Cheapest UPS for a 27" iMac ?

[ladismantler]

I'll be moving to the Caribbean for a few months and taking my iMac with me, and there are daily power outages there. The building I'm staying in has backup generators but they take 10-15 seconds to kick in.

I'm looking for a cheap UPS that will withstand those 10-15 seconds so my power supply doesn't fry. I've read several threads about how "pure sino wave" UPS's are the way to go for newer iMacs, but I haven't found one under $100 and many reviews indicate they're able to get 45-60 minutes on various UPS's in the $100-150 range. Since all I need is 30-60 seconds, that all seems like overkill for me.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[FreemanW]

just get yourself one APC UPS Backup and call it good.

 

[Mike Valmike]

just get yourself one APC UPS Backup and call it good.

That's the one I bought for my business. Works excellently.

 

[dandrewk]

I fully understand the need to save money. But trying to go cheap on a UPS can very well be a hugely expensive mistake.

I'd suggest you go with a known brand that makes a solid UPS. You said your iMac will be in region with flakey power. One outage, followed by a surge or two as the power restores, and you may find out (too late) that your bargain UPS failed, and that money you saved just went up in acrid-smelling smoke.

 

[WilliamG]

just get yourself one APC UPS Backup and call it good.

I had that one, and when the UPS kicked in there's a noticeable buzzing from the iMac PSU. This is due to that one not being pure sine wave. Lots of debate from both sides, but it's probably worth spending a little extra and getting a pure sine wave UPS at this point if you don't have a UPS.

Get this one, like many of us have. No buzzing from the iMac when the UPS is kicked into gear:

http://www.amazon.com/CyberPower-CP...094&sr=8-4&keywords=cyberpower+pure+sine+wave

 

[ladismantler]

Thanks everyone for the responses, they've all been helpful.

I was planning on getting a simulated sine wave Cyberpower, similar to the APC recommended earlier in this thread for $50-60.

Is the only difference between pure and simulated sine wave that there is a buzzing sound? Since it will only occur 10-15 seconds a day before the building's backup generator kicks in, that's not a big deal to me. I read on other amazon reviews that some of those lower end APCs don't work at all for newer iMacs, and that's what has me concerned.

 

[dandrewk]

FWIW, I have this UPS:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QZ3UG0/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Non sine-wave. I tested it by pulling the plug. UPS kicked in beautifully, with no buzzing sound coming from the iMac.

 

[FreemanW]

I had that one, and when the UPS kicked in there's a noticeable buzzing from the iMac PSU. This is due to that one not being pure sine wave. Lots of debate from both sides, but it's probably worth spending a little extra and getting a pure sine wave UPS at this point if you don't have a UPS.

Get this one, like many of us have. No buzzing from the iMac when the UPS is kicked into gear:

http://www.amazon.com/CyberPower-CP...094&sr=8-4&keywords=cyberpower+pure+sine+wave

I do agree with you. I replaced an APC 750VA with the Cyberpower 1500 not too long into the tenure of my new iMac. I was attempting to be responsive to the OP, who indicated an aversion to spending what you and I spent on the Cyberpower unit.

 

[Nuke61]

Is the only difference between pure and simulated sine wave that there is a buzzing sound? Since it will only occur 10-15 seconds a day before the building's backup generator kicks in, that's not a big deal to me. I read on other amazon reviews that some of those lower end APCs don't work at all for newer iMacs, and that's what has me concerned.

Since some stepped sine wave UPS's don't work at all with some power supplies, showing that there is indeed a compatibility issue, I would worry that a stepped sine wave unit would work *most* of the time. Spending another $60 would be well spent peace of mind, at least for me.