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New iMac i5---Surge Protector or UPS

J12300

J12300

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 16, 2009
33
3
Dublin, CA
Just got my new iMac i5 and have it plugged into a basic surge protector for now....

Is that good enough or should I invest in a good Monster or Belkin surge protector or even a UPS(Uninterruptible Power Supply)!!! or would that be overkill??

Any suggestions...thanks!!!
 
I generally think a surge protector is fine. As well as for most people. The only reason I'd consider a UPS is basically on how sensitive and important the use of the computer (not necessarily the hardware itself) and weigh that against how likely a surge or power outage is to occur. Generally a power outage won't kill a computer (from my experience). I say use a surge protector and make sure you have a backup HDD and you're ok.
 
Like was said, it depends on if it matters if you lost your work while using it during a power outage, more than protecting the hardware. The problem I have with UPS are that they seem to always lose their effectiveness pretty quickly (battery craps out). Then you are left with this oversized surge protector. I am sure there will be a lot of posts that will say for that kind of money you should invest in a good UPS, but it is not really necessary. This is one area where laptops are nice, since they have a built in battery backup.
 
I've been using a smart UPS with my iMacs. It has a USB cable to the iMac to let it know if there's a power event so that the iMac can gracefully turn off when the UPS charge is almost depleted. The neat thing with the iMac is that it recognizes the connection and you can set it up in System Settings as far as how to react to events sent by the UPS.
 
I've been using an APC Back UPS ES for 4 years now and it's still going strong. Had a power outage two weeks ago while I was editing pictures and I continued to use Aperture for about 5 minutes before shutting down my 2006 iMac on my own. I'm really surprised the batteries have lasted this long.

I prefer to have an UPS, but it's a personal choice. However, I would never go without a surge protector. Tests have proven that there is no difference between cheap surge protectors and expensive surge protectors, so it's definitely worth it to spend $10-$15 to protect your investment...

Bryan
 
If you can afford it, an inline UPS is the best thing you can get. I would get one if
a) The voltage is fluctating (sp?), the UPS will create a near perfect voltage and sine wave - good for electronics in general.
b) You often have power outtakes that affect your work.
c) You want protection from lightning.

Depending on brand, a lightningstrike could possibly toast your UPS i suppose, but equipment connected to it should be safe..

If you only need protection from lightning, get an electrician to install an antisurge unit on the incoming feeder, expensive i suppose but safe.

Cheapest is to get a antisurge extension cord :p
 
JayInNJ said:
Like was said, it depends on if it matters if you lost your work while using it during a power outage, more than protecting the hardware. The problem I have with UPS are that they seem to always lose their effectiveness pretty quickly (battery craps out). Then you are left with this oversized surge protector. I am sure there will be a lot of posts that will say for that kind of money you should invest in a good UPS, but it is not really necessary. This is one area where laptops are nice, since they have a built in battery backup.
Click to expand...

I have a 4 year old UPS and it still works fine. There was a power outage about a month ago while I was on the computer and I had plenty of time to shutdown cleanly. I only paid about $130 for the UPS. A good quality UPS should last 4 years at least.
 
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