PC UPS type?

[testgcd]

Looking to buy a UPS, to keep the PC open in case of power failure, and protect from voltage etc of the wall plug/

 

I came across terms I didn't understand and googling them did not clarify things for me.

 

What type of UPS should I get?

 

There are some types I found:

(VI) Line-Interactive 

(VFI) On-Line/Double Conversion

(VFD) Off-Line 

 

Apart from these types, what else should I look for in a UPS?

 

How many WATTS  should I get, or should I be looking for the other value called VA? 

 

My system has a 750watt power supply (3070Ti, 8700k, 16gb ram, 3 HDD, 3SSD, no rgb, 3 120mm fans), I'd like the UPS to keep the PC from shutting down as much as possible, but minimum for like 5-10minutes or so?

[Sarra]

It comes down to how much run time you want.

 

I wanted a lot of run time, so I went with a 1500VA 900W unit. Gives me 16 core machine a good 15 minutes of run time when pushing a big workload, or about 45 minutes when idle.

 

If you just want something that will let you shut down safely during a power outage, to protect your equipment from spikes/dirty power, or for a few minutes of run time during a heavy workload, then get whatever. Your system isn't pulling 750w from the wall, a UPS rated for 750w should be fine for just your PC, or a 900w UPS could run your PC, a display, and your networking equipment for a short time.

[testgcd]

1 hour ago, Sarra said:

It comes down to how much run time you want.

What about the types?

 

VI) Line-Interactive 

(VFI) On-Line/Double Conversion

(VFD) Off-Line 

 

don't they matter at all?

[Sarra]

3 minutes ago, testgcd said:

What about the types?

 

VI) Line-Interactive 

(VFI) On-Line/Double Conversion

(VFD) Off-Line 

 

don't they matter at all?

They do, but for home use, I've had and used basic CyberPower units for 10+ years without any kind of issue. Get a consumer level product, unless you have a rack and a huge budget, the only thing you really need to worry about is true sine wave output.

[wseaton]

For home or single computer use I suggest a 1500 VAC unit since at this price point is when units start getting fairly decent over the absolute bottom end consumer units.

 

I don't worry about runtime with units this small. 5 minutes vs 15 minutes - who cares. You just want the units to run long enough to shut down your machine automatically via their smart control via USB. If you actually insist on working while the power is out the equation is too complex and you should probably invest in, you know, a laptop?

 

For data center and server racks I'm more concerned about Web client capability. This way VM's can shut themselves down if the power is out.

 

Again, my biggest concern with a UPS is that it can adequately shut down all connected machines, virtual and otherwise cleanly and automatically. Don't care if it's within 5 minutes or an hour. A data store that's abruptly taken off line doesn't care how long the power was out before the plug was pulled.

 

Same with desktop SSDs. Power loss with desktop computers is a leading cause of SSD failure.

 

I'm in the process of building a UPS for a client with some special needs. They need long term runtime but a low load, so I'm going DIY with deep cycle marine batteries.