Looking for Advice on Buying a UPS

[Yaxir]

Hi all.

 

I'm situated in Karachi, Pakistan and we have this issue of facing sudden power outages during the whole day. Power just goes out like that, without any warning or announcements. ( it's called Loadshedding in the media here... )

 

My issue is that i am usually using my PC throughout the day and i have to face the prospect of the PC shutting down all of a sudden due to these outages.

 

so i am a bit concerned about protecting my PC from damage. i just want to protect my PC from any outages like these and be able to shut it down safely.

 

I am thinking of buying a UPS but i am confused about the VA rating on these UPS units.

 

my Specs are; ( listing the components that consume most of power )

 

Ryzen 1500x

Sapphire Nitro+ RX 580 8GB

PSU 500 W ( cooler master )

 

my monitor is a LG 24MP59HT-P , but i don't know how much Power it consumes. ( if any of you have any idea about where i can find that out, please let me know ).

 

I just want to protect the PC from voltage fluctuations and the sudden power shut downs.

 

So can i get some help and suggestions from the kind people here, in deciding what the features and VA ratings should i look for in a UPS ?

 

especially considering that i need to keep the PC and Monitor open for shutting them down safely during a power outage.

 

Many thanks for all your kind help and co-operation !

 

P.S : i am hoping to save up switch out my PSU with a 600/650 Watt 80+ Bronze or White rated power supply, so please keep that in mind when offering any suggestions.

 

[Fasauceome]

You only need a UPS if you cannot have your PC shut down and you absolutely must protect files, otherwise a quality surge protector is your best option. A good UPS is just too expensive to justify not wanting your PC to shut down for convenience.

 

Also, a good PSU has built in protections, so there's much, much more to consider than 80+ white or bronze and the wattage. The model matters a ton.

[Slayerking92]

APC has a calculator.  But any 350VA+ UPS will do for surge protection and quick brownouts.  Anything higher will just add run time and just keep your PC on for longer if the power is out for extended periods of time.  Which gives you a chance to power down correctly.  More advanced ones will have a USB or serial connection to the PC to trigger a shutdown if you are not around at the time.

 

https://www.apc.com/shop/us/en/tools/ups_selector/

 

 

[Velcade]

Cyperpower makes great UPS. Look for something that can run your PC for a couple minutes in the event of power loss.  You don't need everything hooked up to the battery side.  Just the computer and the monitor.

[Yaxir]

On 4/11/2019 at 7:27 PM, fasauceome said:

You only need a UPS if you cannot have your PC shut down and you absolutely must protect files, otherwise a quality surge protector is your best option. A good UPS is just too expensive to justify not wanting your PC to shut down for convenience.

 

Also, a good PSU has built in protections, so there's much, much more to consider than 80+ white or bronze and the wattage. The model matters a ton.

Hey mate, thanks for the additional knowledge.

 

that really helps ! i was scared that the PSU is just sitting ducks without a UPS/Stabilizer to protect it.

 

when i am in the market about a new PSU, i'll consult the vendors for what's available in the local market

 

and then i'll drop you a PM with the list, to help me out in choosing one. is that cool with you ?

 

P.S : hey i am just confused about one thing. the sudden power off, that a PC has to go through when a power outage occurs, is that harmful to a PC ? that was my main concern behind deciding to buy a UPS.

[Fasauceome]

8 minutes ago, Yaxir said:

and then i'll drop you a PM with the list, to help me out in choosing one. is that cool with you ?

you should message someone like @LukeSavenije or other people with more PSU knowledge credited for out PSU tier list, which you can find if you click the PSU in my signature.

8 minutes ago, Yaxir said:

P.S : hey i am just confused about one thing. the sudden power off, that a PC has to go through when a power outage occurs, is that harmful to a PC ? that was my main concern behind deciding to buy a UPS

Software and data are in jeopardy during a power outage, but if your PC has a surge protector, the hardware is safe.

