[wisp928]

I am in desperate need of some help. I want to purchase a UPS battery backup surge protection device but I am lost when looking at all of my options. Between the VA rating, Watts rating, joule rating, and everything else I don't know what is best. I have looked at manufacture websites and they are not of much help. Actually they confuse me more in the fact that they state the product is a UPS - meaning it actually runs the computer off of the battery all the time, the unit is constantly charged by the wall outlet and then runs the computer so that your computer is never directly connected to the flow of electricity (correct) but in reality in must just use the battery if your electricity goes out or decreases power. I believe this because it says that it will detect these "brownouts" or low times of electricity and kick in the battery to fix them. I don't know...If someone could please help me it would be appreciated. Thank you so much!

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Most common of the UPS's is the APC 350 or APC 500.

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16842101123

Usual run time until the ups can no longer keep the computer running is around 7 to 10 minutes.

I really prefer having a 8 plug UPS because this lets you have the computer, monitor, printer and one other piece of hardware running if you need it. I have my cable modem plugged into the 4th plugin. This keps me from resetting half my hardware every time a slight brown out happens, which does happen quite often where i live. I even have a UPS on my refrigerator to stop the brown outs from burning up the compressor. All my TV's also have UPS's. Anyway, heres usually what i use.

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16842102042

I like the above because it has surge protection for network cables( RJ-45), and Cable internet lines.

If you have adapters that need to be pluggen that are heavy and bulky i use adapter cables like these.

http://www.tigerdire...sp?EdpNo=698694

What i have above is generally all you need in a home situation.

SRX660

[SRX660]

Most common of the UPS's is the APC 350 or APC 500.

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16842101123

Usual run time until the ups can no longer keep the computer running is around 7 to 10 minutes.

I really prefer having a 8 plug UPS because this lets you have the computer, monitor, printer and one other piece of hardware running if you need it. I have my cable modem plugged into the 4th plugin. This keps me from resetting half my hardware every time a slight brown out happens, which does happen quite often where i live. I even have a UPS on my refrigerator to stop the brown outs from burning up the compressor. All my TV's also have UPS's. Anyway, heres usually what i use.

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16842102042

I like the above because it has surge protection for network cables( RJ-45), and Cable internet lines.

If you have adapters that need to be pluggen that are heavy and bulky i use adapter cables like these.

http://www.tigerdire...sp?EdpNo=698694

What i have above is generally all you need in a home situation.

SRX660

[Kemasa]

The first thing that you need to consider is how much load you intend to put on the UPS, which can be done with adding up the watts and make sure that the UPS can handle the load.

The next thing to consider is how long you want the computer to run when the power goes out. The larger the UPS the longer the machine can last. Many UPSs have battery backedup outlets and protected outlets. The protected outlets do not use the battery, so if the power goes out, the device will go off. This is useful if you want to leave your computer on all the time, but hook the monitor to the other outlet so that it allows the UPS to power the computer longer. You could also use two UPSs, one for the computer and another for everything else.

Some UPS always run off the battery, as you mention, but not all of them. I have a Conext UPS, which is made by APC, and it does not switch quick enough to battery. I have my answering machine and cordless phone plugged into a UPS and the old APC 500VA UPS works fine (beeps when I use the microwave due the power drop), but the Conext drops the power. Many of the APC UPS seem to run off AC, boosting the power when needed, but it does not run off the batteries all the time, which means when the power goes out there is a brief switching time. Running off the batteries is better, but it is often more expensive and/or not as effiecient. A good UPS should deal with a brownout, regardless of whether it always runs off the battery.

Another issue is whether you want a true sine wave output, like the normal AC power, or a stepped power. For example, the BackUPS from APC is not a true sine wave and this create an issue if you try to use a surge suppressor on the output when it goes to battery. The Smart UPS puts out a sine wave when on battery, but is much more expensive.

You can use a power strip on the output of the UPS, just don't overload it and don't use a surge suppressor. Also, don't connect a laser printer to a UPS, unless it is a really big UPS that can handle it. Many UPS have a warning to not connect a laser printer.

BTW, Sam's Club has a nice APC UPS in the store, at least they used to. It is around $140 now and I think 1400VA. On the web page it only lists a small one:

http://www.samsclub....amp;item=328284

Basically the larger the VA, the more power it can deliver. Unfortunately they don't offer smaller UPS with a lot of batteries. Some of the more expensive UPS can have additional batteries added, but those are expensive.

So, what are you looking to do?

[wisp928]

Well, I have a Dell Dimenision 2350 Series. It has a 2GHz Pentium 4 processor with 1 GB RAM. (I am just telling what I know because honestly I have no clue what matters. ) I obviously have a monitor. It is just a standard 17 in CVT nothing special. My main thing is I just wanted to protect it from the "brownouts", the surges, and any possible lightning strikes...if that is even possible. I'm getting ready to move here in a few days and I figure if I have to unhook everything and hook it all back up I might as well make sure I am doing it right I was also going to get a heavy duty surge protector for my TV, DVD, VCR, and TIVO but now you have me wondering if I don't need a UPS for that too. What do you think?

[Kemasa]

A UPS should help to protect the machine against brownouts, surges and such. Based on what you said, it does not sound like you need a large UPS.

You should check to see what the power requirements is listed for each device. It should be on the back of the item. Just add up the watts listed and make sure that the UPS can handle it. You could also go with a larger UPS, but it depends on what you are willing to spend.

I have a UPS for my video equipment, in part because I had to reset the clock. If you have the money, it is a good idea. You can sometimes get a good deal on ebay, but I would only buy locally (shipping a UPS is expensive) and wait for a good deal.