Build desktops like laptps?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Faustus
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Faustus

Hey!

In my classroom there are three computers: Windows XP Pro laptop, IMac
and a Windows 98SE desktop.

Today, lightning hit part of the school and every computer in the
building rebooted because the entire building lost power momentarily.

But the laptop did not reboot because it never lost power.

It's just a Gateway P4. But it contains a battery that immediately
took over the job of powering the system. So it did not reboot.

Why can't desktops be made the same way? I know many people connect
their desktops to UPS's, but many also don't.

Why not build into desktops the same or a very simiilar battery-backup
similar to laptops?

Faustus


Dave King -- Faustus
HomePage | http://home.earthlink.net/~davidkinghsd/index.html
ICQ : 329002
 
Faustus said:
Hey!

In my classroom there are three computers: Windows XP Pro laptop, IMac
and a Windows 98SE desktop.

Today, lightning hit part of the school and every computer in the
building rebooted because the entire building lost power momentarily.

But the laptop did not reboot because it never lost power.

It's just a Gateway P4. But it contains a battery that immediately
took over the job of powering the system. So it did not reboot.

Why can't desktops be made the same way? I know many people connect
their desktops to UPS's, but many also don't.

Why not build into desktops the same or a very simiilar battery-backup
similar to laptops?

Faustus


Dave King -- Faustus
HomePage | http://home.earthlink.net/~davidkinghsd/index.html
ICQ : 329002
Click to expand...

They are and have been sold for some time, UPS. Does your school wish to
send the extra money on them, and where will the costs be transferred to
(tuition, is my guess).
Certainly manufactures can incorporate a battery backup, just add the cost
to the system. Problem might be, they are no longer cost competitive with
those who only offer it as an option.
Another very important note to heed, desktops require much, much more
power than a laptop. A laptops backup would offer a scarce amount of power
for the power requirements for 12v hard drives and other requirements of a
desktop system ( I use one of my mine to fry eggs and do toast, but it boogs
down in deep frying mode).
 
Faustus said:
Hey!

In my classroom there are three computers: Windows XP Pro laptop, IMac
and a Windows 98SE desktop.

Today, lightning hit part of the school and every computer in the
building rebooted because the entire building lost power momentarily.

But the laptop did not reboot because it never lost power.

It's just a Gateway P4. But it contains a battery that immediately
took over the job of powering the system. So it did not reboot.

Why can't desktops be made the same way? I know many people connect
their desktops to UPS's, but many also don't.

Why not build into desktops the same or a very simiilar battery-backup
similar to laptops?

Faustus
Click to expand...

The weight and bulk of a battery is about 1/4th the entire laptop (minus the
display). If you look at a UPS sized for a desktop, some of them are almost
as large as a small desktop case. They have to be that large to allow room
for the battery(ies). To have built-in battery backup for a desktop, the
battery alone would be roughly twice as large as the power supply. Where do
you put it? You'd be struggling to find room for that puppy in a full-size
tower case.

You can get away with running a laptop off a battery as laptops are
specifically made to have everything integrated. That is, everything is
specifically engineered to save space, so there is plenty of space left for
a battery. You can't do the same thing to a desktop unless everything is
integrated. If you want everything integrated, buy a laptop. If you want
room for expansion, put the UPS outside the box. -Dave
 
Faustus said:
Hey!

In my classroom there are three computers: Windows XP Pro laptop, IMac
and a Windows 98SE desktop.

Today, lightning hit part of the school and every computer in the
building rebooted because the entire building lost power momentarily.

But the laptop did not reboot because it never lost power.

It's just a Gateway P4. But it contains a battery that immediately
took over the job of powering the system. So it did not reboot.

Why can't desktops be made the same way? I know many people connect
their desktops to UPS's, but many also don't.

Why not build into desktops the same or a very simiilar battery-backup
similar to laptops?

Faustus
Click to expand...

Money
 
Faustus said:
Hey!

In my classroom there are three computers: Windows XP Pro laptop, IMac
and a Windows 98SE desktop.

Today, lightning hit part of the school and every computer in the
building rebooted because the entire building lost power momentarily.

But the laptop did not reboot because it never lost power.

It's just a Gateway P4. But it contains a battery that immediately
took over the job of powering the system. So it did not reboot.

Why can't desktops be made the same way? I know many people connect
their desktops to UPS's, but many also don't.

Why not build into desktops the same or a very simiilar battery-backup
similar to laptops?

Faustus
Click to expand...


Cus an already excellent solution alread exists. Why doesn't the school
connect systems to a UPS if data integretiy/system uptime is critical? Look
at the cost of a laptop battery, very easy to spend over a hundred bux on
one, and that doesn't provide ANYWHERE the power needed to power a PC (can't
remember PC consumption in watts, but remember its prettyt significant!)
The only way to get a battery INSIDE the case would be to either make teh
case bigger, or make the components smaller and more effecient, then you
have a laptop. I got a very nice UPS for a whopping 70bux, get about 20
minutes of runtime out of it, and when it gets down to 5% it sends shutdown
commands through USB to the system, just like laptop batteries. Only thing
i DON'T have is the long life you get with laptops, but frankly I didn't get
the UPS to last for hours, but to last through the numerous brownouts/short
term blackouts that seem to plague my neck of the woods (Lets just say i
gave up on setting the clock on my answering machine months ago, longest i
had it keep time was a single week!). Would be prohibitively expensive to
build a similar system integral to the PC, it will present issues to
upgrading said PC, it will contribute heat, especially if charging, and if
mine dies, i'm out a 70 dollar part, not a 100$plus internal battery.
 
Faustus said:
Hey!

In my classroom there are three computers: Windows XP Pro laptop, IMac
and a Windows 98SE desktop.

Today, lightning hit part of the school and every computer in the
building rebooted because the entire building lost power momentarily.

But the laptop did not reboot because it never lost power.

It's just a Gateway P4. But it contains a battery that immediately
took over the job of powering the system. So it did not reboot.

Why can't desktops be made the same way? I know many people connect
their desktops to UPS's, but many also don't.

Why not build into desktops the same or a very simiilar battery-backup
similar to laptops?

Faustus


Dave King -- Faustus
HomePage | http://home.earthlink.net/~davidkinghsd/index.html
ICQ : 329002
Click to expand...

Sigh.... Liberals and school teachers. The answer is money, stupid. Are
you going to pay?
 
Faustus said:
Today, lightning hit part of the school and every computer in the
building rebooted because the entire building lost power momentarily.

But the laptop did not reboot because it never lost power.
Click to expand...
It requires perhaps 5 times as much power for an operating desktop
as an operating PC. People who need to keep their computers running
during power outages can get a UPS and batteries for about $1000.

An alternative is to set the computer for "sleep" mode which would
require much less power - turn off the display and disks, low power
the CPU, etc. Desktops could be built to use battery power for the
this, but there doesn't seem to be much demand for it. A small
battery could be used to provide DC power for several hours of "sleep"
mode operation, which would only require a couple of seconds for
restoration of full functionality.

Instead, most people who don't want to have to reboot use a UPS that
is able to provide power for PC 10 minutes or so. The computer can
be set to hibernate or shutdown after a short time. Such a UPS and
battery would cost $100-$300.

Note that UPS's have inverters in them, so the small ones only can run
an hour or so even with very low load. A $100 battery could provide
direct battery power for a day of sleep mode, but less than an hour of
sleep mode if it is in a UPS. Therefore, using an AC UPS typically
requires hibernation after a few minutes, which means a minute or so
to restore full functionality.
 
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