UPS backups

[Creeper]

Anyone have one of these devices or experience with one?

We had a power failure yesterday morning. It was one of those deals where the power drops then a few minutes later returns, only to drop and return again a few seconds later. Unfortunately for me, the power shenanigans did something to one of my PCs causing the CPU cooler and a video card to fail. I am hoping my CPU is not fried as well but it won't stay up long enough for me to diagnosis before it overheats and shuts down.

In any case, I need about $200 in parts to get the thing up and running again.

And yes, I had it plugged into a surge protector, a good one too.

I am considering a backup power supply to at least allow the system to shut down normally when the house power fails.

My questions are:

How many PCs can one UPS devices support (I understand it depends on wattage)?

Is there a detection function that will cause a PC to shut down normally automatically when the UPS kicks in? If a power failure occurs during the night, 1 or 2 hours of backup power may not be enough.

In general, do these things work? Is there a downside? Do the batteries in these things go bad? How quickly? I had a backup battery charger for my cars and when I needed it the battery was dead and could not be recharged.

Any thoughts would be helpful. Thank you.

 

[YosemiteSam]

I will try to answer your questions.

So, to your specific point. A UPS is exactly what you need and it provides both surge protection, but also provide a stable power source when your mains power becomes unstable. (blackout, brownout, etc)

Question: How many PCs can one UPS device support

Answer: That depends on the size of the UPS. They can support an entire room of computers, or you can get personal ones that you plugin just your PC / peripherals to. That said, the question should not stop there. You can buy a UPS that will hold your PC up for 10 seconds, or one that can run for several minutes and how long it can power your system without mains power depends completely on the battery size and how much power your system is pulling from it while the power is off.

For my desktop which is Core i7, 128GB of memory, RTX 5070 Ti, and (2) 2TB NVMe drives, and 3 monitors. I run it on a 1500VA Eaton 5S UPS. (I prefer Eaton over say APC or CyberPower, but those work also)

All of my other PCs (with the exception of my laptop) also have 1500VA UPS and my home router / switches also have their own 1500VA UPS. (I own about 9 UPS all 1500VA for all my expensive equipment, but I'm also an IT professional)

My PC listed above can last about 5-10 minutes on the 1500VA if I'm not actively using the PC. This is plenty of time to shutdown in the event of a power outage.

My home router / switches can last substantially longer as they use far less power. This is very helpful to keep the Internet on during a power outage. (though I have a manual flip home generator and this gives me time to get it up and running)

Question: Is there a function that will get the PC to shutdown in the event of a power outage.

Answer: Yes! It's much better than it was a long time ago. Today, you don't even need to install special software like you used to. You just have to plug the UPS into the PC using an USB cable. It uses this connection to notify the PC that the power is out and should shutdown. This is compatible with Windows, Linux, and MacOS.

Question: Do UPS actually work?

Answer: Absolutely! The business world depends on them to get their business running. I depend on them to keep my home protected.

Question: Do the batteries go bad?

Answer: Yes, they tend to last for 3+ years, but the quality of the device matters. I've had some last 6+ years I've had some that died after 3 years. Normally, you can replace the battery. There are many battery websites that can help you find a replacement battery. Though I will say this. After doing that 1-2 times, I will usually replace the UPS after that. So, I usually get a good 10 years out of mine by replacing the battery then just buy a new one. Better technology and capacitors can go bad after a while making it not work even with a new battery.

Just Google UPS battery replacement and provide your model number and the battery site usually will have a tool to help you find the correct replacement battery.

Just keep in mind, you don't recharge these batteries with a external battery recharger. The UPS itself has the battery recharger built into it. That's how it keeps the battery topped off and ready for a power outage.

Question: Is there any downside to a UPS.

Answer: Yes. They cost money and good ones cost more than cheap ones and the bigger they are (more VA) the more expensive they are. While you can buy cheap ones, you are buying insurance for your computer. I always consider the UPS part of the cost of the PC. So, while you don't have to get a massive expensive one. Buy a quality one that fits your needs.

1. Is it large enough to hold my PC for at least 5 minutes so it can shutdown properly.
2. Will it last 3+ years with the battery they provided and will it last 6+ with battery replacements. (ie not garbage batteries or electronics)
3. Is it a trust worthy brand.

For brands, there are several, but I would lean towards:

1. Eaton (my personal choice)
2. Trip Lite (now owned by Eaton)
3. APC
4. CyberPower (my 3rd choice)

Avoid No-name or Amazon brands. Stick with those four above IMHO.

Bonus Question / Answer: How to select the correct UPS for your needs.

• Eaton's UPS Buyers Guide

Good luck.

 

[Creeper]

Thank you for the detailed answers to my questions.

After further investigation I realized I did not fry my video card, at least not completely. It turns out the fan locked and I surmise the GPU overheated. It was weird. I have seen fans go bad and stop spinning, but I have never seen a fan lock like something was blocking the blades before. I forced it to turn a few times and it freed whatever was blocking it. I plugged it into one of my other computers and it worked fine. Fan was spinning. GPU remained cool an there were no issues rendering screens. Of course I do not trust it completely, but I can at least plug it in and get my computer running without having to worry about the video drivers. I can uninstall them safely before installing another video card.

This computer needs a serious upgrade since it is ancient. A UPS will be included in that upgrade.