UPS Question

[Buck]

. . . no, not the carrier.

I have a choice of purchasing one of two brands: APC or Opti. This should support three computers during power loss and protect against surges. Any recommendations?

 

[Buck]

I was thinking of the APC BE725BB model; one for each computer.

 

[blakerwry]

The OPTI-UPS LS960B from newegg is cheaper than the APC, has a higher rating, and has AVR, which means it is probably a line-interactive UPS versus the standby UPS that the APC unit appears to be.

Having a line interactive UPS will also protect you against power sags, not just the surges and complete outages.

I've had good luck with the few generic UPS units that I've purchased. For better overall protection I'd get the Opti-UPS over the APC.

Of course, you could also get the BELKIN Office F6C750-AVR for a middle ground in terms of Price, wattage rating, and name brand acknowledgement.

 

[P5-133XL]

I have to admit to being a UPS Snob: I only purchase APC Smartups's. If this is for personal use, may I suggest buying a used APC Smartups (in working condition) through Ebay and then buying, also on Ebay, a new battery pak. With a little luck you can end up with a 1400VA for around $200 shipped ($100 for the unit, $50 for batteries, $50 for shipping). I've had nothing but good luck with used UPS's and new batteries.

 

[sechs]

Call me a UPS pragmatist. I've been using Belkin UPSes for several years. Best bang for the buck in my opinion.

 

[blakerwry]

That's good to hear. I recommended one to a friend and was about to pick up a few myself when they were on sale at microcenter the other week. But I missed out by a few days.

Their features and price make them pretty attractive compared to an APC or Tripp-lite alternative.

 

[MaxBurn]

Liebert all the way, course I work for them.....

Look for something used that is a true on line UPS (inverter always powering the load).

Rough recommendation on UPS's are that the batteries should be replaced every five years if you want to depend on it.

 

[Howell]

I must admit to being a UPS snob: I purchase only Opti.

Thank you for your time. : )

 

[Howell]

http://storageforum.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4420

Will need batteries and will be lighter to ship.
All offers entertained.

 

[Fushigi]

My PC (& phone base station & cable modem, router, etc.) are on an APC Back-UPS Pro 1100 I picked up for $110 at Sam's Club in 2003/2004. My wife's PC is on a Belkin 550 that's also around 18 months old. Both have worked just fine since installation.

I used to use an APC SmartUPS 1000XL but replacement batteries were more expensive than the entire BackUPS unit.

 

[Bozo]

I usually go to a place called Battery World for replacement batteries. They are a lot cheaper and Battery World properly disposes of the old batteries for you.

Bozo :mrgrn:

 

[Buck]

Thanks for all of the tips and information. This will certainly help for future purchases.

 

[Computer Generated Baby]

My PC (& phone base station & cable modem, router, etc.) are on an APC Back-UPS Pro 1100 I picked up for $110 at Sam's Club in 2003/2004.

I know some others who got the same deal at Sam's on that UPS.

Indeed, the BackUPS 1100VA is still there at Sam's Club for the same price.

I used to use an APC SmartUPS 1000XL but replacement batteries were more expensive than the entire BackUPS unit.

Not if you go to a Batteries Plus store. Their prices are quite low for the *same* battery that other places will sell to you frequently for a LOT more $. They have batteries for just about anything you can think of.

There are a couple of Batteries Plus stores around here, and I suspect the same for Chicagoland. They are scattered around the USA. I'm thinking that Clocker once mentioned that he'd been to a Batteries Plus in Detroit.



http://www.batteriesplus.com/

 

[Fushigi]

I actually drive by a B+ on my daily commute. I just wasn't really aware of them at the time I had the SmartUPS. The SmartUPS also started to issue alarms when there didn't seem to be any noteable problems so I was wondering if the circuitry was starting to flake out. Not worth replacing the battery only to find the circuitry was failing. Also, it was a freebie from a former employer so I never had the shutdown cable & software.

While I dislike throwing things away because of the environmental impact, in many cases that is the only economical way to do things.

 

[P5-133XL]

I've checked out B+, in Salem, for non-brandname Smartups 1400 (RBC-7) battereis and they are double the price I can get for an equivilent new battery on Ebay. Yes, they will take the cores at no charge.

 

[Bozo]

I guess it pays to shop around

Bozo :mrgrn:

 

[Computer Generated Baby]

..The SmartUPS also started to issue alarms when there didn't seem to be any noteable problems so I was wondering if the circuitry was starting to flake out.

If your battery is less than 3 or 4 years old, turn off and unplug the SmartUPS, disconnect the battery and wait about 10 minutes or so. Then, reconnect the same battery, plug the SmartUPS into the wall socket, turn it on and you should not hear the little warning beeps (and LED flashings) for a year or two.

I believe the SmartUPS has a "countdown" function that counts how many days a battery has been connected. Usually, if you aren't losing power regularly and dipping over into battery power, those batteries will last about 4 years.

I've checked out B+, in Salem, for non-brandname Smartups 1400 (RBC-7) battereis and they are double the price I can get for an equivilent new battery on Ebay.

I haven't been to a Batteries Plus in about 2 years, but, I bought a couple of new (not refurb) Panasonic brand batteries there for my BackUPS 650 that I use with my computer and my older BackUPS 600 that I use to protect my studio hardware for about $30 each + 8.5% sales tax.