What would be better to get? An Inverter with batteries for my current PC? Or a Laptop?

[Dragamore]

So I live in South Africa where they have been putting the power off for about 8 hours every day. I work from home and it's starting to effect my work... there is no way I will be able to afford solar so I feel like my options are between the following

 

• Buy a Laptop that can handle audio editing and some light video editing
• Or Buy an inverter with batteries that can power my current PC
• A generator is not an option since it will be way to expensive to keep it running

I don't know enough about inverters to really make the decision on my own and when it comes to laptops I'm pretty clueless. Also with me living where I do Laptops are a lot more expensive than in America and Europe so it might be hard to help me decide on one but my Budget is just under $2000.

 

I need my pc or laptop to last at least 6 hours

 

If I need to post any extra info then I'll do that xD

[ETEcco]

Have you considered a UPS type solution?

[Jurrunio]

Inverter? You mean UPS (basically a huge power bank)? Don't see how a DC to AC or opposite converter is going to help in a power cut. That said they are designed to only power PCs for 2~3 mins, no more than 10 mins so you can save necessary data rather than shutting down suddenly and lose all your progress. They don't last long enough to handle sustained hours of power cut.

 

As for laptop, how many hours are you hoping the battery to last? You have almost no options other than ARM based Macbooks if you want it to last 8 hours of video and audio editing, some Windows based laptops can reach that far but just barely.

[Dragamore]

1 minute ago, ETEcco said:

Have you considered a UPS type solution?

In all of the discussions I've read up online it seems like a UPS isn't really an option since it only stays on for a short amount of time. I think most people say a ups is for when there is power failure you can quickly save and shut down. I mean if there is a UPS that can last 5ish hours with my pc then sure but I'm not sure

[Dragamore]

7 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

Inverter? You mean UPS (basically a huge power bank)? Don't see how a DC to AC or opposite converter is going to help in a power cut. That said they are designed to only power PCs for 2~3 mins, no more than 10 mins so you can save necessary data rather than shutting down suddenly and lose all your progress. They don't last long enough to handle sustained hours of power cut.

 

As for laptop, how many hours are you hoping the battery to last? You have almost no options other than ARM based Macbooks if you want it to last 8 hours of video and audio editing, some Windows based laptops can reach that far but just barely.

Maybe everyone just calls it an inverter because every discussion people say a UPS won't ever last long enough xD. Might just be people in my country naming things weirdly I don't know. All I know is a lot of people here have gotten Inverters with some battery packs and that's what gets them through the power cuts.

 

The power stays off for 4 hours but for safety I'd prefer the laptop lasts at least 6 hours without wrecking the battery. I have been looking at Mac Books but they are very expensive, I was thinking about getting the m1 macbook air but they only have a 256 gb ssd option where I live and I don't like having a laptop without fans.... Buuut if it can do what I need it to then it is probably my only real option

[Poinkachu]

9 minutes ago, Dragamore said:

In all of the discussions I've read up online it seems like a UPS isn't really an option since it only stays on for a short amount of time. I think most people say a ups is for when there is power failure you can quickly save and shut down. I mean if there is a UPS that can last 5ish hours with my pc then sure but I'm not sure

UPS is made with various capacity.

Inverter is a DC to AC converter. Like changing the DC from let's say... Car's battery to AC so you can use AC powered appliance when on the go.
There is also a electric generator, usually powered by fuel.

 

Depending on what kind you use the laptop for, it may or may not stay powered by battery for 5 hours.
Example, most gaming laptop will only last like maybe around 2 hours max (with no battery upgrade / mod) when used for gaming.

 

Car's battery inverter :

[Dragamore]

1 minute ago, Poinkachu said:

UPS made with various capacity.

Inverter is a DC to AC converter.
There is also a electric generator, usually powered by fuel.

 

Depending on what kind you use the laptop for, it may or may not stay powered by battery for 5 hours.
Example, most gaming laptop will only last like maybe around 2 hours max (with no battery upgrade / mod) when used for gaming.

People here having been using inverters with battery packs or something to get by... I don't know if the inverter is needed but like I said that's what most people are doing to get by.

[Jurrunio]

13 minutes ago, Dragamore said:

Maybe everyone just calls it an inverter because every discussion people say a UPS won't ever last long enough xD. Might just be people in my country naming things weirdly I don't know. All I know is a lot of people here have gotten Inverters with some battery packs and that's what gets them through the power cuts.

