Some APC Advice for Mac Pro 2.8 Octo

[alongcamejones]

I would appreciate some advice on which model of battery UPS system for my early '08 Mac Pro you would recommend. I'm looking at the APC products, but am very open to suggestions.

My Mac has 10 GB of Ram and four Sata drives, plus dual optical drives.

Thank you

 

[crm114]

make sure that whatever you get has a "line conditioner" - my last apc had one and it really helped with the brown outs when i lived in an older apartment building. My house hsa good electricity so i use a cheaper apc.

otherwise, kee in mind that the real battery time is usually half what they show, unless maybe if you only have the computer plugged in. I have been lucky to get 20 mins of power when the power has gone out around here (MacPro + 2 monitors + speakers plugged in).

 

[nanofrog]

APC has a configuration tool.

This is what I came up with, and it is realistic given what you listed.

Back-UPS RS 1500VA + (1)BR24BP Battery Unit $400
BACK-UPS HT 1500VA 120V + (1)BR24BP Battery Unit $550

You may want to look, I set the time to 30 min. The units listed above are "rated" at 59 min. (Ratings are typically set at 200W draw).

Online pricing will hopefully be a bit less expensive. They aren't the cheapest things to ship either.

Good Luck,
David.

 

[Doc69]

I have a $500 APC Smart UPS 1500 VA. It works very good but unfortunately is very noisy. Luckily I have a small machine room so it doesn't matter. I also have a couple of smaller $150 Belkins which are great. They are completely quiet, looks nice and comes with a convenient battery replacement program. If the Belkins have enough watts for your needs, I'd say go with one of them.

 

[JollyRogers]

I to am interested in this as I need an UPS for my MP. Has anyone used the "GeekSquad" 1500 and if so will it handle the load when the MP recovers from sleep with the plug pulled on the the UPS?

 

[nanofrog]

Doc69:

Is it a hum?
If so, unfortunately, this is usually normal for large UPS', say 1500VA+. Its the transformer in the charging cycle. Should sound similar to a large, rapid car charger. Good design can minimize it, but the cost of a better transformer would scare you. Probably around $1100. Yikes.

 

[occamsrazor]

This thread has quite a lot of info.... you might want to check it out:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/479150/

 

[Doc69]

Doc69:

Is it a hum?
If so, unfortunately, this is usually normal for large UPS', say 1500VA+. Its the transformer in the charging cycle. Should sound similar to a large, rapid car charger. Good design can minimize it, but the cost of a better transformer would scare you. Probably around $1100. Yikes.

Yes that's it! It makes a humming noise when charging but when the fan ramps up as it gets hot, it gets even worse. Thanks for the information. I didn't know that.

 

[John Jordan]

Apc 1500 Xs

Hi-

I bought an APC 1500 XS for my MacPro and it's working quite well. I paid about $170 at Circuit City.

John