Surge protector or UPS?

virginblue4 · Feb 23, 2013, 03:56 PM

I've just been reading a thread stating that blackouts (reason for UPS) only cause you to lose unsaved data but do not damage hardware. Only power surges damage the hardware.

I'm not worried about losing data because I'm constantly pressing the save button. I don't mind my iMac shutting off if there is a power cut as long as I don't damage the hardware.

Will just a surge protector suffice for me or can blackouts actually damage the hardware?

rkaufmann87 · Feb 23, 2013, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by virginblue4

I've just been reading a thread stating that blackouts (reason for UPS) only cause you to lose unsaved data but do not damage hardware. Only power surges damage the hardware.

I'm not worried about losing data because I'm constantly pressing the save button. I don't mind my iMac shutting off if there is a power cut as long as I don't damage the hardware.

Will just a surge protector suffice for me or can blackouts actually damage the hardware?

Without a doubt a UPS is much more valuable than a surge protector.

flynz4 · Feb 23, 2013, 06:57 PM

Plus... power outages can corrupt a disk.

/Jim

wessew · Feb 23, 2013, 09:53 PM

Blackouts in which there is a loss of power to the computer can damage system files and cause significant corruption. Such damage can cause the computer to malfunction. This is why you do should not simply pull the plug or do a hard shutdown of the computer. I would regard a quality UPS as essential.

seanm9 · Feb 23, 2013, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by virginblue4

I've just been reading a thread stating that blackouts (reason for UPS) only cause you to lose unsaved data but do not damage hardware. Only power surges damage the hardware.

I'm not worried about losing data because I'm constantly pressing the save button. I don't mind my iMac shutting off if there is a power cut as long as I don't damage the hardware.

Will just a surge protector suffice for me or can blackouts actually damage the hardware?

As other's have said, a black out during disk activity can be catastrophic, but a brown out where your Mac is not getting the full voltage it needs can ruin the hardware just like a surge does... A UPS makes your computer always run off the battery... so power never drops...

gzigoris · Feb 24, 2013, 06:15 PM

A UPS is you best Surge protector. Have this big resistance across you line will suck up any spikes coming through. go for a UPS.

virginblue4 · Feb 24, 2013, 06:48 PM

Thanks for all the replies. I've ordered a CyberPower pure sine wave UPS

Very expensive in the UK, however, I'm sure it'll be worth it.

monokakata · Feb 24, 2013, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seanm9

A UPS makes your computer always run off the battery... so power never drops...

Not strictly accurate. An "online" UPS always runs off the battery, so that computer never "sees" the AC at all. But they are very expensive and often very noisy (I've had several).

An ordinary UPS feeds the AC to the computer until there's either a brownout or blackout. Then you're on the battery, but not before.

http://www.pcguide.com/ref/power/ext...sOnLine-c.html

APC, Cyberpower and others are not "online" UPSs. (Maybe APC has an online unit, but I don't know for sure . . . certainly the ones most of us buy are not.)

There's not a thing wrong with them, though, provided they're a good fit for your computer. There's the PFC/sine wave issue, etc.

OP, the Cyberpower will do well for you. I have two and they are excellent.

Jimmy.apple.fan · Feb 25, 2013, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by virginblue4

Thanks for all the replies. I've ordered a CyberPower pure sine wave UPS

Very expensive in the UK, however, I'm sure it'll be worth it.

What one have you ordered & what made you choose it over all the others?!?

Thanks

virginblue4 · Feb 25, 2013, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimmy.apple.fan

What one have you ordered & what made you choose it over all the others?!?

Thanks

This is the one that I have ordered:

http://www.criticalpowersupplies.co....PFC-1350VA-UPS

I chose this one as I have been recommended multiple times to make sure it's a pure sine wave UPS. I didn't need 1350VA but its the only one available in the UK.

seanm9 · Feb 25, 2013, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by monokakata

Not strictly accurate. An "online" UPS always runs off the battery, so that computer never "sees" the AC at all. But they are very expensive and often very noisy (I've had several).

An ordinary UPS feeds the AC to the computer until there's either a brownout or blackout. Then you're on the battery, but not before.

http://www.pcguide.com/ref/power/ext...sOnLine-c.html

APC, Cyberpower and others are not "online" UPSs. (Maybe APC has an online unit, but I don't know for sure . . . certainly the ones most of us buy are not.)

