What kind of uninterruptible power supply do you use and why?

[crankypenguin]

I was wondering what kind of UPS you guys use and how effective are they in terms of minutes/hours and what kind of features do they have. I figure a good UPS is one of the most important hardware pieces a good desktop can have. A power outage can eat those hard drives up...you know what I'm talking about
I personally use a Power Walker VI 2000 LCD 12000watt, it has a cool usb cable interface which allows me to control its functions right from the browser. I hooked up my monitor, computer, PS3 and keyboard to it.
P.S. Yes my damn keyboard needs to be plugged in, USB juice just isn't enough for it. I set it to run a monthly self test of 10 seconds and the first test went smooth. 10 seconds = about 5% battery drain. I set it up that if power does not come back in 20 seconds, the UPS shuts down my computer. What kind do you guys use?

 

[Gary]

I use an APC BE650MC 650 VA and it seems to do the job. I really don't know how long it will hold up my PC. If I lose power ,like during a storm, I shut my PC off anyway.

 

[maxie]

I have an Eaton Powerware 5115 1400VA 950W Uninterruptible Power Supply have not used it yet as i have not setup my desktop

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I have this bad boy.

Definitely overkill but I got a decent price on it and I have plenty of room for future growth. It also has a pure sinewave output so I don't have to worry about PSU compatablility.

I got it because I have been getting frequent power outages lately (last August alone, we had almost a dozen outages that last half a day or more just over a two week period). I haven't really had the chance to evaluate how well it works yet. One of these days, I'm going to simulate an outage to see what happens.

The only downsides of this unit is the weight of the thing, it needs a dedicated 20A outlet, and it can safely shut down only one computer via USB (two via serial cable). Weight was the biggest problem for me. It's amazing how something so small physically can be so darned HEAVY. I had to get one of the guys at my mail service to help me get it into my truck. Once I got it home, I had to get a healthy, young neighbor help me get it into the house. Of course, now that it is in place, I don't have to worry about the weight anytime in the foreseeable future.

The dedicated outlet wasn't too difficult for me to install (other than a stubborn lug on the ground bar in my breaker panel) since it was a short run and I was able to peel back the siding on my mobile home at the bottom to route the cable.

I'm going to run only one computer on it so the one computer on USB limitation is not a problem for me. I can add a serial port to the computer (the MOBO has the header for it and a connector on a PCI cover was provided with the MOBO but I have 10 USB 2.0 ports on the back so why bother?).

I haven't decided what additional devices I'll plug into the UPS. Definitely the one monitor I have now (I'll be replacing it with three monitors in the future) but I'm not sure about my two scanners or my printer. Any loss from the scanners and printer should the power go out is easily recoverable. I'm not worried about my notebook since its battery acts like a long lasting UPS.

 

[Gary]

I used to have one bigger than that, it could run our entire house. It was a commercial one.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

If I wanted to run a whole house, I would get a dual fuel (natural gas and gasoline) powered emergency generator. The critical electronics (computer, etc.) could be protected by a UPS until the generator could get up to speed. The UPS would also clean up the generator's output.

 

[pbcopter]

I use a CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD PFC Sinewave 1500VA/900Watts UPS

I believe you added one too many zeros to the power of the Power Walker VI 2000 LCD.

Should be 1200 watts instead of 12000 watts

 

[Britton30]

I don't think you have a 12000 watt UPS.
I use one to clean up the power, level it out and protect the components. I only use the battery backup plugs for touter, modem, monitor, and of course the PC. Other peripheral are fine if power is lost suddenly but the UPS provides over volt and surge protection for everything.
Mine is a 750Va, APC BackUPS ES 750.

 

[crankypenguin]

I use a CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD PFC Sinewave 1500VA/900Watts UPS

I believe you added one too many zeros to the power of the Power Walker VI 2000 LCD.

Should be 1200 watts instead of 12000 watts

Yeah I just noticed my mistake, its 1200watts not 12000, sorry for the typo guys