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ANYONE building a new PC needs to read this before buying your parts

TheReal_ist

Yes I get it was click baiting with the title sue me. Its for good reason tho so hear me out.

 

 

And if you wanted a TLDR cause I know theres people like that out there here ya go a: 

- UPS or a (Uninterrupted Power Supply) is a battery backup that lets your PC run for a little bit (around 40 mins at idle use) allowing u to save files and shutdown your PC safely. Heres a link to a good UPS if u really need one right now that works now and in the future when u need a battery replacement.

 

 

 

 

Ok so not many people apparently talk about this but its a pretty great thing to get for a PC user in particular to get. Its called a UPS or (Uninterrupted Power Supply) basically its a PSU thats connected to a big battery to act as a safety net when the power is cut to your PC. How it all works is pretty simple honestly but if u wanna learn more go here for a very simple breakdown. 

 

The reason ppl buy these is to avoid your PC getting shutdown when the powers cut but there are more reason for example by using a UPS as the middle man between your own PC PSU your able to get a steady current of power from the wall. By this I mean even wiht the best power companies out there the frequency they send the power to your house isn't steady and this irregularity can damage your components a little bit over time. In a sense weaking them a little bit so when a big issue doe strike them they will fail easy. This is just nit picking for most users, but its an example along with many more as to why u should get a UPS with a new build or old build. 

 

If u really do want one your diving into a very heated market where the main UPS makers CyberPower and APC have very loyal customers similiar to AMD and Intel fanboys. So watch out for there Bias when picking the right UPS for you. 

 

 

Heres some things u need to consider when buying a UPS for the first time:

 

- First is a UPS from either brand will last at least 5-10 yrs thats what they are meant to go for anyway. This is assuming you didn't experience a massive surge to the UPS which likely bricked it in that case buy a new one. But if its just normal outages then 5-10 yrs is how long it'll last normally. I say this because you will need to buy a battery every 5 years for the unit. Thats when they have went through enough use where they start to degrade and they won't work as well any longer. (Sidenote keep these old batteries just incase u can't find a new one when u replace them every 5 yrs) They cost around 60 bucks fyi. You need to now this because u will have to decide if u wanna buy the 2 batteries u will need now, at the 5 yr mark to see if they still sell them, or simply buy one every 5 yrs when u need one and hope they have them let it be new or from a 3rd party. I chose the wait till 5 yr mark because they will likely still sell my battery model at that point but each UPS is different since only certain batteries are compatible with certain UPS's so watch for that and make your decision now while u can.

 

- Alright so the next thing u need to know is if the UPS u are buying actually has a user replaceable battery. Ya ik they actually exist its fricken pretty stupid but whatever. An easy way to tell with Cyberpower the brand I got is by looking if the UPS has USB ports on the front if it does then don't buy it those batteries can't be replaced. Meaning its dead weight after 5 years u can't even sparce out the PSU and UPS components to be re used so ya its trash. But with the older models aka this one. You are able to do just that so thats why I recommend going with the older models they actually make sense and if your unit does last more then 5 years u just saved yourself another 140 bucks 

 

The two different units I'm talking about:

(Don't Get this model)  USB ports

(Get this Model) WithOUT USB ports

 

- Heres comes my Bias:

 

Personally Iike CyberPower the CP software they provide to track your power usage overtime along with the cost of said power per kW is pretty nice. But again APC has similar software but I just like CyberPowers better. Its all your choice and I don't want to force u do get my UPS but I'm sharing my experience so I guess thats unavoidable.

 

Point is the main reason people have sides in the USP space is purely based on if they got a lemon unit or not. Thats honestly it, i mentioned I prefer Cyberpowers software which I do but my heavy bias against APC because I had a unit fail me pretty much is the main factor here. Overpowers any other preference I have as it does for all people.

 


So ya Ik this is long and all but Idk ever since I got a UPS I've been wanting to share how great it is to have one. Ohh forgot something if the power does go out only by your house and you also happen to have a wired ISP connection. You can simply plug in your router to the UPS and when the power goes out you will still have wifi even tho powers out. A pretty sick advantage I've found since I need to save things to online servers more and more now a days (aka docs and Word Mobile). 

 

You expect me to reply then you'd best QUOTE me so I can........thanks

 

                                           Simple PC Parts list to reference for other Users:

 

 

Case: Meshify C

CPU: Ryzen 1600 @ 3.8

Mobo: ASRock AB350 Pro4

Ram: 2 x 8gb (Corsair RGB Pro)

GPU: XFX RX 580 8gb - Clocks: Core @1386mhz, memory @2000mhz

Storage:

Boot drive - 120gb NVME Corsair MP500

Main Storage drive - 500gb 860 EVO

Archival/Backup drive - 2TB Black WD

 

Mouse: Logi M570 for work, and a G502 for gaming

PSU: EVGA Supernova G2 650 80+ Gold

OS: And of course Win 10 Pro, because Linux ain't fully baked yet.

