Power And You (A Guide To Protecting Your Computer)

[ramenchef]

One of the powersquid models says it has a Purestream™ EMI/RFI Power Filter. Is that good enough of a line conditioner?

[Serra]

I try to keep up with any replies that come to this thread and respond helpfully, but I missed this last one by quite a bit.

Worse, I've never heard of that company so I can't help with that, sorry m8.

[2000army]

Good thread...informative

[TeRm]

http://www.accessories4less.com/cgi-...item=MCMPHT800

36$ shipped stage 1 . They have lots of other great deals too.

[BigRollTide1]

If you have a UPS and a line conditioner, do you plug the UPS into the line conditioner or vice-versa.

I remember reading somewhere that you shouldn't plug a UPS into a surge protector so I was wondering if this was similar.

Also, since you are really worried about line noise to computer and the UPS might create line noise, would it be better just to plug the conditioner into it anyway.

[kniwor]

good post thanks, helpful

[Serra]

If you have a UPS and a line conditioner, do you plug the UPS into the line conditioner or vice-versa.

I remember reading somewhere that you shouldn't plug a UPS into a surge protector so I was wondering if this was similar.

Also, since you are really worried about line noise to computer and the UPS might create line noise, would it be better just to plug the conditioner into it anyway.

Most UPS's nowadays are including line filtering as a feature, but should you obtain a unit that is neither:
- 'Online' (supplying power straight from battery and recharging, the more common type nowadays) nor
- Line filtering

Then it should look like:
Wall -> UPS -> Line Filter -> PC

[[XC] Angstrom]

Just got the Monster Power HTS1000 MKII
Its running my computer, monitor, and 700W speakers. The voltage lines in my computer are as stable as ever. The unit doesn't get warm either.

Thumbs up for the recommendation!

[Soulburner]

I'm looking for a UPS. Have these recommendations changed lately?

Also to help out, here are some helpful links I dug up:

Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) FAQ

PCGuide - Uninterruptible Power Supplies

[jinsean]

can i hook up a UPS to the monster stage1 line conditioner and still get the benefit of the line conditioner + UPS?

or does the appliance need to be plugged directly into the line conditioner to get the benefits?

Thanks.

[Serra]

I'm looking for a UPS. Have these recommendations changed lately?

Also to help out, here are some helpful links I dug up:

Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) FAQ

PCGuide - Uninterruptible Power Supplies

Sorry about the late response, missed this one by a bit. My UPS recommendations haven't really changed, if anything UPS standards have just continued to climb on the part of the manufacturers.

can i hook up a UPS to the monster stage1 line conditioner and still get the benefit of the line conditioner + UPS?

or does the appliance need to be plugged directly into the line conditioner to get the benefits?

Thanks.

Strictly speaking Monster suggests it working like:
Wall -> UPS -> Monster

The reason behind this is that the UPS device may generate line noise itself, so this is the suggested way to ensure you're set. It could very well be that the UPS doesn't create any line noise itself, but it pays to be careful.

[Soulburner]

I have the following system:

NZXT Zero Case w/8x120mm fans if you include the HSF
Corsair 620HX PSU
Abit IP35 Pro
Intel E6850 @ 3.6Ghz
2x1Gb Ballistix @ DDR2-1000
2 HDD's, 1 DVD
8800GTS (and will be GTX)
Auzentech Prelude X-Fi
BenQ FP241 24" LCD
Keyboard + Mouse
Modem + Router
4.1/5.1 THX speakers

How can we determine how big of a unit we need, in terms of watt capacity?

I'd like to have a lot of outlets too, around 8 if possible.

[Soulburner]

This thread is slow

With the above requirements in mind, these two models have my attention.

For my rig:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16842101066

For my family's rig:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16842101224

They both seem like really nice units, both have AVR, 8 outlets and positive reviews.

Plus the APC can measure my wattage which will be pretty cool to see.

[YorkTown]

I'm a little confused.

I was looking into buying a good UPS like this APC Smart-UPS / 8 Outlet / 1500VA / 980Watt / UPS

But after reading stuff on this thread and other pages, It seems i would still need to buy a line conditioner for another $100.

Isnt there a UPS that conditions the line without need of a seperate conditioner/filter? even the $1,000 UPS dont seem to condition lines.

am i basically stuck with buying a 350 dollars UPS plus spending another 100 bux on a monster bar? thats starting to look like what i need to do :-/

[Soulburner]

Do you really need a $350 UPS?

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/APC-1...oductDetail.do

[YorkTown]

I'd rather not spend anything on a UPS. but I need to protect my invetment and have it run at a top notch level.

that UPS you linked is a nice one. i was looking to buy the BR1300 which is basically the same in terms of price and features. the problem is that the UPS doesnt have a pure sinewave.

My PSU is an enermax galaxy 850, the manual states it's not compatible with stepped sinewave which is basically the same as simulated sinewave. I need and would like a pure sinewave.

My peeve is that a 350 UPS doesnt seem to condition the line :-/

edit: if i get a monster HTS800 line conditioner and plug it into my UPS and have the computer plugged into the Monster, would i lose the pure sinewave?

