So you're saying any of the three I've noted (550, 650 ($89 at Costco, making it cheaper than the 550 at Futureshop), or 750) will do? You're sure?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
How necessary is a surge protector for an iMac? OK to plug directly into outlet?
- Thread starter Amnesiac1
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
So you're saying any of the three I've noted (550, 650 ($89 at Costco, making it cheaper than the 550 at Futureshop), or 750) will do? You're sure?
Yes.
According to Apple, the maximum power consumption is "310W (27-inch models)". The 550 is good for up to 330W, the 650 is good for 390W. The 650 is probably optimal for you. It would allow you to also plug in a couple of small items, like an external disk with no issues.
Last edited:
Check with your home insurance. When my iMac died in a thunderstorm (together with about 200 PCs in the area as the insurance guy told me), the insurance company paid for the replacement. And how is electricity in your home in general? Do you have flickering lights, light bulbs dying? In that case a surge protector might be useful.
Absolutely plug in external HDDs. Scanners and printers I wouldn't plug in. You want to protect your data with the UPS. Assuming the numbers above are accurate (and I have no reason to doubt them) I'd also go for the 650 in your particular situation.
The scanners and printers you would want to plug in to the surge suppressor only side at the least.
I actually do have a printer on the battery protected side of a UPS. it's a 13in * 19in photo printer. if it loses power in the middle of printing a 13 * 19 picture, you can kiss several dollars goodbye between the ink and the paper wasted. But whether to have a printer on a UPS is usage dependent.
You are correct. APC Web site doesn't have an "exact" 2011 iMac model to pick.. For my UPS "sizing" (for my 2010 iMac back in early 2010) using their online tool, I picked equivement hardware items. For example 24" iMac with external HDD. Simular figures compared to my specific system. In the end, their tool recommended 850VA for low, 1300VA for medium and 1500Va for high. The next week, I see a 1/2 price sale for the APC 1300VA model and "bought it". Talk about luck.
Remember that APC 1300VA has "step approximation" output. For cleanest power, I should have selected their APC SMART UPS line. Their Smart UPS product line creates "pure sine" output. Was told many times that "pure sine" output is much better / friendlier for senstive electronics - like Apple iMacs (for their Power Bricks) and some over sensitive sterio equipment as well. Lesson learned.... After sizing, do pick a backup UPS that has "pure sine" output. This detail is found within its specification sheet.
For sizing, try: http://www.apc.com/tools/ups_select...ves=1&cgi_referer_check=&return_query_string=
Note: I did the same selection a few moments ago and picked iMac G5/20", no monitor with i3 chip and it now recommends "APC Smart-UPS 750VA LCD 120V", "APC Smart-UPS 1000VA LCD 120V", "APC Smart-UPS 1500VA LCD 120V". The online tool now shows their Smart-UPS product line as well. At least they updated this item - to pick "pure sine" output for iMacs. For a 2011 i7 iMac @ 27", I'd pick "APC Smart-UPS 1500VA LCD 120V" unit. Especially if you have more then 1 internal HDD/SSD and 1 x external HD for Time Machine Backups as well...
Hope this helps as well...
.
Last edited:
Thanks for the contribution.
The specs for my forthcoming iMac are as follows:
3.4GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
2TB Serial ATA Drive+256GB SSD
AMD Radeon HD 6970M 2GB GDDR5
MAGIC TRACKPAD-AM
APPLE BATTERY CHARGER
APPLE REMOTE
Apple WL Kybd (English)+User's
COUNTRY KIT,IMAC
I have a portable external HD but I don't leave it hooked up to my computer all the time. You're saying I need the 1500VA? Sheesh, that's a lot more than the APC that others were saying I'd be fine with in this very thread. And probably a lot more money.
I've asked a store to order in the APC® Back-UPS ES 650VA Smart USB UPS System. You don't think this will suffice? Or do I really need 1500VA? That's not overkill? Remember, all I will have plugged into this thing will be the iMac.