Monitors: (27in monitors)

TN - VG278Q @144hz 

IPS - VP279Q-P @60hz 

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10+ years never owned an UPS and I'm doing more than fine, thanks.

Personal Desktop":

CPU: Intel Core i7 10700K @5ghz |~| Cooling: bq! Dark Rock Pro 4 |~| MOBO: Gigabyte Z490UD ATX|~| RAM: 16gb DDR4 3333mhzCL16 G.Skill Trident Z |~| GPU: RX 6900XT Sapphire Nitro+ |~| PSU: Corsair TX650M 80Plus Gold |~| Boot:  SSD WD Green M.2 2280 240GB |~| Storage: 1x3TB HDD 7200rpm Seagate Barracuda + SanDisk Ultra 3D 1TB |~| Case: Fractal Design Meshify C Mini |~| Display: Toshiba UL7A 4K/60hz |~| OS: Windows 10 Pro.

Luna, the temporary Desktop:

CPU: AMD R9 7950XT  |~| Cooling: bq! Dark Rock 4 Pro |~| MOBO: Gigabyte Aorus Master |~| RAM: 32G Kingston HyperX |~| GPU: AMD Radeon RX 7900XTX (Reference) |~| PSU: Corsair HX1000 80+ Platinum |~| Windows Boot Drive: 2x 512GB (1TB total) Plextor SATA SSD (RAID0 volume) |~| Linux Boot Drive: 500GB Kingston A2000 |~| Storage: 4TB WD Black HDD |~| Case: Cooler Master Silencio S600 |~| Display 1 (leftmost): Eizo (unknown model) 1920x1080 IPS @ 60Hz|~| Display 2 (center): BenQ ZOWIE XL2540 1920x1080 TN @ 240Hz |~| Display 3 (rightmost): Wacom Cintiq Pro 24 3840x2160 IPS @ 60Hz 10-bit |~| OS: Windows 10 Pro (games / art) + Linux (distro: NixOS; programming and daily driver)
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Thank you for your contribution, but maybe it's the status quo bias speaking here: but even after understanding what an UPS is by reading trough your painfully written text, I am still convinced I personally don't need this

RGB & Fan control ULTIMATE GUIDE !

 

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2 minutes ago, Beer_Nontitju said:

Thank you for your contribution, but maybe it's the status quo bias speaking here: but even after understanding what an UPS is by reading trough your painfully written text, I am still convinced I personally don't need this

And thats fine. Just here to help those that would need one. 

 

And painfully written huh? list some corrections would love to read them. 

You expect me to reply then you'd best QUOTE me so I can........thanks

 

                                           Simple PC Parts list to reference for other Users:

 

 

Case: Meshify C

CPU: Ryzen 1600 @ 3.8

Mobo: ASRock AB350 Pro4

Ram: 2 x 8gb (Corsair RGB Pro)

GPU: XFX RX 580 8gb - Clocks: Core @1386mhz, memory @2000mhz

Storage:

Boot drive - 120gb NVME Corsair MP500

Main Storage drive - 500gb 860 EVO

Archival/Backup drive - 2TB Black WD

 

Mouse: Logi M570 for work, and a G502 for gaming

PSU: EVGA Supernova G2 650 80+ Gold

OS: And of course Win 10 Pro, because Linux ain't fully baked yet.

Monitors: (27in monitors)

TN - VG278Q @144hz 

IPS - VP279Q-P @60hz 

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With most people on earth switching to portable devices , the ups had become a lot less important.

that being said I already have adobe set to autosave every 5 minutes and my browsers seem to save state every second so idk how useful i could still make one be.

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9 minutes ago, Princess Cadence said:

10+ years never owned an UPS and I'm doing more than fine, thanks.

Thats great honestly. But just because you never had an issue that doesn't just invalidate the entire product. Thats not how that works.

 

Also how isn't spending 200 ish bucks as basically an insurance for your data in case of an outage along with keeping your components safe not important to you. Not something u care about in the slightest?? 

 

Any reason why?

