UPS for 27" iMac

[AppleDApp]

I'm looking for a UPS that can protect a 27" iMac with auto shutdown software that is OS X compatible. The iMac consumes just over 100W of power so I am looking for something in the 150-200W range.

Any ideas? I couldn't find anything on APC's site.

 

[CWallace]

I use an AAPC Back-UPS XS1500VA with mine. Looks like the current model is the APC BR1500G.

 

[AppleDApp]

How did you configure it? APC's page doesn't mention support for OS X

 

[bryan85]

I am looking to do the same thing. One thing I have figured out after reading a lot of UPS reviews is that you want to make sure your UPS Waveform Type is "Sine wave", or "Pure Sine Wave". The other UPS Waveform Types such as "Stepped approximation to a sinewave" can cause issues for devices using Active PFC. Basically, the wont power on.

The UPS that I finally decided on is CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD for all of the aforementioned reasons. Similar UPS's from APC will easily cost you double.

Hope this helps.

P.S. I remember through some of the reviews(don't remember which) that the APC software for OS X is garbage.

 

[smithrh]

The APC units are fine.

The APC software may indeed be garbage; nicely enough, if you just plug in the funky serial to USB cable, you can configure the UPS right in Mac OS X.

Yep, no need for any extra software, the OS recognizes the UPS and you can set some (admittedly limited) options for what you want to do when the battery in the UPS is just about dead.

 

[bryan85]

The APC units are fine.
... Yep, no need for any extra software, the OS recognizes the UPS and you can set some (admittedly limited) options for what you want to do when the battery in the UPS is just about dead.

That's awesome! I did't realize I could do that. Thanks!

 

[CWallace]

How did you configure it? APC's page doesn't mention support for OS X

I find the default OS X UPS/Battery power settings seem to work fine (I am fortunate to rarely lose power), but APC at least did make a version of their PowerChute control application for OS X.

 

[AppleDApp]

I find the default OS X UPS/Battery power settings seem to work fine (I am fortunate to rarely lose power), but APC at least did make a version of their PowerChute control application for OS X.

Do you know if PowerChute works with Mountain Lion?

 

[CWallace]

Do you know if PowerChute works with Mountain Lion?

Looks like support ended with Snow Leopard, but the native OS X Power App controls it fine.

 

[KhrisGarcia]

I use an AAPC Back-UPS XS1500VA with mine. Looks like the current model is the APC BR1500G.

I'm also using the APC 1500. Picked it up at Best Buy and I've had it for about 3 years now. It connects with the USB adapter and you can access the settings from within the OS X power menu. No need for PowerChute.

 

[dmw16]

I've never bothered plugging my battery backup into my computer to configure it. What are the advantages?

 

[skorpien]

I've never bothered plugging my battery backup into my computer to configure it. What are the advantages?

If you are away from your computer and your power goes out while the computer is on, the UPS can signal the computer to begin shutting down. Depending on your system, it can go into hybernate which writes the RAM temporarily to your HDD then shuts down. And when it wakes up, it will resume where it left off. Without this option, if your computer remains on and depletes the battery, it will turn off losing all information in the system's volatile memory (RAM) and you will lose any unsaved work.

 

[Chihawk725]

I am looking to get a UPS battery backup as well. Obviously there are various price points depending on the VA and W output of the various devices but I was wondering if anyone could estimate the average amount of time some of the more common set ups will provide you in case of an emergency. I do not need anything in the hour long range but anything that can't fully power a iMac 21.5 running software for at least 10 mins would not be sufficient for my needs. Any suggestions ?

 

[cyclotron451]

The length of time that a ups will feed for is the watt/hour rating. iMac's in the past have between 100 watts and 300 watts peak-load. My APC ups is an old backUPS CS 350 which when new claimed to provide 210 watts (or 350 VAreactive)

Time is simply: 210W APC supply / 105W load (new 21.5"iMac) = 2 hours,
Time is simply: 210W APC supply / 205W load (new 27"iMac = 1hour

However my APC is around 6 years old, so it might be less than that, but it still hasn't lit up the 'replace battery' light. I do have the UPS feeding a ten kilogram German netzteil filter for improved spike supression. We do get power outages or brownouts of a few minutes per month here in an Italian mountain village. I would however suggest a UPS to anyone! I also run the adsl/wifi-router & backup disks off the UPS. I don't bother with the shut-down software as I've now put in a few kilowatts of Solar PV panels which should increase my local resiliency, and we really don't get long outages.

 

[Basic75]

However my APC is around 6 years old, so it might be less than that, but it still hasn't lit up the 'replace battery' light.

You should run a test, after about 5 years my APC SmartUPS 1500 was down to just enough time to shut down the computers while it used to manage over an hour when new. Then I replaced the batteries.