| In article <
[email protected]>,
(e-mail address removed)
| says...
| > In article <
[email protected]>,
| > (e-mail address removed) (Qmarker) wrote:
| >
| > > I am pretty sure my power supply is failing me. Booting a cold
PC
| > > shuts off frequently prior to POST completing. Sometimes I have
to hit
| > > the "on" button multiple times. I have very frequent power
outages
| > > due to roadwork and the city redoing things.
| > >
| > > I sure could use some good advice on my purchase and install.
| > >
| > > I've installed RAM, and I've installed hard drives. Is this
something
| > > that will make sense to me to do it myself?
| > >
| > > I am thinking to get an Antec 430 or a 400.
| > >
| > > Do I want an SL model or a True model?
| > >
| > > Here is what I am running. The system is just one year old.
| > >
| > > Asus P4B533 2.6 1gig RAM (generic 300w power supply)
| > > 2 large IDE hard drives
| > > Nvidia TI4200 128mg
| > > DVD
| > > CDR/W
| > > DSL modem
| > >
| > > I am about to install a D-Link router and network to my son's PC
| > > (wireless)
| > >
| > > Thank you for any help and advice on a new power supply.
| > > Donna
| >
| > I have a Truepower and haven't had any trouble with it. The Antec
| > Truepower is made by ChannelWell Technologies (CWT), while some
other
| > Antec supplies are made by HEC. Both seem to be OK. The Truepower
| > is supposed to have separate regulation for each output, and this
| > enables the supply to be used with older motherboards that use a
| > lot of 3.3/5.0 or a newer motherboard that uses more 12V.
| >
| > As far as UPS go, there are a couple of kinds. The cheap ones you
| > find in a computer store (I have one) are actually SPS or standby
| > power supplies. When the power is "normal", they simply connect
| > the line to the load directly. This means that any transients or
| > noise on the source side, will be seen by the load. If there is
| > a brownout or an outage, after some number of milliseconds, the
| > SPS will start supplying its own AC. (You can tell you have an
| > SPS because it doesn't get warm under normal operation.)
| >
| > A true UPS does AC-DC-AC conversion. (The DC being for the
battery.)
| > This isolates the line from the load at all times. The line side
| > could have all sorts of garbage on it and the load side will never
| > know it. A true UPS will be warm at all times, as it does power
| > conversion all the time.
| >
| > If you buy a SPS, you may still want some kind of surge
protection,
| > unless the unit claims it has some kind of surge suppression. Or
| > at least be aware that you are still exposed to transients or
surges.
| >
| > Finally, the truly cheap SPS (<$100 typically) sometimes have
trouble
| > telling the AC has been restored. They'll run off the battery
until it
| > is flat. I don't recommend buying the cheapest one you can find
| >
| > HTH,
| > Paul
| >
|
| I got an APC UPS 1000, and that thing will run 4 PC's, a router, a
hub
| and a cable modem with room to spare without overloading the unit.
| Probably about 5 minutes of battery time if the power goes out
though
| I got it for free because the batteries were dead. I just shelled
out
| $75 for new batteries, and I got myself a really cheap, really good
UPS.
| These things are HEAVY though, but definitely worth it if you can
find
| it. THey also sell cheaper models as well. APC is the brand you
want.
|
|
| Dan
I took the same route as Dan, sortof (didn't get mine for free), got
my APC1000 unit for $25 on Ebay, and then bought my $75 worth of new
batteries and was up and running. I have 2 PC's connected to it, as
well as cablemodem and dsl modem and 1 monitor. My experience is
this: a cheap UPS may not properly detect the brownouts or blackouts
fast enough, but a good one (and I recommend APC) never fails in this
area of performance. I purchased a cheapo Powmax 500 or 600 VA unit
that fails to "switch over" under some power failure conditions.
Also, the newer UPS units that use a single sealed lead-acid battery
(typically 12v battery) do not provide much more than a few minutes of
uptime, even when rated at 500-800 VA capability. Finally, it appears
there is a LARGE variance in the lifetime expectancy of the batteries,
and some brands are rather poor in this category. Next time, I'm
gonna find some Yuasa batteries, imho, one of the best brands.
What I need to do is open up my 10 year old APC-600 unit and check the
brand of the battery therein, b/c it has never failed (and yes, I
know, I should replace the battery now, but the computer system
running from it is not a critical system).