You expect me to reply then you'd best QUOTE me so I can........thanks

 

                                           Simple PC Parts list to reference for other Users:

 

 

Case: Meshify C

CPU: Ryzen 1600 @ 3.8

Mobo: ASRock AB350 Pro4

Ram: 2 x 8gb (Corsair RGB Pro)

GPU: XFX RX 580 8gb - Clocks: Core @1386mhz, memory @2000mhz

Storage:

Boot drive - 120gb NVME Corsair MP500

Main Storage drive - 500gb 860 EVO

Archival/Backup drive - 2TB Black WD

 

Mouse: Logi M570 for work, and a G502 for gaming

PSU: EVGA Supernova G2 650 80+ Gold

OS: And of course Win 10 Pro, because Linux ain't fully baked yet.

Monitors: (27in monitors)

TN - VG278Q @144hz 

IPS - VP279Q-P @60hz 

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Just now, emosun said:

With most people on earth switching to portable devices , the ups had become a lot less important.

that being said I already have adobe set to autosave every 5 minutes and my browsers seem to save state every second so idk how useful i could still make one be.

except with mobile devices, they last more than 40 minutes on idle...

 

more like 8 hours gaming while streaming

✧・゚: *✧・゚:*  Quote for a reply  *:・゚✧*:・゚✧

 

✧・゚: *✧・゚:*   Ask for discord   *:・゚✧*:・゚✧

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1 minute ago, emosun said:

With most people on earth switching to portable devices , the ups had become a lot less important.

that being said I already have adobe set to autosave every 5 minutes and my browsers seem to save state every second so idk how useful i could still make one be.

Understandably great point about how most things auto save. For most that will be enough, for me I have crap tons of outaged near me from lighting storms and blizzards that drop trees on lines all the time. So for me its worth it. 

 

Again your reason makes sense thanks for stating it. Will give other readers another perspective to see if they really need one or not. 

You expect me to reply then you'd best QUOTE me so I can........thanks

 

                                           Simple PC Parts list to reference for other Users:

 

 

Case: Meshify C

CPU: Ryzen 1600 @ 3.8

Mobo: ASRock AB350 Pro4

Ram: 2 x 8gb (Corsair RGB Pro)

GPU: XFX RX 580 8gb - Clocks: Core @1386mhz, memory @2000mhz

Storage:

Boot drive - 120gb NVME Corsair MP500

Main Storage drive - 500gb 860 EVO

Archival/Backup drive - 2TB Black WD

 

Mouse: Logi M570 for work, and a G502 for gaming

PSU: EVGA Supernova G2 650 80+ Gold

OS: And of course Win 10 Pro, because Linux ain't fully baked yet.

Monitors: (27in monitors)

TN - VG278Q @144hz 

IPS - VP279Q-P @60hz 

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where i live power never fails and i also don't do super important work that can't loose a single minute without a save, so i never felt the need.

.

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One thing worth noting is that a UPS will not always protect your hardware from a lightning strike, found that out the hard way. :(

-KuJoe

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9 minutes ago, TrigrH said:

I swear by a UPS, but it really depends on where you live and what you are running.

Ya well said. If maybe the units cost 200 and up then I would likely consider other options but at 130 bucks over the next 5 yrs plus 60 bucks for a battery that will then allow it last another 5 yrs is pretty insane value I believe. even If I didn't have my power issues here I'd still get one simply for redundancy for my server since I can't have that die, but ya for a reg PC i can see the hesitation for sure.

You expect me to reply then you'd best QUOTE me so I can........thanks

 

                                           Simple PC Parts list to reference for other Users:

 

 

Case: Meshify C

CPU: Ryzen 1600 @ 3.8

Mobo: ASRock AB350 Pro4

Ram: 2 x 8gb (Corsair RGB Pro)

GPU: XFX RX 580 8gb - Clocks: Core @1386mhz, memory @2000mhz

Storage:

Boot drive - 120gb NVME Corsair MP500

Main Storage drive - 500gb 860 EVO

Archival/Backup drive - 2TB Black WD

 

Mouse: Logi M570 for work, and a G502 for gaming

PSU: EVGA Supernova G2 650 80+ Gold

OS: And of course Win 10 Pro, because Linux ain't fully baked yet.

Monitors: (27in monitors)

TN - VG278Q @144hz 

IPS - VP279Q-P @60hz 

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1 minute ago, KuJoe said:

One thing worth noting is that a UPS will not always protect your hardware from a lightning strike, found that out the hard way. :(

pretty sure nothing will stop a direct strike.

 

Lightning storms usually cause power outages tho.

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2 minutes ago, KuJoe said:

One thing worth noting is that a UPS will not always protect your hardware from a lightning strike, found that out the hard way. :(

What unit were u using?

 

The ones I listed do protect against Surge and outages. Just gotta make sure its the right one and has the right standards met to protect your stuff. Thats all. 

