Hello, I'm about to finish my gaming PC build and just wondering if you guys use or would recommend a UPS? From what I've seen around most people don't use any?
Thank You
Do you guys use an uninterruptible power supply or a UPS?
Lcalvindal3 on 29/03/2022 - 11:55
Comments
I don't, because I'm using a laptop that can continue to run on the battery in the event of a power cut. But I'm also not worried about losing data since most of my stuff are stored on the cloud.
On the topic of UPSs, could anyone recommend some kind of power supply device to add to ones emergency kit?
It will depend on what devices you want to be able to run without mains power, and for how long.
Don't forget to include, for example, a monitor, if you want to be able to see what is happening on a machine that doesn't have a built-in display.
You might also need to include comms equipment if you want devices to be able to talk to each other in a power cut.
If you aren't sure, I suggest you make a list of the devices and their power requirements, then take it into somewhere like PBTech, and someone there should be able to help you spec the right piece of kit to meet your requirements.
Gaming PC
UPSWhy??
Sorry I think I missed some bits and bobs. We were just used to use an AVR or if you can afford, a UPS in my home country. I'm just being paranoid I guess given that we don't really have power outages here. I just saw a UPS on sale and thought of using/buying one after spending X amount of money for my gaming pc. Cheers
TL;DR: Probably not required, invest in good surge protection instead.
There are three benefits to using a UPS: surge protection, power filtering and battery backup. If it's just a gaming PC, you're unlikely to benefit from the battery backup, it's mostly designed to cleanly shut down a server of the power is interrupted, and will typically maintain power for a few minutes at the most with a high powered machine.
On the surge protection, you can (and probably should) get that, but you can get that much cheaper on its own than paying for a UPS. There are threads here and on Geekzone about surge protected power boards and the like.
As for power filtering, that's a harder thing to quantify and harder to achieve. A cheap UPS may or may not provide filtering, but on the other hand you may not need it anyway. NZ's power is pretty clean, but if you're in/near an industrial area or have lots of compressors/pumps/motors on your circuit that frequently turn on and off then it might be worth investigating.
Thank you kind sir!
I always use a UPS, but I am always running at least one server (currently two pending transferring it to a client), and I cannot afford to lose one of them to a power surge or corruption through a power outage - what would be the impact on you if you 'lost' some kit due to a power issue? If it is chump change or you have a 'hot spare' ready to go, then you might assess the impact of losing your primary machine as being negligible.
The risk will also depend on where you live / work, and how often you get surges or outages - that will factor into the threat assessment you do.
If the impact and threat combine to be too risky for you (everyone will be different), then you can reduce your vulnerability by, for example, using a UPS.
There is never going to be one right answer for everyone, even if using the same kit.
HTH,
Alan.