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Whats the best UPS for the Mac Pro?
- Thread starter Jake0604
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Based....
in your data and my second-hand knowledge, APC will have 3 models for you: SMC1500, SMT1500 and SMT2200 ranging from $399.99 to $939 (plus tax). I personally use the Back-UPS Black 500 with a Apple 27 inch TB display.
No luck with the software, tough
in your data and my second-hand knowledge, APC will have 3 models for you: SMC1500, SMT1500 and SMT2200 ranging from $399.99 to $939 (plus tax). I personally use the Back-UPS Black 500 with a Apple 27 inch TB display.
No luck with the software, tough
I have a Mac Pro connected to a cheapie and way underpowered UPS I picked up for $39, which I bought for a different purpose. I figured as long as I'm going to be physically present I don't need to worry about power for running the machine for longer than it takes to shut it down. Today the lights flickered during a windstorm and the Mac Pro restarted, so I'm rethinking the idea of using a low quality and under powered UPS even temporarily. It's more than the power and joule (voltage filtering) ratings; the clamping time is also important and any inadequacy in the former two specs will make the later one more critical.
Not all UPS's are created equal. Cheaper ones use "stepped" sine wave inverters, while the more expensive ones have "pure" sine wave inverters. Pure sine wave units are obviously preferable, because of their better current regulation.
But what does this really all mean? In terms of electronics, pure sine wave is needed mostly for highly sensitive applications, such as medical equipment and server farms.
Common mantra among the computing world is that if you have a computer with an active PFC power supply (which Mac Pros are), you should splurge for pure sine wave, though this is highly debatable. "Pure" vs. "stepped" is only part of the equation. There are other factors that go into the design of a UPS, such as the quality of the inverter electronics (part-time vs. full-time), battery design, etc.
APC in particular separates their product lines into two main categories: BackUPS (consumer-grade "stepped" wave) and SmartUPS (commercial/industrial-grade "sine" wave). Aside from the obvious differences, SmartUPS models are built considerably better all around. And this is why a BackUPS 1500 costs under $200, while a SmartUPS 1500 approaches $400. I've actually used both on my 2008 Mac Pro with no glaring problems, but I did observe that the BackUPS was noisier and switched a few times over the course of a few months, while the SmartUPS never hiccuped.
But I'd always recommend buying the best UPS you can afford. If one can drop a few grand on a new Mac Pro and other expensive hardware, a few hundred on a quality UPS isn't hard to justify. There are also a number of vendors that sell refurbished SmartUPS models with brand new batteries for a fraction of the cost of new, so that's another thing to consider...
But what does this really all mean? In terms of electronics, pure sine wave is needed mostly for highly sensitive applications, such as medical equipment and server farms.
Common mantra among the computing world is that if you have a computer with an active PFC power supply (which Mac Pros are), you should splurge for pure sine wave, though this is highly debatable. "Pure" vs. "stepped" is only part of the equation. There are other factors that go into the design of a UPS, such as the quality of the inverter electronics (part-time vs. full-time), battery design, etc.
APC in particular separates their product lines into two main categories: BackUPS (consumer-grade "stepped" wave) and SmartUPS (commercial/industrial-grade "sine" wave). Aside from the obvious differences, SmartUPS models are built considerably better all around. And this is why a BackUPS 1500 costs under $200, while a SmartUPS 1500 approaches $400. I've actually used both on my 2008 Mac Pro with no glaring problems, but I did observe that the BackUPS was noisier and switched a few times over the course of a few months, while the SmartUPS never hiccuped.
But I'd always recommend buying the best UPS you can afford. If one can drop a few grand on a new Mac Pro and other expensive hardware, a few hundred on a quality UPS isn't hard to justify. There are also a number of vendors that sell refurbished SmartUPS models with brand new batteries for a fraction of the cost of new, so that's another thing to consider...
If you only had the single monitor, the Smart-UPS SMT1000 would have been fine. Mine runs at about 25% at idle with the 2010 MP in my sig. That gives me 0h45m runtime in a power outage. With both monitors or if you need the UPS to handle the MP under load for work, I would certainly advise the SmartUPS 1500VA models.
If you have an old UPS hanging around, see if you can find the details of APC's Trade-UPS trade in programme. They offer a discount off a new UPS if you offer your old one for recycling and it doesn't even have to be one of their own brand.
Batteries will last you from three to five years depending on how dirty the power is in your area and are user-replaceable in the SmartUPS range. Prices are on the APC website.
The other big brand of Pure Sine Wave models is CyberPower UPS. Make sure you are comparing like for like with APC however as CyberPower are cheaper but do not necessarily offer the same warranty or battery replacement terms.
You could just cheap out and trust to AppleCare but if it is a business machine, the outage while the MP was replaced would kill your reputation. Get a good UPS.
If you have an old UPS hanging around, see if you can find the details of APC's Trade-UPS trade in programme. They offer a discount off a new UPS if you offer your old one for recycling and it doesn't even have to be one of their own brand.
Batteries will last you from three to five years depending on how dirty the power is in your area and are user-replaceable in the SmartUPS range. Prices are on the APC website.
The other big brand of Pure Sine Wave models is CyberPower UPS. Make sure you are comparing like for like with APC however as CyberPower are cheaper but do not necessarily offer the same warranty or battery replacement terms.
You could just cheap out and trust to AppleCare but if it is a business machine, the outage while the MP was replaced would kill your reputation. Get a good UPS.