There's not a thing wrong with them, though, provided they're a good fit for your computer. There's the PFC/sine wave issue, etc.

OP, the Cyberpower will do well for you. I have two and they are excellent.

I know APC makes at least one... but i wouldn't want to buy one for my Mac ( its the size of a dorm fridge and yes kinda noisy)...We have a a few at work in some of our smaller hub sites were we can't afford any transfer time during a power failure... of course they pale in comparison to the Run time that our separate Rectifier / Inverter systems where we have rooms full of batteries hooked to a rectifier for charging and separate inverter to power any of the gear we have that is not DC powered... all of that is on top of a very large Gen-set... we have 8 hours run time for the building... that is if commercial power fails and then the Generator fails on top of that...

monokakata · Feb 25, 2013, 04:27 PM

Yeah, I don't miss the days of the tornado-like noise from my AlphaServer and the online UPS. I've been failing to remember the brand of the first one I had, which was some milspec thing that cost a fortune and was very noisy.

It gave its life protecting my equipment when I was handling an event at the Pentagon . . . the Army gave me a 30kw generator to use (even though 2 kw would have been more than enough for me) and it threw a wicked spike and took out the UPS. But everything downstream from it was just fine.

After that I tried Best and Exide and they were OK. One thing I found in my onsite event days was that some UPSs wouldn't tolerate output from regular gas generators, and some would. I never found an APC model that would work with a regular generator, but the newer inverter-type generators didn't give them a problem. The Best and the Exide didn't care.

Feb 23, 2013, 03:56 PM	#1
virginblue4 macrumors 6502a Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: United Kingdom	Surge protector or UPS? I've just been reading a thread stating that blackouts (reason for UPS) only cause you to lose unsaved data but do not damage hardware. Only power surges damage the hardware. I'm not worried about losing data because I'm constantly pressing the save button. I don't mind my iMac shutting off if there is a power cut as long as I don't damage the hardware. Will just a surge protector suffice for me or can blackouts actually damage the hardware? __________________ Late 2012 27" iMac - 3.4GHz i7, 1TB Fusion Drive, 24GB RAM, GTX 680MX 2GB (Assembled in Ireland) iPhone 5, white and silver iPad mini, white and silver
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Feb 24, 2013, 06:48 PM	#7
virginblue4 Thread Starter macrumors 6502a Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: United Kingdom	Thanks for all the replies. I've ordered a CyberPower pure sine wave UPS Very expensive in the UK, however, I'm sure it'll be worth it. __________________ Late 2012 27" iMac - 3.4GHz i7, 1TB Fusion Drive, 24GB RAM, GTX 680MX 2GB (Assembled in Ireland) iPhone 5, white and silver iPad mini, white and silver
	0

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Feb 23, 2013, 06:57 PM	#3
flynz4 macrumors 68020 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Portland, OR	Plus... power outages can corrupt a disk. /Jim
	0

Feb 23, 2013, 09:53 PM	#4
wessew macrumors member Join Date: Feb 2010	Blackouts in which there is a loss of power to the computer can damage system files and cause significant corruption. Such damage can cause the computer to malfunction. This is why you do should not simply pull the plug or do a hard shutdown of the computer. I would regard a quality UPS as essential.
	0

Feb 24, 2013, 06:15 PM	#6
gzigoris macrumors member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Middle MI.USA	A UPS is you best Surge protector. Have this big resistance across you line will suck up any spikes coming through. go for a UPS.
	0

Feb 25, 2013, 04:27 PM	#12
monokakata macrumors 6502a Join Date: May 2008	Yeah, I don't miss the days of the tornado-like noise from my AlphaServer and the online UPS. I've been failing to remember the brand of the first one I had, which was some milspec thing that cost a fortune and was very noisy. It gave its life protecting my equipment when I was handling an event at the Pentagon . . . the Army gave me a 30kw generator to use (even though 2 kw would have been more than enough for me) and it threw a wicked spike and took out the UPS. But everything downstream from it was just fine. After that I tried Best and Exide and they were OK. One thing I found in my onsite event days was that some UPSs wouldn't tolerate output from regular gas generators, and some would. I never found an APC model that would work with a regular generator, but the newer inverter-type generators didn't give them a problem. The Best and the Exide didn't care.
	0