Buying an APC UPS - BR1500, SUA750, or ?

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Venthos

Weaksauce
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Nov 24, 2004
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With my 10-year old+ APC UPS finally dying off, i'm in the market for a new UPS. Based on personal experiences and manufacturer reputation, i've decided APC would be the best choice.

Originally I was looking around for any possible reviews on APC-made UPS systems, but found only a handful of minor single-paragraph "lol, its teh greatz0r" reviews on them. A quick search on hardforum yielded about 2 or 3 total threads (with one of them being the other UPS thread on the first page at the moment).

Reading through that thread I see some comments on how the Back-UPS series is not that great, and that they would strongly recommend investing in the Smart-UPS series.

I'm basically looking for some comments on what would be a solid UPS to invest in. I am looking for something that is substantial and is "overkill" for what I have at the moment. I will be more than likely using this for years to come and its use wil be expanded to support multiple machines.

At the moment it would be powering:

AMD Athlon X2 4800+
3x SATA hard drives
2x cd drives
7800 GTX
24" LCD
and miscellaneous other gadgets.

Is the Back-UPS series so "bad" as was hinted in the other thread? I will say though, the Smart-UPS series is enticing given the expansion slot in the back for a later addition of a remote on/off feature (I use Remote Desktop with my machine daily while at work).

I was originally looking at the Back-UPS BR1200, possibly BR1500. With the Smart-UPS series, I was pondering the SUA750 .. however given the low Wattage/VA, I would probably have to spring for the SUA1000 if I went to the Smart-UPS series.

Any suggestions?
 
I have an APC RS1500 does fairly well with my current setup and has the option to add an extra battery pack at $150 to extend runtime. :cool:
 
I'm new to the [H] and certainly no expert on APC UPS but here's what I did. I bought the SmartUPS SUA1500. Why?

It's the best and most powerful UPS from APC you can buy that plugs into a regular home 3-prong (grounded) electrical outlet. Higher models by APC need a different type of outlet. And the SUA1500, unlike the BR1500, has the Sine-Wave type of power when the battery kicks in if normal power is interrupted . Which I believe means it's exactly like being plugged into an electical outlet. Plus, when it switches over to battery power it does it much faster (2 - 4ms) than the BR1500. For these reasons I opted for the SUA1500.
 
I went with the BX1500 ( http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=5248181&type=product&id=1051384662246 ) b/c the price is closer to what I wanted to spend and you can add another battery later for a more robust UPS set up.

I've got it running a Dell 2405FPW, dual opteron with 550watt UPS, and a creative 7.1 surround sound system and I have no problems staying up when the power goes down. I also have the option to prolong up time by adding another battery later. I like APC as a company and I've never had a problem with them. I even have 2200 va system on my rackmount that is awesome but it requires a 20amp plug.

I've got a APC 1050va running my HTPC right now but I don't have the reciever plugged into it due to the power draw of it and a 52" television might draw.
 
I think after further review i'm going to at least invest in the Smart-UPS line of APC. The Back-UPS line (like the BR1500) I was looking at just seems too much like the "eMachine" of the APC series, simply offering remedial UPS functionality.

My UPS will more than likely be powering multiple machines in the near future, and from what I gather a UPS can last many years with nothing more than battery replacements every 5-6 years. For this reason i'm not wanting to skimp out on my UPS.

What's the general lifespan of a high-quality UPS like the Smart-UPS series?

Additionally, what Smart-UPS would you recommend?

I was originally looking at the SUA750 due to the low cost, but I wonder about the expandability of it. I then looked at the SUA1000, and it seems like the best choice.

However, I find it hard to compare UPS units beyond their rated Wattage/VA in relation to each other. I'm not entirely sure how to translate those numbers to "real world use". How many machines can I expect to run on an X Watt and Y VA UPS unit?

At this point i'm just trying to figure out which would be the best buy for me without going overboard and spending all kinds of money on expandability i'll never use with a max of 3-4 machines running off the UPS... SUA750, SUA1000, SUA1500, or something else?
 
Anyone have any experiences with the Belkin-made UPS units?

The SUA1500 from APC will run $426.93 without shipping, and Belkin's 1500VA model only runs $125.53

Kinda wonderin' why (other than brand-name) there is such a drastic difference in pricing.

I've never known Belkin to produce inferior products, however i'd have to say APC would more than likely be more reliable than the Belkin model, but $300 more reliable?

Both are "network grade" UPS units per each manufacturers' website.
 
I bought my SUA1500 new of eBay for $250 plus $30 for shipping, plus I had a 10% off coupon so it really only cost me $225 plus ship. Like I said, I'm no expert but I did some reading and decided the SUA1500 was the most bang for the buck. And I agree that Smart UPS is way better than Back-UP UPS. Plus you can't go wrong with APC. Can't really comment on Belkin.

As far as running multiple machines goes, you should do some research. Not sure if you were to run several machines if even the SUA1500 would be right. Go to the APC website and use thier SELECTOR to give you a better idea of what your needs are.

Also, for a more personal touch you can call Jim from Insight.com @ 1-800.998.8031Ext 5553. He helped me in deciding which UPS to go with and even got a tech support person from APC on the phone with me to discuss my options. After talking with him my mind was made up about Smart-UPS 1500VA. Then the fun began as I hunted down the best price I could find.

Hope this helps
 
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