# UPS for Mac Pro and iMac



## sudodaemon (May 29, 2009)

I'm looking to buy a UPS to plug the following in... 3.0 Ghz Mac Pro, 30 inch Cinema Display, 24 inch iMac... I'm completely ignorant when it comes to UPS' and the wattage/voltage they provide. I believe the Mac Pro has a killowatt power supply in it (or maybe it was the quad G5)... What is the minimum for the wattage I should get to have all of these plugged in to and have a decent battery backup. I've read online of some people saying you'll only get 3 minutes of backup, to some people saying 30 minutes. I don't care regardless, I just want to know and I have no idea how to find out. If anybody could give me a link to a UPS they know will work for what I need that would be even better. I'm not worried about the price... If I need it I need it, I'd rather spend $500 on something good. Any and all help is appreciated.


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## MisterMe (May 29, 2009)

American Power Conversion is the standard for UPS.


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## sudodaemon (May 30, 2009)

I know APC is by far the best... there are just so many options and the only real difference is the wattage... I need to make sure I don't get something so weak that it can't keep my mac pro, cinema display, and iMac running if the power goes out. And I want to make sure that I don't go overboard.


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## DeltaMac (May 30, 2009)

APC has a very comprehensive selector page to help you decide what to get.
http://www.apc.com/tools/ups_selector/

It helps to decide how long you want to work. You'll notice that the default working time at APC is 10 MINUTES. The selector will allow you to change the working time.
More working time = more money...

Do you want to have enough time to stop where you are, save properly, and shut everything down safely? That's where the 10 minutes comes from.
If you want to continue working, regardless of the power, then it will get expensive in a hurry, and you could go with a backup/autostarting emergency generator.
You will also notice that the selector only provides for one computer, plus peripherals. You would want a UPS for each computer, unless you get a system that will support your entire computer system, and again, that gets expensive....


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## sudodaemon (May 30, 2009)

Well this is what I was thinking... tell me if I'm right or if I'm crazy... When I put in my config with just my Mac Pro, it recommended a 1200VA UPS... said I would be using about 70% of its capacity... when I put in the config for my Imac it said I would need a 700VA UPS and it would use like 40% of its capacity... What if I were to just put a 1500va UPS... they were around $250... and have both computers plugged in... I would imagine that would use about 80% of it's capacity... am I thinking correctly or would that not work...


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## DeltaMac (May 30, 2009)

I think your plan depends on how much time you want from that UPS, and are you going to entrust two separate computer systems to a single battery?

But, my feeling is that a 1500 VA unit should be OK for your use.


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## Randy Singer (May 30, 2009)

MisterMe said:


> American Power Conversion is the standard for UPS.



Just another opinion...I used to use and recommend APC UPS's exclusively.  But then a few years ago APC quietly started selling consumer-class (around $130 and under) UPS's without AVR (automatic voltage regulation.)

I think that AVR is an absolute necessity.  Considering that APC UPS's also tend to be more expensive than other brands, I can't recommend APC products anymore.

For a number of years I was recommending Belkin UPS's, because they were reasonably priced, included AVR, stone reliable, and had an amazing warranty which included data recovery!  Unfortunately Belkin no longer offers a full line of UPS's, though you can still find them for sale from some stores and Belkin still honors its warranty.
http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatSectionView.process?Section_Id=207278

Currently I've been recommending Tripp Lite:
http://www.tripplite.com/EN/reselle...petition.cfm?gclid=CICJ6_6h5ZoCFRYiagodNwOFCA

You may want to shop carefully and compare specifications if you are shopping for a UPS and are just assuming that APC is the best.


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## mikelipman (Jun 10, 2010)

What do you think of Cyberpower products
www.cyberpowersystems.com

I agree with the notion of using AVR enabled UPS products, but even those are not all the same. Some use the battery to boost low voltage, while others claim to be able to boost power without touching the battery, leaving it for serious failures in power supply.

One model I was looking at on Tiger Direct's website was:
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3260287

Any thoughts or comments? And what about output waveform? some do a simulated sinewave, others a pure sinewave, and yet others say a stepped approximation of a sinewave... UGH! some standards please...


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