Solved UPS/surge protector searching

[HAVOC]

I need a surge protector that has at least 8 outlets and a 6ft. cord. Should I also be looking for a UPS or is surge protection enough? I rarely loose power.
Tripp Lite SMART1200LCD Smart Pro Digital 1200 VA 700 Watts 8 Outlets Line Interactive UPS w/ LCD display - Newegg.com

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

If you rarely loose power and don't feel you need to worry about losing work should a power outage unexpectedly shut you down, then a UPS would be overkill. If you do decide to get one, make sure it puts out pure sine wave AC not stepped AC or modified square wave. If a UPS' description doesn't say it puts out pure since wave AC, such as the one you linked, then it probably doesn't. Many modern electronics, including many computer PSUs, do not play well with stepped AC.

 

[fireberd]

Murphy's Law says you will lose power when you least expect it. For that reason, I would suggest a UPS. Along with the surge protection it does protect the PC and hard drive when (not if) a power failure or glitch occurs with the PC powered on. Momentary glitches (voltage sags or surges) are very common and unless you have a high $$ surge protector it won't do you much good.

I have a Cyberpower 850 AVR and it works with the newer "Active PFC" type PC power supplies. I see several references to Cyberpower UPS' that are Active PFC power supply compatible.

 

[ThrashZone]

I agree it's not "if" but when power goes off
I got this one at Fry's but it's reasonably priced,
APC BE650G1 650VA Back UPS - Walmart.com

 

[Ztruker]

Definitely get a good UPS. It's a small investment to make to protect your expensive hardware.

 

[Brink]

Hello Havoc,

Be sure to get one that has line filtering. This will help take care of the dips and surges in power fluctuations.

The model in your link does, and is a small investment compared to how much it would cost to replace your computer hardware.

 

[HAVOC]

I'd like something thin like the Tripp Lite I posted about so I can put it where I need to. My PC tower and surround sound subwoofer will be in the same location.
Are Tripp Lite's any good?

This will be protecting my i7 gaming build that I'm in the process of planning.

 

[Brink]

Tripp Lite and APC are both good brands.

I have an older APC Back-UPS XS 1500 to protect my system.

 

[OvenMaster]

Unless you're a business and can afford to replace the UPS units or the batteries often and write off the cost, I vote for a surge suppressor alone and to heck with the UPS if your power rarely fails.
Over the years I have owned four UPS devices: three from APC and one from Belkin.
Not one of them worked when the lights went out and I needed them most.

 

[fireberd]

Ovenmaster, your experience is not the experience of most with UPS systems. A power strip does not protect during a power outage, only for surges if it is a high $$ surge protector.

However, I do not use or recommend Belkin products to my clients.

 

[madcratebuilder]

The vast majority of consumer grade UPS's are not sine wave. Some PSU's with active PFC can have issues with stepped sine wave UPS's, it's a case by case problem. Many of the UPS manufactorers are addressing the PFC problem with new UPS models.

I want my UPS's to provide clean, steady power, protect against surges and short power outages. I only need enough battery time for a clean orderly automated shutdown of my computer.

As little as a year ago to get a pure sine wave UPS you had to spend $200 or more, prices are down near $125 now.

 

[Ranger4]

I get a lot of power outages here, some just a brown out & some for hours. My MGE UPS has saved me on countless occasions, so I would definitely recommend a UPS.
When there is a power failure the UPS beeps letting me know the power has failed & I have enough time to close any programs & shut down.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I have a pure sine wave UPS (Cyberpower) because I have had problems with frequent outages in the past (of course, once I got the UPS a little over a year ago, we've had pretty much no problems). I have it set to automatically hibernate my computer if the power goes out for more than five minutes. That way, any work that may be in progress won't be lost should I not be around (or awake enough) to save my work and safely shut the computer down.

 

[OvenMaster]

Ovenmaster, your experience is not the experience of most with UPS systems.

Why does this not surprise me.

 

[HAVOC]

I woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and guess what no power
Not sure why this happened, wasn't too windy and it was only raining.