Best Ups Under $300?

[Frankenchrist]

I need a UPS and I want one that has preferably has line-conditioning and will work with my OCZ GameXstream 700w psu (I don't think it requires a true sine wave). If I need a line conditioner or some similar device in between my computer and the UPS I'll take recommendations for those as well. :)

Thanks!

[jonnyGURU]

EASY!

Online as opposed to Line-Interactive: http://www.supplysale.com/Item.aspx?sku=00313347OP

830W/1500VA, 3 year warranty. $210.08. Can't beat that with a stick.

[Frankenchrist]

Any other suggestions?

[jonnyGURU]

Not really. ;)

Your $300 budget is good.

The minimum I would ever suggest is a line interactive UPS with AVR. But those can be had for as little as $100 for a 1000VA. You could spend more and get a higher capacity line interactive unit, but even a good 2000VA is about $200.

So what's the next step up? An online UPS. Unfortunately, online UPS and "affordable" aren't two words that go hand and hand. There's a HUGE price gap between line interactive and online UPS's and $300 is about where that gap is (unless you pay too much for a line interactive unit. ;))

So that Belkin is a rare find. I looked and looked for you and could not find another online UPS for under $300.

[speedfreak86]

Jonnyguru,

I was looking at this unit:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16842102006

I don't mind paying a *little* more than 300 bucks for a quality unit. I would be using this with a Toughpower 1200 when I do my system upgrades for the year. Any thoughts beyond what you have already expressed?

[jonnyGURU]

Good unit, but it's still just a line interactive UPS. NOT online. It's cheap for a rackmount unit, if that's what you need, but way more expensive than similar quality 1500VA units. A decent 1500VA is usually about $150 to $200.

In fact, Newegg's price is about $80 too high. Even Tiger and Buy.com has them for under $300. When I was out on the road doing onsite server/PBX installs, I would run into Best Buy and grab these bad boys when I found out the client I was doing the install for didn't have a UPS in their rack. Would cost me about $249.

[speedfreak86]

Would you mind to take a second to explain the difference between line interactive and online?

[Frankenchrist]

Jonny they have the same UPS you mentioned at NewEgg for $169.00?!?!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16842101225

What gives? The model number looks the same, only you can drill down further on NewEgg's website than you can at the supplysale.com website. Is it the same?

[jonnyGURU]

Would you mind to take a second to explain the difference between line interactive and online?

A line interactive UPS runs off of the mains until there's a power outage. Then, there's a switch that switches you over to battery. There's a brief discontinuation of power during the switch. Usually not much to make a difference, but not the best execution.

An online UPS is an AC to DC converter, constantly charging a battery and then a DC to AC converter that powers whatever plugs into it. In other words, you're always running off of battery. So when the power goes out, there's no switching, no delay, etc.

Jonny they have the same UPS you mentioned at NewEgg for $169.00?!?!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16842101225

What gives? The model number looks the same, only you can drill down further on NewEgg's website than you can at the supplysale.com website. Is it the same?

Good catch!

I looked on Belkin's site and apparently SupplySale's listing is wrong. That is NOT an Online UPS and that's TOO MUCH MONEY for it. :(

It seems to be a line interactive UPS, which brings us back to square one. :(

[speedfreak86]

Just wanted to say that I do not need a rack mount or anything of that sort, but I would like to have a high enough watt rating to make sure it didn't shut me down under a good load. It sounds like online is the way to go, so I suppose I will keep looking and hopefully you let me know if you find anything also.

[Frankenchrist]

Which one do you own? I want one to power the computer in my sig, a 24" lcd, a couple of external hard drives, for about 15-20 minutes with room to grow. After what I've read here and other places, it needs AVR and/or a good power conditioner. I need the room to grow for sure because I might have another PC hooked up when I do builds and testing or my little Athlon Shuttle box and/or an Xbox 360. I've thought about just getting a smaller one for the peripherals....I've got a buying dilemma.

[speedfreak86]

Well, the cheapest shipped I could find on the UPS I put a link to earlier is right at 300 bucks from clubit. The cheapest model that Cyberpower makes that is an online is OL1000RMXL2U and it seems to go for about 400 bucks. The 1500VA, 1000Watt version is in the 550s. I think I can live with line interactive...

[jonnyGURU]

Shentech: http://www.shentech.com/or1500.html

and....

Buy.com: http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=203075175&listingid=11688622&dcaid=17902

If you can "live" with line interactive, why not go with....

Powercom 1500VA: http://www.directron.com/bnt1500ap.html

or

APC 1500VA: http://www.excaliberpc.com/APC_Back-UPS_RS_XS_1500VA_24V_Battery/BR24BP/partinfo-id-548597.html

or

Opti 1500VA: http://www.mwave.com/mwave/skusearch.hmx?SCriteria=AA70280

or

Ultra 2000VA: http://www.xoxide.com/ultra-2000va-1200w-ups.html

for less $$$?

[speedfreak86]

There's the kind of stuff I was looking for. I obviously don't have any brand bias in this arena as I have no clue who makes quality parts. That is why I asked the guru for his input. And, I am definitely not opposed to saving money. Thanks!

[[Spectre]]

Online close to your budget:

Tripp-Lite 750VA http://www.provantage.com/tripp-lite-su750xl~7TRPL1KU.htm

Line-interactive:

Tripp-lite 1500VA
http://www.provantage.com/tripp-lite-smart1500lcd~7TRPL1K3.htm

[speedfreak86]

Okay, so what if I managed to pull more watts than the rating on these? I don't think I will anytime soon but what if?

[jonnyGURU]

It would alarm that you're overloading the UPS. If you were in battery mode, you'd just immediately shut down. But I don't know how you could pull that much juice with your PC. Even if you had two GTS cards. ;)

Most people with one graphics card have a 1000VA/600W UPS with no issues at all. My rig is a little overkill and I have the Opti 1500VA and never hear a beep out of it.

[speedfreak86]

Maybe I am looking into more upgrades ;) ... And, not to mention I may run more than one computer off this. I kinda figured it would just shut off, but I just wanted to check.

[Soulburner]

The one in my sig is outstanding for its price. Look it up, the LCD reading is very useful for wattage readings, voltage coming into/out of the unit, # of events that have triggered the battery, runtime remaining, etc etc...best $130 I have invested in a PC. You can spend more and get one that "trims" as well as "boosts" (which is what mine does) but it isn't usually needed in most homes.

[gundam789]

I just recently purchased an APC 1500 smart UPS.
i remeber reading an article that sayd that it is important to purchase a UPS that has a true sine wave has opposed to one with a similulated sine wave.
can not remember the exact reason for it since it was very thecnical, all i understood is that true sine wave > simulated sine wave.