# Buying a UPS for Desktop



## amardeep.sidhu (Mar 10, 2018)

Hi Guys,

I have been using an APC UPS (a very old model) for 7-8 years. It gave backup issues many times and I got the battery changed from APC service centre. Now again it is giving issues and the system doesn't even power on. UPS shows RED LED. I am thinking of throwing it away and getting a new one. My society has a power backup so if a UPS can give 10-15 mins backup that should be good enough.

I am using Corsair CX500 power suppy with Interl DB85FL mobo, i5 CPU and 24 GBs of DDR3 RAM. Along with the system and Monitor, speakers (Altec Lansing 2.1) will also be connected to the UPS.

Any suggestions in terms or brands/models ? I think should be able to get a decent one in 2-2.5k range or need to spend more ? I did a basic search on Amazon but was surprised to see that most of the products have not so good reviews.

Appreciate any inputs.

Thank you.


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## bssunilreddy (Mar 10, 2018)

You can go with either APC BX600C-IN 600VA UPS @ 2.5k or CyberPower BU600C-IN 600VA UPS @ 2.2k (Both offer 2 years of warranty on battery and UPS)
If you want more wattage then CyberPower BU1000E-IN 1000VA UPS @ 4.2k is good. APC 1.1KVa UPSes are costly than CyberPower and is not recommended unless the PC needs such backup power.


Please don't connect your speakers to the UPS because the UPS won't give much backup for your PC.


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## amardeep.sidhu (Mar 10, 2018)

Thank you.

The APC one has really bad reviews on Amazon. Any experiences with the post sales service of CyberPower ?

Thanks.


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## sling-shot (Mar 10, 2018)

Go for V-Guard units. When new they come with 2-year warranty that covers the battery. As far as I know it is the only brand that gives 2 year warranty including battery. From 2nd year on the story is the same with almost all UPS units.


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## bssunilreddy (Mar 10, 2018)

sling-shot said:


> Go for V-Guard units. When new they come with 2-year warranty that covers the battery. As far as I know it is the only brand that gives 2 year warranty including battery. From 2nd year on the story is the same with almost all UPS units.


Both APC & CyberPower give 2 years warranty both on battery and UPS as well. Check their websites once.

V-Guard is a local brand and I always used APC and it never let me down.

Sent from my Smartron SRT kT5524 using Tapatalk


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## sling-shot (Mar 11, 2018)

Then alright. As long as 2 year warranty is there, it is a reputed company and there is service in your area you are good to go.


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## rijinpk1 (Mar 11, 2018)

For your config, a 600va UPS is fine. get one from APC. V guard is fine too. Have been using it since 2012. Never had issues with the  UPS although changed the battery twice.


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## amardeep.sidhu (Mar 11, 2018)

Thanks everyone. I think will go for APC one then.

One more question. Is it ok to keep the power to the UPS always on ? I mean when the PC is shutdown, is it ok if the main power to the UPS is left on ?


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## sling-shot (Mar 11, 2018)

Main power to the UPS should always be on.


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## billubakra (Mar 18, 2018)

sling-shot said:


> Main power to the UPS should always be on.


Why?


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## bssunilreddy (Mar 18, 2018)

billubakra said:


> Why?


To keep it charging without getting discharged or when there is a power cut, it can keep on charging after the power comes on.

You can switch off the UPS when you are shutting down the system.

Sent from my Smartron SRT kT5524 using Tapatalk


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## billubakra (Mar 18, 2018)

bssunilreddy said:


> To keep it charging without getting discharged or when there is a power cut, it can keep on charging after the power comes on.
> 
> You can switch off the UPS when you are shutting down the system.
> 
> Sent from my Smartron SRT kT5524 using Tapatalk




I think the op asked after shutting down too and my point was also the same. Ofcourse when we are going to use the system we are going to switch it on.


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## bssunilreddy (Mar 18, 2018)

billubakra said:


> I think the op asked after shutting down too and my point was also the same. Ofcourse when we are going to use the system we are going to switch it on.


An extremely minute amount of electricity will be consumed by the UPS - no differently than the battery of a laptop if it is always left plugged in. You should follow the recommendations of the UPS manufacturer, but from my experience it is OK to leave the UPS on all the time.


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## billubakra (Mar 18, 2018)

bssunilreddy said:


> An extremely minute amount of electricity will be consumed by the UPS - no differently than the battery of a laptop if it is always left plugged in. You should follow the recommendations of the UPS manufacturer, but from my experience it is OK to leave the UPS on all the time.


If the PC is used once or twice a week then is it still recommended to keep it on all the times? Won't it effect the battery life?


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## bssunilreddy (Mar 18, 2018)

billubakra said:


> If the PC is used once or twice a week then is it still recommended to keep it on all the times? Won't it effect the battery life?


Then shut down when ever you switch off the system but charge while gaming or browsing.

If the UPS was used when any event of power cut then re-charge until full charge. Otherwise keep it shut down. Okay.


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## sling-shot (Mar 18, 2018)

The UPS switch need only be on while using the system. 

The wall socket switch should always be on. This is because the sole purpose of UPS is to provide backup in the event of power failure so that you can shut down safely. With the advent of Windows 10,it may mean more than 5 minutes depending on if there are any updates pending to be installed. In such cases you need the maximum charge in the UPS. 

Even though mains are on, due to fluctuations in voltage UPS has to work to maintain desired power. It might go unnoticed and lead to battery drain/lack of charging.


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## billubakra (Mar 19, 2018)

sling-shot said:


> The UPS switch need only be on while using the system.
> 
> The wall socket switch should always be on. This is because the sole purpose of UPS is to provide backup in the event of power failure so that you can shut down safely. With the advent of Windows 10,it may mean more than 5 minutes depending on if there are any updates pending to be installed. In such cases you need the maximum charge in the UPS.
> 
> Even though mains are on, due to fluctuations in voltage UPS has to work to maintain desired power. It might go unnoticed and lead to battery drain/lack of charging.


If the wall socket is always on and the usage is once or twice a week then it will surely impact the battery, don't matter whether the ups has the autocut feature or not. Isn't that a valid point?

+ @gta5


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## gta5 (Mar 19, 2018)

From what I know

Laptop/smartphone batteries use li-ion whereas UPS uses VRLA batteries most common being AGM type

With laptops/smartphones  it is better if you don't keep them fully charged and cycle it between 40-80% for long life..

With UPS you should make sure that they are kept fully charged at all times.. Charging rate of ups is much slower .. So if you are using your PC only 2-3 hours with 1 or 2 power cuts daily..  and then switching off a/c plug after using PC  it will not get fully charged .. And If you do this continuously you will loose battery capacity faster I.e depriving ups battery of full charge ..
And if possible don't let battery run down to its maximum to drop to 0-10% level.. With ups it is better if you don't let it drop to more than 50% regularly..

If your ups is fully charged and you use your PC only once or twice a week then you can switch off ac plug after it is fully charged .. Important thing is to keep ups fully charged 

Overcharging will kill it of course but most good brand ups will stop charging and reduce charging voltage when approaching full charge.. If using not so good brands/doubtful just switch it off after it has been fully charged

And heat is the primary killer so make sure they are not kept in hot environment

Refer batteryuniversity.com for more info


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## sling-shot (Mar 19, 2018)

Economy UPS models (3 K or less MRP) don't have any indicator for battery charge status.


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## amardeep.sidhu (Mar 22, 2018)

Thanks for the insights.

Ordered the APC-600 one. My usage is like 1-2 hours every alternate day. Or sometimes on weekends etc like 4-5 hours a day.

Thanks.


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