UPS or Surge Protector

[rbautch]

I built my first PC last week, and was so proud. Five days later, a large power surge fried it, along with everything else I own. Shock, disbelief, and denial eventually gave way to excitement over building a new one, especially since State Farm is paying. I want to protect all my PC's better this time, and I'm trying to decide between a good surge protector and a UPS with voltage regulation. I really don't care about losing unsaved files, or how long my PC will run during an outage, I just want MAXIMUM protection this time around. Any recommendations?

[colecifer]

A good UPS will protect your computer better then a surge protector.

[Ob1]

apc products offer both battery backup and surge protector built into one unit. i have all of my electronics plugged into them. i two got zapped and blew up my stereo receiver, surraound speakers and xbox.

http://www.apcc.com/

[rbautch]

I assume that the Joule ratings don't mean much, since the UPS I'm considering is rated for 1/10th the Joules of a cheap surge protector, true? This (http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=10315417&SearchEngine=DealTime&SearchTerm=10315417&Type=PE&Category=Comp&Gad=0&dcaid=15891) APC LS700VA is one I'm considering. I noticed it doesn't have coax or RJ-45 protection like some of the cheaper models without voltage regulation. Is this a decent ups/deal? Is voltage regulation really needed in a typical house?

[allburnintegrated]

I'm no expert, bt I'd say that the joule rating on a surge protector is how many joules of energy it can protect you from in a power surge.

Note that unless you are spending a lot of money on a surge protector, they will be using MOVs (Metal Oxide Varistors) as the bit which protects you from surges. MOVs can protect from very big surges very quickly, but will only take a few small surges or one big surge before they burn out. They won't protect you a second time around. Thats why you have to keep looking at the board to make sure the light isn't on on it. When the light goes on, replace it straight away! It will still work as a power board, but won't protect you.
Which can end up costing a lot if you get a lot of surges. Other ways of protecting you are available, but they will only be in surge protector boards that cost $US100+ at the least.

That UPS you had a link to doesn't say if it has an MOV in it, it says 'standard' surge suppression which will probably mean it has an MOV in it.

[rbautch]

What is the alternative to MOV?

[glc]

Look for the word "smart" in an APC or Tripplite. The best protection is a "line interactive" UPS that isolates the equipment from the AC power line. These aren't particularly cheap, figure at least a couple hundred bucks to do it right. Plug the computer and monitor into the battery protected outlets, you can use the surge-only outlets for other equipment.

Example:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16842101137

If you need good surge-only protectors, the best out there is the Tripplite Isobar line.

[rbautch]

Thanks!

[bailey]

sams club has the APC 1100 pro usp for $125.00, I have two of them, it is the smart type as GLC mentioned

[rbautch]

Thanks Bob. Is it better to get a relatively cheap UPS like the APC, or a really good surge protector, like the Tripplite isobar? I'm not a Sam's member, I'm a Costco member unfortunately.

[bailey]

the good apc supplys are not cheap, and triplits also makes low priced one, you would need to give model numbers to do a fair comparision.
but eather brand should work good if you make sure that they are of the smart varity.

[rbautch]

I think I'm going to give this APC SmartUPS (http://www.upsforless.com/product4.html) a try. It's refurbished with new batteries, and it's dirt cheap. I still can't tell the difference between the APC back-ups Pro, this smartUPS, and the LS700VA I linked to above.

[bailey]

they all do prety much the same thing, it just that the smart ones have the ac output from the batteries full time, isolateing the system from the power lines all the time, its the best way to go for all kinds of protection.

[rbautch]

Thanks!

[glc]

NICE price. I got a refurbished Tripplite 1250va standard UPS a few years ago for $100 with new batteries (the batteries themselves cost $70 for the pair) and it worked fine for 3 years till the batteries went. The only reason I haven't replaced the batteries is I was given a dead 675va Smart unit, all that cost me was $29 for a new battery.

Tip: If you need to replace batteries in an APC or TrippLite, don't pay the price for a factory replacement battery. Those things all use standard generic sealed lead-acid batteries that can be bought at a place like Batteries Plus for half the price or less. Last time I opened up an APC to replace a battery, I peeled the APC sticker off the battery and found that the brand name and type of the battery was identical to the generic battery at Batteries Plus - APC wanted $64 for the battery and I bought the one at BP for $24.95.