# Power Crisis what is the correct UPS and Surge protector for your rig?



## OceanOtter (Jun 10, 2008)

I had a run of bad luck shortly after building my new comp.  Needless to say I narrowed the problem down to power spikes.  Here where I live the power isn't exactly the most stable.  Though with 750 watts of power needed to make my monster chug along smoothly I considered buying a newer UPS and surge protector if needed.  Thing is I'm abit confused on what I should be buying to keep my computer from burning out again.  Does anyone know what kind of UPS or surge protector (which ever is needed in this instance) I would need to keep my machine alive?


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## dietrc70 (Jun 10, 2008)

I use an Opti-UPS 1500C (much bigger than I needed; but better too big than too small) plugged into one of the better Belkin surge protectors. In the event of a bad surge, I'd rather sacrifice the surge protector than risk damaging the UPS.

The reviews on Newegg are a good way to see which UPS's are the most popular and giving people the least problems, even if you buy locally (which I did--I sure didn't want to pay return shipping on this monster if it was DOA). I'd avoid the cheapest ones; probably you should expect to pay something in the $160 or greater range.

It's very important to make sure that your outlet is properly grounded, or the UPS and surge protector won't protect your system properly. The better surge protectors have a "Line Fault" or "Ground" light to warn you if there is a problem with the outlet. If there is, you need to get it fixed by an electrician. I had to rewire a number of outlets in older houses where I've lived. All of them had three prong outlets but the ground wasn't connected, and in another place some idiot had reversed the hot and neutral lines (which could kill a person in the event of a short).

The quality of the computer power supply is also very important, of course.


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## OceanOtter (Jun 10, 2008)

dietrc70 said:


> I use an Opti-UPS 1500C (much bigger than I needed; but better too big than too small) plugged into one of the better Belkin surge protectors. In the event of a bad surge, I'd rather sacrifice the surge protector than risk damaging the UPS.
> 
> The reviews on Newegg are a good way to see which UPS's are the most popular and giving people the least problems, even if you buy locally (which I did--I sure didn't want to pay return shipping on this monster if it was DOA). I'd avoid the cheapest ones; probably you should expect to pay something in the $160 or greater range.
> 
> ...



but my main concern is what kind of PSU will i need for a 750W machine.  Though I am certainly taking your other advise into heavy consideration It may have been what killed my PC faulty wiring in one house and what not.


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## dietrc70 (Jun 10, 2008)

I use a Seasonic 650HT, which has been great.  I think that most of the overclocker/gamer PSU's are good choices for a homebuilt system.  Seasonic, PC Power and Cooling, OCZ, and several other brands make very good PSU's.

Are you sure you machine needs 750W?  That's pretty high.


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## OceanOtter (Jun 10, 2008)

dietrc70 said:


> I use a Seasonic 650HT, which has been great.  I think that most of the overclocker/gamer PSU's are good choices for a homebuilt system.  Seasonic, PC Power and Cooling, OCZ, and several other brands make very good PSU's.
> 
> Are you sure you machine needs 750W?  That's pretty high.



yeah I left it open for upgrading but here are my specs


CPU Type: Q6700 Quad Core
CPU Speed: 2.66 Ghz
RAM: 4GB DDR2 6400 (800mhz)
Motherboard Manufacturer: XFX XFX Nforce 680i LT
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT x2 in SLI config
Video Card Manufacturer: Evga
Sound Card: High Definition Audio Device
Disk Space: 800GB
OS: Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit (for dx10 purposes no comments on this please I have my reasons) Dual booted with XP 64bit
Cooling: Thermalake BigWater 760 Liquid Cooling kit
OS: Vista Premium 64 / XP 64 dual boot

That's why I need that much power.


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## yak (Jun 10, 2008)

Just in case, http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp
They even suggest a brand. So far I haven't seen a crappy suggestion out of them.


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## dietrc70 (Jun 10, 2008)

Yeah, that makes sense.  A watercooled quad-core with SLI was the only system that I could imagine needing that much!

You definitely need a luxury-grade PSU for that rig.  I'd just check out reviews for the enthusiast PSU's in that power range.


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## OceanOtter (Jun 10, 2008)

dietrc70 said:


> Yeah, that makes sense.  A watercooled quad-core with SLI was the only system that I could imagine needing that much!
> 
> You definitely need a luxury-grade PSU for that rig.  I'd just check out reviews for the enthusiast PSU's in that power range.




Though what I can't figure out is if the voltage supported by the UPS has to be the same or more than the voltage of my PC.  Or is it something else?


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## dietrc70 (Jun 10, 2008)

Pretty much all the high end PSU's are designed to automaticaly adapt to a pretty wide range of voltages...usually 110V-220V or so.

Unless you have a 220V hookup, which is very rare in the US outside a datacenter, you'll probably be getting 110V to 120V.

The job of the UPS is to make sure that the voltage to the PSU stays within the normal operating range, no matter what the utility voltage does.

For example, my house has older wiring, and when someone switches on a vacuum cleaner the voltage drops, and I can hear my UPS kick in for an instant.  Another time there was a spike, and the UPS also kicked in again for a moment to keep the sudden change from reaching the PSU.

The more advanced UPS's can raise the voltage during extended brownouts without using battery power.  Mine is supposed to do that, I think, but that hasn't happened in Houston (yet).

The most expensive ones ($500 or more, usually) generate their own perfectly regulated voltage full time.  That's almost always extreme overkill, though, unless you have very sensitive equipment or live somewhere with really unstable line voltage.


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## OceanOtter (Jun 13, 2008)

dietrc70 said:


> Pretty much all the high end PSU's are designed to automaticaly adapt to a pretty wide range of voltages...usually 110V-220V or so.
> 
> Unless you have a 220V hookup, which is very rare in the US outside a datacenter, you'll probably be getting 110V to 120V.
> 
> ...



thank you for the advise.  I am getting everything repaired sometime in the scope of the next two weeks.  All of you have been a big help.


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