You expect me to reply then you'd best QUOTE me so I can........thanks

 

                                           Simple PC Parts list to reference for other Users:

 

 

Case: Meshify C

CPU: Ryzen 1600 @ 3.8

Mobo: ASRock AB350 Pro4

Ram: 2 x 8gb (Corsair RGB Pro)

GPU: XFX RX 580 8gb - Clocks: Core @1386mhz, memory @2000mhz

Storage:

Boot drive - 120gb NVME Corsair MP500

Main Storage drive - 500gb 860 EVO

Archival/Backup drive - 2TB Black WD

 

Mouse: Logi M570 for work, and a G502 for gaming

PSU: EVGA Supernova G2 650 80+ Gold

OS: And of course Win 10 Pro, because Linux ain't fully baked yet.

Monitors: (27in monitors)

TN - VG278Q @144hz 

IPS - VP279Q-P @60hz 

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Just now, TrigrH said:

pretty sure nothing will stop a direct strike.

 

Lightning storms usually cause power outages tho.

Actually no a surge protector is meant just for that. Thats what a SURGE of power is let it be from a lighting strike or the power company fucking up on there end. Surge protectors sacrifice the device to save what u have connected. Thats there point, which is pretty nice for me and my lighting prone area. ?

You expect me to reply then you'd best QUOTE me so I can........thanks

 

                                           Simple PC Parts list to reference for other Users:

 

 

Case: Meshify C

CPU: Ryzen 1600 @ 3.8

Mobo: ASRock AB350 Pro4

Ram: 2 x 8gb (Corsair RGB Pro)

GPU: XFX RX 580 8gb - Clocks: Core @1386mhz, memory @2000mhz

Storage:

Boot drive - 120gb NVME Corsair MP500

Main Storage drive - 500gb 860 EVO

Archival/Backup drive - 2TB Black WD

 

Mouse: Logi M570 for work, and a G502 for gaming

PSU: EVGA Supernova G2 650 80+ Gold

OS: And of course Win 10 Pro, because Linux ain't fully baked yet.

Monitors: (27in monitors)

TN - VG278Q @144hz 

IPS - VP279Q-P @60hz 

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Just now, TheReal_ist said:

Actually no a surge protector is meant just for that. Thats what a SURGE of power is let it be from a lighting strike or the power company fucking up on there end. Surge protectors sacrifice the device to save what u have connected. Thats there point, which is pretty nice for me and my lighting prone area. ?

http://stormhighway.com/surge_protectors_ups_lightning_protection_myth.php

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2 minutes ago, TrigrH said:

pretty sure nothing will stop a direct strike.

You are correct. I thought the UPS would just blow a fuse but that's not the case.

 

3 minutes ago, TheReal_ist said:

The ones I listed do protect against Surge and outages.

I don't want to spend a fortune on a commercial UPS, consumer UPSs won't do anything from a direct strike.

-KuJoe

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Also I kind of prefer to stick my UPS on a surge protector because I'd rather the surge protector die first than the expensive UPS unit. (But yeah, nothing's going to protect against a direct lightening strike).

 

You might also clarify that you mean to get a UPS unit without the "front" USB ports. It can be misunderstood to get a UPS with no USB ports at all.

 

But yeah, I only really have a UPS since I have a server. I don't think a lot of people really need them. Surge protector for sure though.

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3 minutes ago, scottyseng said:

I'd rather the surge protector die first than the expensive UPS unit.

I was hoping the same thing but unfortunately that's not how electricity works apparently. I wish I did my research before having to replace a router, switch, and IP camera (all in 3 different rooms on 3 different UPSs that were plugged into surge protectors). :(

-KuJoe

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1 minute ago, KuJoe said:

I was hoping the same thing but unfortunately that's not how electricity works apparently. I wish I did my research before having to replace a router, switch, and IP camera (all in 3 different rooms on 3 different UPSs that were plugged into surge protectors). :(

Darn that really sucks, but in your case I wouldn't nave expected anything to survive (lightening strike after all). I just mean for normal power surges.

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(Don't know how to quote ppl once u already created the post so o well) @scottyseng, @KuJoe, @TrigrH Guess u have to do it this way.

 

 

Update you guys: (Sorry for the mistake regarding false assumption a battery backup can stop a direct lighting strike)

 

Did some research and ya 98% of the time lighting strikes near your house it will fry everything its just to strong and fast for even the best commercial surge protectors to protect u from. Sometimes you'll get lucky and it will just ground itself it which is pretty nice but don't count on it.