 

The power stays off for 4 hours but for safety I'd prefer the laptop lasts at least 6 hours without wrecking the battery. I have been looking at Mac Books but they are very expensive, I was thinking about getting the m1 macbook air but they only have a 256 gb ssd option where I live and I don't like having a laptop without fans.... Buuut if it can do what I need it to then it is probably my only real option

Not impossible to get that amount of batteries, say a 700W device (laptops mostly, desktop typically use more) for 5 hours need at least 350Wh (literally Watts multiply Hours) battery which some electric bikes already use. Those are usually DC and at lower voltage than what power bricks or power supply a computer would use so you do need an inverter and transformer to make this work, they have losses too so expect another 25% margin (and not to drain your batteries to empty). Still, not a cheap approach.

 

6 hours is relatively easy to reach for Windows based models with the help of manually limiting power use, this is imo better if you're not going to build a power system by yourself.

[Poinkachu]

9 minutes ago, Dragamore said:

People here having been using inverters with battery packs or something to get by... I don't know if the inverter is needed but like I said that's what most people are doing to get by.

If your objective is to stay on as long as possible when there is a power cut, while keeping the overall cost down. I think you better off buying a laptop, will it stay powered on with battery long enough while you're doing your stuff though is hard to say. I'm not savvy enough about it. Unless car batteries or fuel is that cheap there. Because some energy will be lost with conversion, how much depends on the efficiency of the converter module.

Probably doable especially if you keep the editing to stuffs that doesn't use much of the GPU when you're on battery, then do the stuffs that needs a lot of GPU when power is back on.

[Arika]

21 minutes ago, Dragamore said:

People here having been using inverters with battery packs or something to get by... I don't know if the inverter is needed but like I said that's what most people are doing to get by.

They're probably talking about solar with battery backup, but without the solar.

[Dragamore]

10 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

Not impossible to get that amount of batteries, say a 700W device (laptops mostly, desktop typically use more) for 5 hours need at least 350Wh (literally Watts multiply Hours) battery which some electric bikes already use. Those are usually DC and at lower voltage than what power bricks or power supply a computer would use so you do need an inverter and transformer to make this work, they have losses too so expect another 25% margin (and not to drain your batteries to empty). Still, not a cheap approach.

 

6 hours is relatively easy to reach for Windows based models with the help of manually limiting power use, this is imo better if you're not going to build a power system by yourself.

I know that the batteries most people use will lose capacity if they drain lower than 50% and it seems like a waste to buy something like that and then it is ruined in a week or 2 since I think the batteries will cycle very quickly with how the power gets cut here.

 

I have a 700 watt system, but obviously it would have to power my screen, peripherals (sure this barely makes a difference) and an audio interface as well so I'm not sure how expensive that would work out as a inverter and battery system.

 

As for laptop do you have any recommendations I guess.

[Dragamore]

1 minute ago, Arika S said:

They're probably talking about solar with battery backup, but without the solar.

Maybe

[Jurrunio]

1 minute ago, Dragamore said:

I know that the batteries most people use will lose capacity if they drain lower than 50% and it seems like a waste to buy something like that and then it is ruined in a week or 2 since I think the batteries will cycle very quickly with how the power gets cut here.

 

I have a 700 watt system, but obviously it would have to power my screen, peripherals (sure this barely makes a difference) and an audio interface as well so I'm not sure how expensive that would work out as a inverter and battery system.

 

As for laptop do you have any recommendations I guess.

Actually meant to say 70W, not 700.

 

I'm not to well versed in laptops but it will be down to what you do get in your region. Light workloads right? Maybe something with say GTX 1650 or RTX 3050 is already sufficient, those are entry level gaming laptops typically.

[Dragamore]

Just now, Jurrunio said:

Actually meant to say 70W, not 700.

 

I'm not to well versed in laptops but it will be down to what you do get in your region. Light workloads right? Maybe something with say GTX 1650 or RTX 3050 is already sufficient, those are entry level gaming laptops typically.

Okay My PC has a 700 watt power supply so that's what I meant xD see I don't know if a laptop with a gpu will last 5 to 6 hours though.

 

I'll check laptops with those parts and maybe see If I can find reviews where they talk about battery life. Thanks

[Blue4130]

7 minutes ago, Dragamore said:

Okay My PC has a 700 watt power supply so that's what I meant xD see I don't know if a laptop with a gpu will last 5 to 6 hours though.