And, wow. The 1500VA is $500. I can't afford that. Am I really going to lose out on much or risk harming my iMac by opting for the much cheaper Back-UPS ES 650VA Smart USB UPS System?
Heres a question no one has asked... how many times has the power gone out in your house in the last 10 years (or however long you have been there?)
for me, it might be 3 -- which statistically is like zero.
If you dont suffer from continuous power outages or it happens once every few years then IMHO a battery backup isnt necessary in the least bit.
Just a nice surge suppressor.
for me, it might be 3 -- which statistically is like zero.
If you dont suffer from continuous power outages or it happens once every few years then IMHO a battery backup isnt necessary in the least bit.
Just a nice surge suppressor.
UPS protects the system from brown-outs, as well as black-outs. In my neck of the woods I can count on the UPS kicking in at least once a month. More in the stormy winter season. Other's MMV.....
I see others here have recommended a UPS rather than just a surge suppressor. Good advice.
The company I worked for a few years ago made sophisticated industrial equipment with a PC built-in as the heart of the system. A UPS was a system option... until we noticed the warranty claims for PC components like power supplies and hard disks were vanishingly small for UPS-equipped models compared to non-UPS-equipped models. The difference was so dramatic that we made UPSes standard equipment across the line.
My desktop machines, router, VoIP hardware and the costly plasma TV in the den all run off UPSes now. Cheap insurance.
The company I worked for a few years ago made sophisticated industrial equipment with a PC built-in as the heart of the system. A UPS was a system option... until we noticed the warranty claims for PC components like power supplies and hard disks were vanishingly small for UPS-equipped models compared to non-UPS-equipped models. The difference was so dramatic that we made UPSes standard equipment across the line.
My desktop machines, router, VoIP hardware and the costly plasma TV in the den all run off UPSes now. Cheap insurance.
Hi there...
Picking the "sizing" of a UPS isn't an exact science. It always depends on one's exact H/W being connected and how long of "up time" one needs. Some install small size UPS units (re: 850VAs) and connect the USB cable. When house power goes off, they have approx 5 minutes for an automatic controlled shutdown. For others, they want 15 minutes of up time - before auto shut down is executed. Not too sure if you need 5 minutes or 15 minutes of "up time".
For a cool chart, surf: http://www.apc.com/products/family/index.cfm?id=165
When viewing above chart, do keep in mind "Maximum continuous power: 310W (27-inch models)" and how much "up time" you need - before auto shut-down is needed.
For your configuration, I'm sure 1000VA will work great. Especially if you only need 10 minutes "up time" with auto shut-down ability (with connected USB cable).
IMO, buying a UPS is just like buying a very expensive iMac computer thing. One buys what they need (for their personal or business needs) and the more expensive the tool is, the more expensive supports it needs as well. Thus, expensive iMacs need "medium to higher end" UPS units. A few years back, I was into ATVs. Some folks would buy $10,000 ATVs and tow it around on a cheap $200 trailer. And, most of those "cheap" trailers were either under sized &/or weren't fit for the road. If one has an expensive ATV, they get a medium to high quality trailer to protect it. Same with iMacs and Backup UPS units. Get the Smart UPS (that has "pure sine" output) and ensure its medium to large size as well.... If 1500VA is "too expensive", then go with 1000VA models instead. I wouldn't get anything under 1,000VA. But, that's just me...
re: http://www.apc.com/products/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=SUA1000JB&total_watts=200
Hope this helps..
.
Last edited:
Battery BackUp
Sorry I can't read the whole thread right now but I'll tell you about my recent nightmare...
The power went out twice in one week due to storms. iTunes was downloading apps updates and power went out in the middle, screwing up the iTunes library file the first time, this gave me errors for reading writing my iTunes library.
The second power failure made the external HD that has my 600+ GB library unreadable. I tried several disk utilities that I purchased to recover the drive. the only one that worked was DiskWarrior but it took 5 days just to index the drive and tell me it could not rebuild the disk directory. And to replace the drive.
