Battery backup

[Nomad84]

About a week ago, I briefly lost power at my apartment 5 times in the same day. It hasn't happened any other time, and I wasn't playing poker, but it occured to me that this could be very expensive if I was playing. Also, I obviously prefer not to lose power anyway when my computer is running. The potential financial costs of a power outage got me thinking about battery backup power supplies. I plan to buy one soon, but I have no idea what to look for. I need to be able to power an Athlon X2 3800 based computer with 2 hard drives, 2 CRTs, cable modem, and router. I would prefer to be able to have power for long enough for the blinds to come around, but if that isn't possible, at least long enough to finish the current hands. I will probably be adding 2 LCDs in the future, but if I continue to run the CRTs also, then I'll probably just have lobbies, PT, etc. on them, so I probably won't have to run them all at once. I will need a minimum of two displays though. Obviously, speakers are low priority.

What should I look for in a UPS to meet these needs? About how much should I be expecting to spend? Thanks!

[jba]

<$100 bucks if you just want to get to your blinds.

make sure you have enough battery powered outlets, often there will be like four battery powered outlets and a couple surge protected, which isn't enough for you.

[Nomad84]

Can I plug a power strip into the UPS if there aren't enough outlets? Or will they not supply enough juice to do that?

[Link774]

UPS manufacturers recommend against plugging a power strip into a UPS to increase your number of outlets, as an overload may occur and trip the built-in circuit breaker. You can always try it for a little while. If the breaker trips, you'll need to get another UPS. Of course, you should test your setup by unplugging the unit when fully charged so you can get an idea of how long you can play before you lose power.

If you have CRTs and that powerful of a system, make sure you get a > 1000 VA (VoltAmp) UPS to adequately protect against power sags/surges (APC makes the best kind) by providing constant power and power conditioning as well as being able to fully carry a 7-10 minute load for your PC and monitors. When you get LCDs the 1000+ VA system should be able to carry the load better, since CRTs suck power and LCDs are pretty conservative overall.

[Nomad84]

[ QUOTE ]
If you have CRTs and that powerful of a system, make sure you get a > 1000 VA (VoltAmp) UPS to adequately protect against power sags/surges (APC makes the best kind) by providing constant power and power conditioning as well as being able to fully carry a 7-10 minute load for your PC and monitors. When you get LCDs the 1000+ VA system should be able to carry the load better, since CRTs suck power and LCDs are pretty conservative overall.

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Thanks. I also forgot to mention that I get the feeling that my power isn't the cleanest in the world. It's possible that some of my electronics are just too old and are having problems of their own, but I wouldn't be surprised if they are getting dirty power.

[BluffTHIS!]

The UPS should also condition the line. I have a Belkin 550va UPS and am extremely pleased with it. It has 4 receptacles that are backed up, and an additional 2 that are not. So I have my CPU tower, my monitor and my dsl modem plugged into the backed up outlets, and my printer and scanner in the two that aren't backed up. You only want backed up what is necessary because adding peripherals will just reduce the time the critical components are able to have power.

[jba]

[ QUOTE ]
The UPS should also condition the line. I have a Belkin 550va UPS and am extremely pleased with it. It has 4 receptacles that are backed up, and an additional 2 that are not. So I have my CPU tower, my monitor and my dsl modem plugged into the backed up outlets, and my printer and scanner in the two that aren't backed up. You only want backed up what is necessary because adding peripherals will just reduce the time the critical components are able to have power.

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sorry to hijack, but is your comp connected directly to your dsl modem? I hope you have an awesome software firewall is so... I would look into throwing a router in there buddy, just a heads up.

[BluffTHIS!]

I run behind both an isp firewall and Norton's.

[Nomad84]

I've been looking around on Newegg. I've noticed several of them have 4 outlets that are backed up with the battery and 2 others that are just surge protected. If I get one of those, I figure I can connect the computer and the two monitors to the 4 powered outlets. I could then add power strip and use the 4th powered outlet for my modem, route, and any other relatively low power things. Speakers, etc. could easily go on the unpowered outlets. I'm still looking around and I'll probably post a few links later to get more specific recommendations.