 

I'll check laptops with those parts and maybe see If I can find reviews where they talk about battery life. Thanks

A generator is really the bost option in the long run in you go desktop. Batteries are consumables. After a couple years of doing what you are suggesting, they will need to be replaced. I'd be looking at the most power efficient laptop I could find. Much better option.

[Dragamore]

Don't the batteries on laptop also get ruined if they cycle to many times? I'm looking at laptops now but in the price range I'm looking a lot of them last 5 to 6 hours with web browsing and streaming. So I assume they won't last as long with light video editing and audio editing work... but I'm not sure to be honest

[Jurrunio]

12 minutes ago, Dragamore said:

Okay My PC has a 700 watt power supply so that's what I meant xD see I don't know if a laptop with a gpu will last 5 to 6 hours though.

 

I'll check laptops with those parts and maybe see If I can find reviews where they talk about battery life. Thanks

You can also find info on battery capacity. 70W is an estimate for my case, my laptop is a 8750H + 1060 6GB build with 1080p 120Hz display. 70w is the power used during Handbrake transcoding with NVENC when I use stock power settings on battery. Should use less when editing but I'm not certain

[Jurrunio]

1 minute ago, Dragamore said:

Don't the batteries on laptop also get ruined if they cycle to many times?

A cycle a day is totally.fine

[Dragamore]

1 hour ago, Dragamore said:

So I live in South Africa where they have been putting the power off for about 8 hours every day. I work from home and it's starting to effect my work... there is no way I will be able to afford solar so I feel like my options are between the following

 

• Buy a Laptop that can handle audio editing and some light video editing
• Or Buy an inverter with batteries that can power my current PC
• A generator is not an option since it will be way to expensive to keep it running

I don't know enough about inverters to really make the decision on my own and when it comes to laptops I'm pretty clueless. Also with me living where I do Laptops are a lot more expensive than in America and Europe so it might be hard to help me decide on one but my Budget is just under $2000.

 

I need my pc or laptop to last at least 6 hours

 

If I need to post any extra info then I'll do that xD

Looks like the best option will be to get a laptop, now I must go scrounge through Reviews and forums to find out what laptop xD

 

Thanks everyone

[TylerD321]

It might also be feasible to recycle old electric/hybrid car batteries. I think these are designed to withstand charge and discharge better than a standard car battery. 

[Dragamore]

1 minute ago, TylerD321 said:

It might also be feasible to recycle old electric/hybrid car batteries. I think these are designed to withstand charge and discharge better than a standard car battery. 

I'm not really sure if that's an option here. Electric cars are very rare here

 

[TylerD321]

2 minutes ago, Dragamore said:

I'm not really sure if that's an option here. Electric cars are very rare here

 

I was under the impression that most of the stuff mined for ev batteries were mined in Africa, which would make the availability somewhat simple. It appears I was mistaken.

[Dragamore]

Just now, TylerD321 said:

I was under the impression that most of the stuff mined for ev batteries were mined in Africa, which would make the availability somewhat simple. It appears I was mistaken.

I mean I don't know how common the batteries would be but just going off of the fact that I don't think I've ever seen an electric car driving on the road... I'm not sure how easy it would be to get recycled batteries from them.

 

I know we have Ev's here but just going off how rarely I encounter them I'm expecting the price of the batteries to also be high.

I could be wrong though so I'll have a look around

[TylerD321]

1 minute ago, Dragamore said:

I mean I don't know how common the batteries would be but just going off of the fact that I don't think I've ever seen an electric car driving on the road... I'm not sure how easy it would be to get recycled batteries from them.

 

I know we have Ev's here but just going off how rarely I encounter them I'm expecting the price of the batteries to also be high.

I could be wrong though so I'll have a look around

You will have to let me know what you find out. I am now curious!

[Dragamore]

1 minute ago, TylerD321 said:

You will have to let me know what you find out. I am now curious!

After doing a quick google search it looks like the cheapest replacement ev battery pack is around R22 500 which amounts to about $ 1339.47. Now this is a new battery pack. I am battling to find places that sell recycled ones. I had to search for lithium Ion batteries since searching EV recycled batteries doesn't seem to get me what I need.

 

I also don't know how long this battery back will last and I think I'd still have to buy an inverter at this point to get it to work with my pc...

 

This is all just speedy googling so I could be very wrong xD