So with fingers crossed that I wouldn't have another outage, it took 2 days to back up the drive to another external, only losing 2 songs and one app in the process.
I'm now looking at sync disk or sync folder apps, and considering manually building a new iTunes library from scratch.
I did have itunes backed up on other externals at 90% 80% and 50% but I would have lost 9 months of lossless ripping of CDs that are stored in my warehouse.
I'm thinking of a new iMac soon but I will definitely get a battery backup.
Sorry I can't read the whole thread right now but I'll tell you about my recent nightmare...
The power went out twice in one week due to storms. iTunes was downloading apps updates and power went out in the middle, screwing up the iTunes library file the first time, this gave me errors for reading writing my iTunes library.
The second power failure made the external HD that has my 600+ GB library unreadable. I tried several disk utilities that I purchased to recover the drive. the only one that worked was DiskWarrior but it took 5 days just to index the drive and tell me it could not rebuild the disk directory. And to replace the drive.
So with fingers crossed that I wouldn't have another outage, it took 2 days to back up the drive to another external, only losing 2 songs and one app in the process.
I'm now looking at sync disk or sync folder apps, and considering manually building a new iTunes library from scratch.
I did have itunes backed up on other externals at 90% 80% and 50% but I would have lost 9 months of lossless ripping of CDs that are stored in my warehouse.
I'm thinking of a new iMac soon but I will definitely get a battery backup.
Just my two cents:
- Whether you need a surge protector depends on your local environment. Thunderstorms, snow storms, construction work, and even the aurora have the potential to cause power surges, brown outs or blackouts.
- The surge protector I use (Belkin) comes with insurance for any machine attached to it. One way of rating how good a surge protector is to compare the level of this insurance (the model I use insures up to £50,000).
- Most modern integrated circuit chips have various forms of protection ranging from capacitors on their inputs to circuits that detect overloads and shunt them to ground. However, even with these forms of protection there can be surges that knock out components. Since these days individual chips are never replaced but circuit boards are swapped out during repairs, the failure of 1 chip can cause you to pay a lot in repair bills.
- There is an issue in some backup power supplies (UPS) - sometimes they do not put out a proper sinusoidal AC waveform (as noted by somebody above). I work in a neurophysiology lab in which the stock AC waveform was horrible. We thought we could reduce this by using UPS's, but their waveforms were even worse and they emitted a *huge* amount of radio frequency interference. This RF interference might affect things like WiFI. Perhaps the more recent UPS's are better, or some manufacturers' UPS's are better than others', but with Time Machine and a surge protector I feel covered pretty well.
All you need is the 650. The 650 will still give you several minutes to close documents if you need to. Or have the system shut itself down if you connect the USB cable that comes with the APC UPS.
There are reasons to get a higher capacity UPS (longer runtime or more equipment) but I doubt you really have that need. Also remember part of what that person said:
It's his preference, not what you need for your system.
Last edited:
- Good summary. Remember a UPS will help prevent losing work during power issues unlike a surge suppresser. And remember power issues don't need to be frequent at all to cause you computer issues.
- APC equipment comes with good equipment guarantees as well. Remember the goal is to avoid needing to use the warranties.
- Stuff still gets fried from electrical issues.
- And you might have noticed pretty much everyone is recommending APC?
@Bear: To each their own I guess. I can only say the UPS's we used were not cheap but they seemed to make the situation worse for our purposes. In any case, I'd think we'd both agree plugging straight into a wall outlet is taking a bit of a risk. This also holds true for plugging into unprotected phone line or ethernet hubs.
With respect to UPS's and Mac's - on PC's UPS's can power down the PC in an orderly way without causing chaos - is the same true for Macs or does one have to manually shutdown? If shutdowns are on Mac's are automatic, then I might reconsider.
With respect to UPS's and Mac's - on PC's UPS's can power down the PC in an orderly way without causing chaos - is the same true for Macs or does one have to manually shutdown? If shutdowns are on Mac's are automatic, then I might reconsider.