[LukeSavenije]

11 minutes ago, fasauceome said:

you should message someone like @LukeSavenij

here to help, but only by saying that i don't have much trust in what i think is a masterwatt lite. but for a ups I'm not the best, haven't read up to it at all

[Fasauceome]

Just now, ReggieGRS said:

Can't the data still be damaged if power goes out mid ssd/hdd reading or writing? If it was here i'd sorely recommend an UPS but i doubt OP lives in a area such as mine so in theory, a surge protector should suffice but personally i always go overkill in terms of safety

Yes the data can be damaged, that's what I mean. If it's data you can live without, money saved via a surge protector is a good route, but if OP is handling critical data, then a UPS is recommended.

[Fasauceome]

Just now, LukeSavenije said:

here to help, but only by saying that i don't have much trust in what i think is a masterwatt lite. but for a ups I'm not the best, haven't read up to it at all

Since OP was considering a PSU upgrade I figured you'd be able to assist on that front

[LukeSavenije]

Just now, fasauceome said:

Since OP was considering a PSU upgrade I figured you'd be able to assisting

ah, i thought it was for a ups, which i don't know much about

 

i would probably say a higher end psu and a good ups is a good idea, but i can only really help with the psu

 

@Stefan Payne @Spotty did you guys read up on ups's?

[Fasauceome]

Just now, LukeSavenije said:

ah, i thought it was for a ups, which i don't know much about

Both actually so I figured we'd cover all aspects

[Spotty]

Just now, LukeSavenije said:

@Stefan Payne @Spotty did you guys read up on ups's?

Me? Hell no. I know completely fuck all about UPS's. You may as well go with "Amazon's Choice" before asking me.

[LukeSavenije]

Just now, Spotty said:

Me? Hell no. I know completely fuck all about UPS's. You may as well go with "Amazon's Choice" before asking me.

same unfortunately...

[LukeSavenije]

but to come back, country and budget on the psu upgrade?

[Yaxir]

34 minutes ago, LukeSavenije said:

but to come back, country and budget on the psu upgrade?

I'm in Karachi, Pakistan.

 

Karachi has some good computer markets (Technocity, Naz Plaza) in certain areas, so a good degree of PSU brands are available here.

 

budget for the PSU is around 5-6 k PKR, where 1$ = 141.45 Pakistani Rupee. so it's around $50 but obviously the exchange rates are always fluctuating here, so i'd have to get a list of available PSUs from the vendors and then get in touch with you.

[Yaxir]

1 hour ago, fasauceome said:

Yes the data can be damaged, that's what I mean. If it's data you can live without, money saved via a surge protector is a good route, but if OP is handling critical data, then a UPS is recommended.

Nah, it's a home PC. no critical data as such.

 

it's just that i'm very cautious when it comes to protecting the electronics from any electrical damage, cos electronics are quite expensive here ( the $ exchange rate here will give you an idea )

 

Hey one more thing, by Surge Protector, do you mean a Voltage Stabilizer ? or is it a separate electronic component/circuit that's supposed to be present in the motherboard or PSU ?

[Vandey]

What about brown outs? They are pretty common in the summer around here at least. Aren't brown outs supposed to be bad for hardware? Also, some UPS's say they correct the sine wave curve... does that really matter all that much?

[Fasauceome]

41 minutes ago, Yaxir said:

Hey one more thing, by Surge Protector, do you mean a Voltage Stabilizer ? or is it a separate electronic

Similar but different, I don't think you need a Voltage stabilizer.

[Yaxir]

On 4/13/2019 at 12:30 AM, Vandey said:

What about brown outs? They are pretty common in the summer around here at least. Aren't brown outs supposed to be bad for hardware? Also, some UPS's say they correct the sine wave curve... does that really matter all that much?

hey Vandey.

just to give a personal opinion, i think we have brownouts too. which is when voltage goes REALLY low ( like from the normal 220V here, down to 90V)

 

yeah, those are like mini-heart attacks for any electronics owner

i think those are one occurrence you'd definitely wish for a UPS !