 

The best thing I found from actual electricians: 

 

- Is to simply install a decent quality grounding system for around 100 ish bucks. You can get these from Home Depot for the most part. Or u can build your own if u want. You know the cliche lighting rod on roof into ground ya that thing. 

 

- But along with that you can also talk with your power company and see if they have a surge protection program u can pay for to get protection for your house. This protection is basically them coming in and adding ground protection to the entire house. Something to look into for sure.

 

- Another thing to worry about is protecting your cable, and phone lines to your house. Since lighting could hit these far away from your house and then travel along these to fry whatevers connected to them. I haven't found a good protection method for that yet but thats something for you guys to look into as well if u live in a heavy Lighting storm area as I do. And if someone knows of a way to protect this posting the answer would be pretty helpful. 

 

Sorry I didn't mention this aspect of the whole protection thing I was trying to talk about. But glad we know now and for those that need it will be able to look into doing this for there home. 

You expect me to reply then you'd best QUOTE me so I can........thanks

 

                                           Simple PC Parts list to reference for other Users:

 

 

Case: Meshify C

CPU: Ryzen 1600 @ 3.8

Mobo: ASRock AB350 Pro4

Ram: 2 x 8gb (Corsair RGB Pro)

GPU: XFX RX 580 8gb - Clocks: Core @1386mhz, memory @2000mhz

Storage:

Boot drive - 120gb NVME Corsair MP500

Main Storage drive - 500gb 860 EVO

Archival/Backup drive - 2TB Black WD

 

Mouse: Logi M570 for work, and a G502 for gaming

PSU: EVGA Supernova G2 650 80+ Gold

OS: And of course Win 10 Pro, because Linux ain't fully baked yet.

Monitors: (27in monitors)

TN - VG278Q @144hz 

IPS - VP279Q-P @60hz 

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42 minutes ago, KuJoe said:

You are correct. I thought the UPS would just blow a fuse but that's not the case.

 

I don't want to spend a fortune on a commercial UPS, consumer UPSs won't do anything from a direct strike.

That really does suck. sorry man. Best advice I can with that said is to simply ground your house. Nothing will surely protect your devices if they are plugged into socket even the best protection plans from your power companies won't 100% protect u. The best way is to simply invest some money into PROPERLY grounding your house aka Copper metals for redirection of the strike into the ground. 

 

But yes for small surges a UPS still makes sense. 

You expect me to reply then you'd best QUOTE me so I can........thanks

 

                                           Simple PC Parts list to reference for other Users:

 

 

Case: Meshify C

CPU: Ryzen 1600 @ 3.8

Mobo: ASRock AB350 Pro4

Ram: 2 x 8gb (Corsair RGB Pro)

GPU: XFX RX 580 8gb - Clocks: Core @1386mhz, memory @2000mhz

Storage:

Boot drive - 120gb NVME Corsair MP500

Main Storage drive - 500gb 860 EVO

Archival/Backup drive - 2TB Black WD

 

Mouse: Logi M570 for work, and a G502 for gaming

PSU: EVGA Supernova G2 650 80+ Gold

OS: And of course Win 10 Pro, because Linux ain't fully baked yet.

Monitors: (27in monitors)

TN - VG278Q @144hz 

IPS - VP279Q-P @60hz 

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32 minutes ago, TheReal_ist said:

- Is to simply install a decent quality grounding system for around 100 ish bucks. You can get these from Home Depot for the most part. Or u can build your own if u want. You know the cliche lighting rod on roof into ground ya that thing. 

 

- But along with that you can also talk with your power company and see if they have a surge protection program u can pay for to get protection for your house. This protection is basically them coming in and adding ground protection to the entire house. Something to look into for sure.

 

- Another thing to worry about is protecting your cable, and phone lines to your house. Since lighting could hit these far away from your house and then travel along these to fry whatevers connected to them. I haven't found a good protection method for that yet but thats something for you guys to look into as well if u live in a heavy Lighting storm area as I do. And if someone knows of a way to protect this posting the answer would be pretty helpful.

As an actual electrician:

- You should not attempt DIY ground systems. Messing around in the circuit breaker panel without knowing what you're doing is asking for trouble. Most homes here aren't going to pack large enough ground wires to dissipate the power of a lightening strike coming down the mains in my opinion. That surge is something serious. At least ground codes in the US are getting better (Must have two independent grounding rods now. 8' apart)

 

- There are only a handful of home surge protection devices that I would trust, and they have to be installed by the homowner (Yeah, don't really trust electrical company to do anything here).

 

- I'm happy I have fiber optic to the home. haha. They do make surge protectors for coax entry though.

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