In short, yes it can. In long, read on:
I cannot speak about all brands of UPS without research, but if you plug the USB cable that comes with an APC UPS in to a Mac, you get another tab within energy saver preferences called "UPS".
The UPS tab allows various settings and has a "Shutdown Options..." button. It allows the choice of shutting down when:
- After being on the UPS for n minutes.
- When you have n minutes of battery remaining.
- At a certain battery percentage.
So, technically, there is no need to plug in the USB because OS X already has the proper software to recognize/adjust UPS settings? Do I need to leave the UPS plugged in via USB at all times?
That's what I'm going for, thanks. I already ordered it in. Picking it up shortly.
Another question: with the 650, there's no chance that a brownout, blackout, surge, or anything else related to power outages, will harm my computer, right? It absolutely gives my iMac the protection it needs to survive?
I'm just not sure why Spike was recommending such a high-end UPS. I mean, I'm not going to be plugging any other devices into it so why would I ever need 1000VA or 15000VA? Especially since so many others in this thread, such as yourself, confirmed I'll be just fine with the 650.
The 650 is all I can afford and it's what I'm getting. That won't change. However, I'd like to know if it's going to properly protect my computer.
You still need to plug in the USB, 'cause that's how the UPS circuits and OS X talk to each other. This allows the UPS to tell OS X that it has x# of minutes of "up time" left, and then OS X will do whatever you've told it to do when the power goes out.
There are no absolutes in life. However most UPS companies do provide some guarantees - check out the literature that comes with the unit and take the time to register it. Also, take the time to ensure the 650 is 'beefy' enough for you before you totally unpack it. You don't want to find out that you've voided the guarantees by choosing an underpowered unit.
Just check the literature, and call the company if you have to. Your data is worth the time.
I have no opinion about whether the 650 is 'beefy' enough or not. However, if it's not then you may wear out the battery prematurely, or find that the unit kicks in and out constantly.... so just double check while you can still return it.
Also know this. In time the battery wears out (years, not months) and needs to be replaced. It's very likely that your battery is a user replaceable part, and that the battery is a standard one, though in a speciality field (e.g. emergency lighting systems). When it's time to replace it check on-line with the battery specialists rather than going back to the manufacturer. Sort like 3rd party RAM vs Apple RAM.
Good Luck
It need the USB connection to the UPS to talk to the UPS. What you don't have to deal with is loading third party software. You should basically ignore the disc that comes with the UPS.
Yes, the 650 is all you need. It will protect your iMac just fine. The recommendations for higher capacity UPS models was from personal preference or other needs.
The battery is user replaceable. It''s easy and will take like 2 minutes. I went with an APC replacement battery, it was $5 more than the third party batteries, however, it provided for easy free recycling which the others do not provide. So yes, do your price checks, but it may cost less to pay for the name brand. I know people who have to pay $10 to dispose of a UPS battery. But you don't have to worry about it for a few years at least.
While I've had several APC UPSes, they seem to have a similar failure rate to generic brands.
My UPSes seem to die after a couple years of use, not the battery, but the charging element.
Seems to happen on multiple consumer grade UPSes I've owned.
So moral of the story - if you're buying at Futureshop, Best Buy, Costco, just pick up whatever is on sale.
Hi,
is this the same 'Amnesiac1' who has these posts with-in last week?:
Microfiber cloths -- TERAGLOVE or MONSTER iCLEAN?
Does the new iMac come with a cleaning cloth?
Just got a new iMac. Should I set up TRIM right away?
2011 iMac out for delivery. First things to do with a new iMac?
Okay to move iMac using its stand back further into desk?
Making quite a show on MacRumors...
is this the same 'Amnesiac1' who has these posts with-in last week?:
Microfiber cloths -- TERAGLOVE or MONSTER iCLEAN?
Does the new iMac come with a cleaning cloth?
Just got a new iMac. Should I set up TRIM right away?
2011 iMac out for delivery. First things to do with a new iMac?
Okay to move iMac using its stand back further into desk?
Making quite a show on MacRumors...