberpower ups
They make some damn good ones for decent money.
This is the best user rated one I know of
Newegg.com - CyberPower Intelligent LCD Series GreenPower UPS CP1350AVRLCD 1350 VA 810 Watts 4 x 5-15R Battery/Surge Protected
4 x 5-15R Surge Protected Outlets UPS
it's a tad pricey but also more than enough to power both your system and the connected monitor.

In fact after some thought it's pretty much the only one I'm going to recommend.
While it's true you could get one for 20 maybe even 40 dollars less that would do the job, I honestly think that's your best buy.

 

[pebbly]

Hi Diosoth, Always try to go with pure sine wave this is as close to the power coming out of your sockets at home , Modified sine wave is artificially created, some laptops , portable TVs etc will not run very well on MSW, Look for a UPS where the inverter inside uses Pure Sine Wave

 

[Maguscreed]

The cyberpower (at least the uprights) all have sine wave support.

 

[pebbly]

Diosoth, A little insight on inverters Sinergex Technologies

 

[Diosoth]

Unfortunately, my budget is $50-$75 at most so these $130 and up units are well out of the price range I can afford.

 

[Maguscreed]

Yeah that puts you into the realm of flat boxes.
In that case I would simply take pebbly's advice when trying to make a selection.
Also keep in mind it needs enough watts to supply both the computer (in your case around 300-350) PLUS the monitor, this was my reason for choosing a slightly larger model for you.

 

[Diosoth]

Well, my real question is which type do I need for this particular power supply? Pure or modified? I can find no definite info and I believe both the APCs I was looking at- BE550G and BE750G- are modified sine wave.

 

[Maguscreed]

modified is less reliable but cheaper to manufacture.
Either of the two should technically work, but there are certain cases where you can run into problems with modified sine wave and certain equipment. I think it has something to do with oscilations in the current. ..first year stuff that has sadly faded into my memory apparently.

Or maybe it was forcefully removed by a shot of crown royal, I can't really be sure, but it's fuzzy now.

The concern for functionality there I think would fall more on to the monitor than the computer, the computer has a power supply to deal with any current problems. The monitor really doesn't. It's internal power supply is ridiculously simple, not much more complex than a couple of bundles of wire.
That is basically what pebbly was trying to say and it was good advice.

 

[Diosoth]

I'll tell you why I'm asking this... on Tuesday I had a brief 30 second power outage which managed to destroy my hard drive. I can see burn/scorch marks on parts of the PCB, and the reader heads had been totally destroyed in a sudden stop. Nothing else in the computer suffered but the HDD was beyond recovery. I suppose it was probably going to die soon anyway if it did that, but still... I could get a new, powerful surge suppressor but everything tells me a UPS would be better for a PC. What I really want is something that'll let me safely shut down in an outage so I really only need a few minutes of battery life. But before I buy anything I want to dig in and research, make sure what I buy will be suitable because if it's not then it's money wasted.

 

[Maguscreed]

Do what you can to see if you can find one that supports pure sine wave in your price range.
I sadly do not know of such a model personally, however since I don't do a lot of shopping for this kind of item that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

 

[Diosoth]

I'm starting to think that, for my budget allowances, a surge suppressor with a high joule rating might be a better option. Should a 4000 joule range suppressor be sufficient for PC protection?

 

[Maguscreed]

To be honest for this application anything over 1000 should be sufficient. 4000 is premium level.

...and even then the joules is really more of a marketing point as most of the decent ones use MOV's (metal oxide varistors) That clamp out the surge, and this is generally the right way to do it. As long as it's made properly you are generally okay. APC is actually a good brand in that area too.

 

[Diosoth]

The ones I'm looking at right now, based on price and customer reviews...

Amazon.com: Belkin Pivot-Plug Surge Protectors: Computers & Accessories

Amazon.com: Belkin BE112230-08 12-Outlet Home/Office Surge Protector with Telephone and Coaxial Protection: Computers & Accessories

http://www.amazon.com/APC-11-Outlet...?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1331503416&sr=1-12

Amazon.com: Belkin Pivot Surge, 8 Outlets, 6ft Cord with Telephone Protection: Electronics


I won't use a cheapo protector strip, and I could use phone and maybe ethernet protection too. Actually, I need a phone splitter as I have one line going into the PC room, and need to run both ethernet and a land line phone.

I would guess my RCA unit, bought years ago, is going bad. The phone jack on it died some weeks back, and now the fried HDD.