Buying a UPS

[MuffinMunch]

I get alot of blackouts where I live and Im thinking of getting a ups to save my pc. I have an rtx 2060 and a 5600x system. How big does the ups need to be? Also are there specific requirements. Also I kinda need a cheap one.

 

[Hairless Monkey]

11 minutes ago, MuffinMunch said:

I get alot of blackouts where I live

Where is that, exactly?

 

Something like this will do nicely:

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Q4Crxr/cyberpower-ups-cp850pfclcd

[Wictorian]

Do blackouts actually damage the pc?

[Chris Pratt]

3 minutes ago, Wictorian said:

Do blackouts actually damage the pc?

The outage itself, typically no, but they're usually accompanied by surges, which very definitely can.

[MuffinMunch]

1 hour ago, Chris Pratt said:

The outage itself, typically no, but they're usually accompanied by surges, which very definitely can.

I have a surge protector is that good enough?

[brob]

1 hour ago, Wictorian said:

Do blackouts actually damage the pc?

 

Depends on the actual hardware. But generally no. However, logical damage can occur if file system structures and data are being updated when the power fails.

[Chris Pratt]

5 minutes ago, MuffinMunch said:

I have a surge protector is that good enough?

For component protection, generally yes. However, it's still not good to just have your PC hard shutdown. A UPS is still a good idea, even if it only lasts just long enough to let you initiate a normal shutdown.

[Boomwebsearch]

2 hours ago, MuffinMunch said:

I get alot of blackouts where I live and Im thinking of getting a ups to save my pc. I have an rtx 2060 and a 5600x system. How big does the ups need to be? Also are there specific requirements. Also I kinda need a cheap one.

Depends on how much runtime you are wanting to have and what other equipment you are going to connect to it (ex. monitors, modems, routers, servers, etc)?

 

2 hours ago, HairlessMonkeyBoy said:

Where is that, exactly?

Please mention the country that you are going to be shopping from and using the UPS, really no need to get any more precise than that.

 

1 hour ago, Wictorian said:

Do blackouts actually damage the pc?

Great question, power outages won't damage the hardware itself (OS, program, and file damage is possible). Power spikes/surges and under voltages can definitely damage hardware, I would recommend a line-interactive UPS if your budget allows it because it will filter the current before passing it through to your hardware. A good surge protector at the very least.

 

31 minutes ago, Chris Pratt said:

it's still not good to just have your PC hard shutdown. A UPS is still a good idea, even if it only lasts just long enough to let you initiate a normal shutdown.

For most users (who aren't doing anything mission critical), a good surge protector should be sufficient. You can always repair the operating system and standard programs (ex. Google Chrome, AutoCAD, Premiere, etc).