Did I choose wrong UPS?

[comatory]

Originally Posted by effgee

WTH? Tried to post a reply, but got a(n extremely brief) interstitial stating something to the extent that my post had to be approved by a moderator before it would become visible.



No idea what could have triggered that. (For a change) I was neither uttering obscenities nor did I attempt to link to shady online pharmacies. Just plain odd.


Edit: let's see if I can (ever so sneakily) insert it here:

Edit-edit: There we go. That wasn't so hard.

Edit-edit-edit: Duh, I missed the part where you said you were from the Czech Republic! That's what I get for posting in online forums at 4 o'clock in the morning. In that case, definitely go for the Cyberpower, if for no other reason than that it is so much cheaper than its APC counterparts!

No worries, Im glad you shared your opinions. Thanks! I'm buying Cyber Power.

[jtara]

Originally Posted by justperry

First don't listen to this poster, he has clearly no idea, just look at the text in bold, manages to compare a 10 year old UPS and generic PC a time (2012) which is different.

I was wrong, it turns out the Minuteman Enterprise series (and it's replacement, the Enterprise Plus) does have a sine-wave output.

What it isn't in off-line - it is "line interactive". Off-line runs the equipment off of the battery at all times. Off-line units are relatively inefficient. You shouldn't need an off-line UPS, assuming a proper design on a line-interactive unit. Line-interactive units connect the output directly to the mains and switch over if input is lost or out of spec. They have sufficient inductive/capacitive reserve to carry over across the switch.

Sine wave alone will not insure, though, that the UPS can run a reactive load, such as a refrigerator.

You can get a 1500VA unit used on eBay for $100, and I'd be completely comfortable buying one. You would likely have to invest in batteries. (Motorcycle Gel cells, as used in most UPSs.)

I did need a firmware update at some point that required replacing a chip, and the company paid the shipping both ways on the beast.

One thing is to simply look at the weight of the unit (factoring in batteries, though... How heavy is it after subtracting the weight of the batteries?). Heavier = bigger transformer, important to smooth-out variations and insure a smooth cut-over. You need a big transformer and big capacitors to provide adequate capacity for cut-over. This is the biggest place where UPS manufacturers scrimp, particularly those aimed at consumers, because these features are invisible to the vast majority of consumers.

I mentioned "generic PCs" only to give an idea of the load I have on this UPS - two custom-built (by me) servers with decent U.S.-built, non-commodity power supplies (PC Power & Cooling), graphics cards with hefty current draw, a MacBook, 4 22" monitors, plus all the various little router boxes, etc. and some room lights.

It has gone through several outages, and never once has anything glitched.

[camner]

Cyberpower seems to have 2 different UPS models at 1500VA:

1. CP1500AVRLCD (see http://www.amazon.com/CyberPower-CP1...dp/B000FBK3QK/)

2. CP1500PFCLCD (see http://www.amazon.com/CyberPower-CP1.../ref=pd_cp_e_1)

One is "pure sine wave" and the other is AVR. What's the difference (I mean more the practical difference for a Mac Pro rather than the electrical engineer's answer to that question!)? Why is it more important/better to have "pure sine wave"?

[saulinpa]

Originally Posted by camner

Cyberpower seems to have 2 different UPS models at 1500VA:

1. CP1500AVRLCD (see http://www.amazon.com/CyberPower-CP1...dp/B000FBK3QK/)

2. CP1500PFCLCD (see http://www.amazon.com/CyberPower-CP1.../ref=pd_cp_e_1)

One is "pure sine wave" and the other is AVR. What's the difference (I mean more the practical difference for a Mac Pro rather than the electrical engineer's answer to that question!)? Why is it more important/better to have "pure sine wave"?

Both have AVR. Only the PFC version is sine wave. First one is "Simulated Sine Wave" - http://www.cyberpowersystems.com/pro...mageI=#tab-box

PFC is the type of power supply in the Pro. Better to have "pure sine wave" as the "simulated" puts stress on the Mac Pro's power supply when running on battery. In some cases it is so bad that you actually can hear it crying.

[YosemiteSam]

I have the US version of the CyberPower unit mentioned, and am using it with a 2008 Mac Pro, a Dell 24" monitor, a 5-drive SeriTek eSata enclosure, and a couple other peripherals.

For me, the unit has been absolutely excellent. The other advantage it has (aside from price/performance) is that under normal operating conditions (i.e. not during a power outage) it is completely silent. Not even a whisper.

Awesome unit- will probably buy again for my next/additional computer(s). Unless I come into tons of money and the bang-for-the-buck doesn't matter anymore.

So yeah- +1 for the CyberPower 1500PFCLCD unit.

[mseth]

Originally Posted by phpmaven

I have the following UPS, and it's been working great since March 2011. I just had an outage last night as a matter of fact.

CyberPower CP1350AVRLCD

I also have the same UPS, bought it recently. IT'S HEAVY AS ...

Get about 20-30 minutes with MP (see sig) on browsing web/etc. Are you also seeing the same results? I've had mine connected to Apple AirPort Extreme, Hitron Modem, ReadyNAS NV+ and a Brother MFC Color Laser printer. The UPS used to BEEEP loud until I found out that you're not supposed to use a printer with a UPS. Had it for about 2-3 months doing that, total about 20 times it happened (used printer 20 times approx).

Did I screw up? It's now connected to a MP, 27" display, Hard Drives etc. Never had any beeps ever since I shifted setups.

[phpmaven]

Originally Posted by mseth

I also have the same UPS, bought it recently. IT'S HEAVY AS ...

Get about 20-30 minutes with MP (see sig) on browsing web/etc. Are you also seeing the same results? I've had mine connected to Apple AirPort Extreme, Hitron Modem, ReadyNAS NV+ and a Brother MFC Color Laser printer. The UPS used to BEEEP loud until I found out that you're not supposed to use a printer with a UPS. Had it for about 2-3 months doing that, total about 20 times it happened (used printer 20 times approx).

Did I screw up? It's now connected to a MP, 27" display, Hard Drives etc. Never had any beeps ever since I shifted setups.

You're right, it's very heavy. I'm not sure about how long it runs as I shut my system down before the battery drains all the way. After all, that's the whole purpose is to let you shut your Mac down gracefully.

[Flash SWT]

Originally Posted by comatory

What do you think of APC Power Saving Back-UPS Pro 1500 ?
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc..._Pro_1500.html

That is the model I use with my Mac Pro, no complaints.