[Soulburner]

Not famaliar with the terms here...pure sinewave?

I was also concerned with line conditioning, and I can't find any UPS units that offer it. They almost all have AVR (Automatic Voltage Regulation) though.

[YorkTown]

AVR is when the UPS bumps up power when its low(sag) and limits power when there is a spike(swell). pretty much all UPS's do this, your right. It's a basic feautre.


A sinewave is a graphical reresentation of what the power flow looks like. an oscilloscope is used to make the measurment and has the sinewave display.

the mid point of the wave is 120 volts(or whatever desired amount is), as The AC current from the wall dips down to 110 volts and surges up to 130 volts the sinewave gives you a funky patern to reresent this flow.

A UPS takes AC power, converts it to DC, does the AVR thing then spits out the power to your computer as AC again. A pure sinewave is the best form of power flow. a Cheap UPS has a simulated or stepped sinwave.

sorry for the base explanation. im learning this as i go along here too :-)

[Soulburner]

Definition of Line Conditioner:

Device used to protect the computer from variations in the power supply, such as spikes and brownouts. It is connected to the wall outlet, and the computer is then plugged into it.

Sounds a lot like AVR to me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_line_conditioner

EDIT: After doing a lot of looking around and reading I am almost positive a power supply with AVR will do the same thing as a line conditioner, but with the added features of the UPS. I am picking up the unit I posted above tomorrow.

http://www.apcc.com/resource/include..._sku=BX1300LCD

[Soulburner]

Well I can say that the BX/RS 1300LCD UPS from APC are top notch. The screen really helps give you access to the information you need to know such as battery charge, remaining run time, total load in % and watts and more.

I got it all set up and opened up a game, Titan Quest. This one I found to pull more total watts than even Bioshock. I pulled the plug and seamlessly the PSU switched over to battery with a remaining run time of 18 minutes. The computer never even noticed.

It totally isolates your equipment from the outside world's power problems and gives you a lot of peace of mind for the money and I would highly recommend it.

E6550 @ 3.2
2GB DDR2
IP35
SB Audigy 2
X1950Pro
Corsair 520HX
1 HDD, 1 DVD
Acer 20" wide LCD (VA panel, uses more power than TN)
Modem, Router
5x120mm fans including the PSU

Total power draw during Titan Quest = 220w tops

[YorkTown]

AVR is like a line conditioner and a line conditioner is like a UPS.

A line conditioner has AVR capability but it does a superior job at dealing with EMI (electromagnetic interference) and RFI (radio frequency interference). No battery backup for the line conditioner though.

A UPS has AVR and does a so-so job with EMI and RFI. As far as I'm concerned the UPS is good enough for the task.

My particular enermax galaxy 850 is not compatable with stepped or simulated sinewave. in other words a fancy PSU wants shmancy sinewave power.

I have quit a few "white papers" in PDF and a couple articles about buying a UPS. How can i upload PDF files here?

edit: you will have to dig for the good papers. 15, 17 and 18 are good ones.
http://apc.com/prod_docs/results.cfm...&Query_Type=10

Definition of Line Conditioner:


Sounds a lot like AVR to me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_line_conditioner

EDIT: After doing a lot of looking around and reading I am almost positive a power supply with AVR will do the same thing as a line conditioner, but with the added features of the UPS. I am picking up the unit I posted above tomorrow.

http://www.apcc.com/resource/include..._sku=BX1300LCD

[MotF Bane]

Monster Cable MP HTS1000 Ref. PowerCenter HTS1000

Is that the right unit? Also, what's the maximum load...? I know voltage x amperage = wattage, but that's about it.

[Serra]

Yeah, that's one of the units I was able to review. A decent unit for the cost if you can avoid paying MSRP (which isn't really too hard to do). If you really think about it, you'll probably realize that you do know what your household voltage spec is, and should be able to work out the amperage it can pass.

[vassalle]

Hi, I have a noobish question here.. my new place is having lots of power outages lately. I'm pretty sure my pc don't really appreciate that. Hence, i'm planning to buy an UPS for my rig.

Using the extremepowersupply calculator, my rig generates about 240w at 90% load and 153w at 60% load. Most of the time, if the rig is unattended, it usually stays idle @ less than 10% load (mostly getting some stuff from the newsgroup). My PSU is Silverstone ST56F

So, would it be sufficient for me to get the APC 650VA http://www.apc.com/resource/include/...S&tab=Software for about RM 350 ~ USD 110? Or would it be an overkill, whereby I can consider cheaper brands such as koss etc.? Thanks in advance!

[drak3]

This is an old thread, but it was a good read and makes perfect sense to ensure that power going IN the PSU is of quality if the PSU is going to work easy and produce quality power.

I have been looking at APC as they make "good" stuff for a "good" price.

Specifically, 750VA-APC-Smart-UPS-750i-USB-and-Serial-Port-230v-Including-PowerCute-software

which has in the description "sine wave" but I am not sure what sort of line conditioning/filtering this does.

Is this an "all rounder" or I need to buy the monster bar and this also to be fully filtered/protected.

Thanks