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UPS for Mac Pro 5.1

lbeck

lbeck

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 5, 2009
381
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UPSs provide power, and as long as the power is within the Mac spec there will be no issue. I dunno about that particular model, but the reviews and specs seem OK to power the MAC for home use.

The UPS software utility provided displays UPS status on your computer desktop. That may not be MAC compatible. You can always look at the UPS front panel for status. I never bothered to connect up my UPS status line. The UPS features built into MAC OS, or other apps may also provide status on your desktop if that is important to you.
 
Yes, that is a suitable UPS for a Mac Pro.

Firstly it is a Pure Sine Wave UPS which the modern Mac Pros need (rather than the cheaper Stepped Sine Wave models). Secondly 1500VA is a good size for a 2010 MP and monitor and should give a decent running time if power goes out.

A few things to be aware of with UPS boxes in general...

Do NOT attach a laser printer to them. The initial power draw when switching on a laser printer is too high and will trip the UPS.

Attach heavy use items such as the Mac Pro box and the monitor directly to the back of the UPS. There should be a couple of suitable cables provided with the UPS. In the UK, however, we have to buy the double-ended "kettle lead" cables since our mains plugs are different from the US).

For low power items such as routers, USB hubs etc that may have a transformer block, plug those into a standard 4-way adapter and put the adapter into one of the sockets on the UPS. You may have to change the plug on the end.

As for software, you do not need to use any to get it to work on the Mac. OS X recognises modern UPSs as soon as you use one. There should be a USB cable from the UPS to the Mac Pro. OSX will get all it needs to know via that cable - no software needed.

Now, about the price - that UPS is CHEAP for that capacity. Cheap is not always good. You may want to compare the price and features of the APC Smart-UPS 1000VA and 1500VA. You can find them at APC.com in the small/medium Business range under Smart-UPS. You do NOT want to use the cheaper Back-UPS models as they are not Pure Sine Wave.

All UPS models will hum and click when charging the battery but will be almost silent in regular use when on mains power.

EDIT : I personally use an APC Smart-UPS 1000VA on my 2010 3.33 Mac Pro and have had about two years of flawless service out of it. It has not had to deal with any long power outages but has protected me well from the odd dip or short power out. The APC models will track their battery health for you and report when they need changing.

If you have an old UPS of any model or manufacturer, APC offer their Trade-UPS trade in programme off their new models.
 
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CyberPower UPSs seem to be decent for home use at least.

I've been running a "cheap" CyberPower Intelligent CP1500AVRLCD with my Mac Pro since I bought it in early 2008. Its been flawless and the battery is still good. A have an HP laser printer, the MacPro, 23 inch Apple display, a Cube with its display, about 5 disk enclosures and a couple ink jet printers.

Provides about 30-45 minutes after a power loss, rare here, but we often have dips and surges that the UPS seems to smooth out nicely.
 
Awesome thanks guys.

1. So I can plug multiple items into a 4 way plug then plug that into the UPS. So essentially I'm only using one plug on the UPS but that one plug is powering 4 items.

2. Cold case ... Does your model make a lot of noise? How quiet is it?
 
It sits right behind me on a shelf and is silent. When the power drops out there is a momentary clicking of a relay type sound, another click when the utility power is back on. Otherwise I don't notice it.

Yeah you can plug a power strip into one of the several outlets if you want to. The unit has both battery backed up power and some simply surge protected outlets. I would plug as many devices as you can directly into the unit as there would be a little less voltage drop which means you would have a little more time.
 
I've used an Eaton Powerware 5100 1000va for a few years without problems even though it's simulated sine-wave and not Mac compatible. We have tons of blackouts and brownouts and it performs great. I load up VMWare to look at the software in windows. It bucks and boosts and filters quite nicely. Pretty quiet with only the occasional click as it boosts or bucks.

I'd still take DanielCoffey's advice and go APC but it wasn't available here.
 
ok cool thanks. Last question ….

will everything that I plug into the UPS be protected against surges, like a regular surge protector does? Or only certain things?

But I guess thats the point of a UPS, it shouldn't be hurt against a surge if it keeps power and shuts down.

I just want to make sure its protected against a surge like a surge protector does.
 
I purchased the CyberPower UPS that the OP linked to recently. It's inaudible sitting a few feet away on the floor.

The one quirk is that it reads "120% charge" in the Energy Saver settings. I haven't had the opportunity to test it myself, but I've read in other reviews that this will correct itself once the UPS switches to battery power during actual outages.

The UPS is otherwise recognized correctly in the Energy Saver settings if connected via USB. You won't miss the Windows-only software that's on that CD.

Edited to add: the UPS has ten outlets. All protect against surges. Five will provide battery power during outages. There is room for one wall wart on each "side" (surge, surge+backup) of the UPS.
 
lbeck said:
Below is the UPS that I've researched and found in different areas. I wanted to make sure that its a good choice for my 3.33 Mac Pro Westmere, 2010 Model.

I see a software cd comes with it but I don't see that its Mac compatible.

Is this mac compatible?

Do I have to run the software?

Here is the link to the ones I want.

http://www.amazon.com/CyberPower-CP...A-Tower/dp/tech-data/B00429N19W/ref=de_a_smtd
Click to expand...

I have the CP1350AVRLCD for my 2008 Mac Pro and It's been solid as a rock for the 1-1/2 year.

http://www.amazon.com/CyberPower-CP1350AVRLCD-Intelligent-1350VA-Tower/dp/B000OFXKFI/
 
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When I read my APC guide it recommended plugging the high-drain devices directly into the UPS which is why they have the multiple sockets on the back - monitor and Mac Pro. This is because of the load supplied to the outlets can then be spread through the wiring in several sockets.

The low drain devices such as routers, usb hubs and anything with a transformer block can safely go off a 4-way (or whatever you need) because they will not stress the UPS at all.

Leave items like printer (especially if laser), lava-lamp, beer chiller off the UPS completely - reserve your battery for the essentials.

Depending on the UPS, some sockets may be reserved for the battery with others being surge/conditioning only. You will have to check your model - they should be labelled or described in the manual.

Using a battery UPS like the one you have listed is an enormous step up from the in-plug surge protectors that are advertised. You are not just paying for the battery, you are paying for much better conditioning for dips, spikes and short gaps too.

As for noise, the UPS will only make noise when it is working. The initial charge of course will be noisy. You may want to check for the "beep when on battery" option and turn it off because if you get a cut at night and the UPS goes to battery to keep your wifi router running, it would beep to tell you. It may have a periodic self-test and you may want to see if you can adjust that to be in the daytime.

You will get a faint hum if you press an ear to it but at 1 metre when idle it should be practically inaudible.
 
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