UPS or not ??

[wfriedwald]

I have tried using UPS units in the past - and the experience has never been satisfactory. they have been cumbersome and awkward and they pretty much stop working after a while. I have tried replacing batteries and like that.

question: does anyone have a specific model that they can vouch for? I don't mind spending $200 or thereabouts if it actually does what it's supposed to.

thanks for any suggestions / feedback!

w

 

[Apple_Robert]

APC has worked well for me over the years.

APC UPS 1000VA UPS Battery Backup and Surge Protector, BX1000M Backup Battery Power Supply, AVR, Dataline Protection

This APC battery back up power supply offers guaranteed power and surge protection for wireless networks, computers, and other electronics in your home or business. Backup battery power supply is designed for use during outages and unsafe voltage fluctuations, and provides surge protector with ba...

www.amazon.com

 

[wfriedwald]

thanks! this is indeed very helpful!

 

[apostolosdt]

I’ve been using APC with all the Mac Pros for years.

 

[gilby101]

Howard Oakley likes CyberPower because of the Mac software support.

Do your Macs a favour by getting a UPS

Please protect your Macs from mains voltage surges and sudden loss of power using a UPS. Here’s how to select and use one.

eclecticlight.co

 

[arw]

Around here it is often recommended to choose a UPS with (pure) sinewave and compatibility to active PFC PSUs (at least in the Intel days).
I followed the advice and picked one from CyberPower (PFC Sinewave Series 900VA / 540W).
They only add 4W to the power consumption of the connected devices.

 

[gilby101]

I don't mind spending $200 or thereabouts if it actually does what it's supposed to.

What are you wanting it to do?
a) keep your Mac running until power is restored,
b) keep Mac running until battery runs out (less damaging than brownout),
c) provide clean power because your voltage is liable to drop, or
d) enable automatic shutdown of the Mac if power is not restored after say 2 minutes.

 

[arw]

A little addendum to the "UPS or not ??" part.
Yesterday lightning struck 100 meters from us and set a house on fire.
Our main fuse tripped but thanks to the UPS, our server with two VMs and 6 HDDs could gracefully shut down.
Some scenarios are just out of our hands and proof to me, the $200 are money well spent.

I've set it to shut down after 1 minute so even with a more degraded battery, it should be usable for years.