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Is this UPS battery backup a good product?

M

mackaveli

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 1, 2005
156
0
Hi, i had a Backup UPS battery backup by APC which is pretty old and i had a power outtage for a second or whatever its called im not sure and my Powermac 2.3 dual and Dell 2405FPW 24" LCD turned off and the Backup UPS did nothing for it so i want to buy a new one that will power the Powermac and Dell LCD.

I looked at my futureshop since im from Canada and it's on sale.

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pr...catid=10446&atab=4&spviewed=&logon=&langid=EN

Its the APC BE500U-CN UPS Battery Backup and i'm not sure how to read the specs on this and i have no idea if it can Power my Powermac and Dell LCD without any problems? so if anyone can let me know if its a good buy and i should have no problems i plan on buying it tomorrow.

I'm not too tech savy so no idea if its good or not. Also will i be able to plug my Cable modem into the In Slot, then using the OUt slot go to my router to protect it? thank you for your time.
 
Maybe it just needs new batteries, I know that APC units have replaceable battery packs. Rechargeable batteries aren't going to last forever, and it might save a lot of money compared to getting a whole new unit.

Though depending on how old it is, the new ones have some nice features. My unit will shut down the computer for me when the battery backup period is running out. So if something happens while I am not around the computer is safe.
 
yah i thought about replacing it but its very old like 3-5years old and i rather get a brand new one for 60CDN if its a good product then take my chances with the replacable battery. I plugged in my lamp in one socket only and unplugged it and the battery worked cause the lamp stayed on for awhile so i dont think its necessarily the battery just maybe the powermac and lcd are taking a lot of power it couldnt power both on?

Well my brother was at bestbuy so i got him to buy it so i'll receive it tomrorow so hopefully its a good product. I can always return it if i dont like it i guess.
 
For dual PowerMac G5s I'd probably tell people to get something a bit larger than a 300W UPS supply.

Generally with those machines the 750VA is on the small side for dual G5s, while the 1000VA with some sort of line conditioning (looking for undervoltage and overvoltage protection) is where you want to be.

The 1000VA should give you around 5-10 minutes (or a little longer), while the 500VA may shut down in as little as 3-5 minutes.
 
well i dont mind the 3-5 minutes, cause if i ever had apower outtage or whatever i would want my computer and LCD to shut off asap so the time limit isnt a problem.

But would it power my powermac and dell 2405FPW for a little while for me to power it off? tahts all i really care about.

Thanks for the info though i'll see how much other UPS battery backups are

edit - does anyone know if i can buy replacement batteries at bestbuy or futureshop? i'll just look at the prices to see how much they are and is there just one type of battery that i need to buy or are there several different ones and i need to know the right type because my UPS battery backup doesnt have any info on it to tell me the product ID other then it says APC BACK UPS Office. Its grey and has 6 outlets, with a ethernet out/in on the side, and 3 are for the battery backup maybe somone could help me identify it.

Thanks
 
If you had a brownout, which is likely when there is a momentary power interuption -- some UPSs don't clamp quick enough and the equipment shuts off.

A battery backup is great when the power is either on or off, but if your lights flicker every now and then -- you "may" need to step up to the over/under voltage protection.

Though most people don't like them since something like a Belkin or APC 750 to 1200VA with AVR can be twice as much as a straight and cheap battery backup.

But you have to know what type of power problems you have also.

I think most of the people here have been sticking with APC and/or Belkin.

As far as the battery goes....

http://www.apcc.com/tools/upgrade_selector/

Almost looks like the battery is almost as much as just buying a new low-end 500VA UPS though.
 
yah im going to just keep the 500VA UPS cause i checked the site it said i should have at least 4 or so minutes and it uses 80+% of it with the 24" LCD and thats fine for me. Well in my area we really dont have power outtages or brownouts (blackouts),. We sometimes get where the power cuts off for a second then it comes back right away which is rare though.

Thanks for the information though again.
 
environment friendly

mackaveli said:
yah im going to just keep the 500VA UPS cause i checked the site it said i should have at least 4 or so minutes and it uses 80+% of it with the 24" LCD and thats fine for me.
Click to expand...
In a way, it's good to retain your UPS and replace the battery (once you know it's a battery issue) - it helps keep toxic electronic junk off of landfills for some more time (maybe a few years?). :) If you have a battery recycling place nearby (maybe some electronic stores offer such a facility), you could dispose the old battery there instead of throwing it in the garbage.
 
I use Belkin Battery Backup 550VA for 12" PB, 15" PB, 15" Ti PB, HP notebook, 20" ACD, 23" ACD, LaCie 160 GB, LaCie 250 GB, Cable Modem, Belkin Wireless Router, and USB, Firewire hubs. I monitor the electric power status with the program it came with and I installed in on my HP. It showed the voltage and all the other relevant stats. It turned out to be a 550 VA unit is good enough for my core machines.
 
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