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Heavy Gear May 2003 • Vol.3 Issue 5 Page(s) 18-21 in print issue |
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UPS Roundup Power Protection For Power Users |
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One urban legend states that there is generally a spike in regional birth rates nine months after an extensive power outage. Although there is actually no statistical evidence to support this, we know one thing for certain: When the power cuts out, and you're waist-deep in a critical business project, term paper, or championship deathmatch, the words "oh, baby" are probably not your first exclamation of choice. UPSes (uninterruptible power supplies) tend to get pretty short shrift in the consumer sector. After all, the products have a long history of being expensive and excessive. But now that prices have plummeted, the costs of not having a UPS become more apparent. Think about what you make per hour or, more intangibly, what your family or recreational time is worth. If a power outage nukes two hours of work (we're guessing you weren't backing up every few minutes), you're out the first two hours, another two hours to re-create the lost work, plus the downtime you spend during the blackout twiddling your thumbs. How much would you pay to have half of your day back? OK, so you're sold on the necessity of a UPS. Now the subject gets more difficult. Power protection is filled with an overwhelming amount of engineering-level minutiae and conflicting information. You may hear salespeople say, "You need line conditioning to protect the longevity of your PC's components." In fact, this is more or less untrue. How large of a unit do you need? What's the difference between a $10 surge strip and a $100 surge protector? Hold on. We've got answers and a look at some UPSes ideal for power users.  Assessing Your Capacity Needs You face two key variables when assessing which size of UPS to buy: watts and battery runtime. Now, when you look at a UPS' retail box, you may not get a good idea of either criterion. Most UPSes are rated in VA (volt amps). This practice is so common that most vendors integrate the VA rating into the UPS' model name. Unfortunately, the VA rating doesn't tell you much. What really matters are watts, and the conversion from volt amps to watts is a sticky one. According to Rick Hunteman, vice president of sales and marketing for Para Systems, the conversion depends on a translation factor that can vary from vendor to vendor. For example, APC's Back-UPS ES 725 is a 725VA that handles 450W, a translation factor of roughly 40. Our Belkin unit does 1,200VA with 670W for a factor closer to 45. CyberPower uses an even higher fudge factor: 825VA yielding only 410W for a value of approximately 50. At the other extreme is Para Systems: With a 700VA/500W rating, it has a translation factor of only about 30. So how many watts do you really need? The common answer is to add up the cumulative wattage of every component that will receive power from the UPS battery. This may require some heavy digging in your component documentation and/or vendors' Web sites. A modern CPU and motherboard alone will consume upwards of 100W. A mid-tower with, say, three PCI cards, three IDE drives, and an inkjet printer might chew through 250W to 300W. Remember that you still have a monitor to accommodate, but we'll ignore that for now. Theoretically, a 300W UPS should handle your tower, sans monitor and peripherals, but the component vendors may have understated their figures while the UPS vendors may have overstated theirs. So pick your margin of error. A 20% to 25% buffer should be enough. Be sure not to underestimate because if your load exceeds the UPS' capacity, you'll blow the UPS' fuse and negate your whole reason for buying the unit in the first place. Plan for future expansion (perhaps another 25% to 50% over your current load), as well as external devices. Do not plug your laser printer into the battery backup receptacles, though. Laser printers draw a massive power load during warm-up and printing. If you do need battery power for your laser, anticipate buying at least a 2,000VA UPS. Next up is battery runtime. All bets are off here. CyberPower, for example, states on its 825VA retail box that a PC with a 15-inch CRT will obtain 45 to 60 minutes of runtime. The spec sheet quotes 25 to 50 minutes. So imagine our surprise when the unit barely topped 11 minutes in our test after charging for 24 hours. APC played a fairer game, quoting its ES 725 at 3.3 minutes under a full 450W load and 11.8 minutes at 225W half-load. (Our test returned 13.2 minutes.) We can't even draw a price-performance comparison for runtime. If we divide retail price by runtime minutes, Belkin comes in at 5.7 while Tripp Lite yields only 11.3, lower being better. About the only way we found to guesstimate runtime was ye olde lift-and-grunt test. Our Para Systems S 700 weighs in at 42 pounds while the Tripp Lite SMART550USB is but a svelte 14.4 pounds. Divide weight by runtime and you get values of 1.7 and 1.5—about the closest thing to a constant across these variables. Here are some other key UPS points. Surge Protection These days, practically every UPS offers some level of surge protection across all of its power receptacles. It follows, though, that if you're buying a $100 UPS, you're probably not buying the same technology found in a $75 surge suppressor. Given that the purpose of surge protection is to isolate your connected equipment from significant jumps or spikes in voltage and the destructive havoc this can wreak on your gear, cheap technology may not be in your best interests. Unfortunately, there is often no way to accurately gauge the quality of a device's surge suppression without taking it apart and possessing the knowledge to decipher what you see. Short of this, you can start with the stated joules rating. Joules are a collective measurement of surge voltage current and duration. More simply, a joules rating denotes how much energy the suppressor's MOV (metal oxide varistor) components can handle. A rating of 600 joules or higher is considered good, but this can be misleading. Some vendors merely pile on more cheap MOVs and use this to create a cumulative joule rating. However, because these MOVs are linked in serial, the chain is only as strong as its weakest link, which is why quality surge vendors don't use this approach. Next, check the product for UL 1449 approval. This is the government's updated quality testing program, but be aware that there are additional components to this test beyond basic certification. Zero Surge (see the "A (Surge) Arresting Argument" sidebar) notes that its technology, which appears in units starting at $200, has additionally received Grade A, Class 1, and Mode 1 applications classification, all of which means that the technology has passed the hardest standardized stress tests the government has devised for this product category. Additionally, check the suppressed voltage rating. This refers to how much voltage still passes through to your electronics after the suppressor starts routing the surge to ground (or to neutral in Zero Surge's case). An ideal rating is 330V or less. Line Conditioning/Voltage Regulation One of the best debates in UPSes centers on voltage regulation, the process of modifying current such that the minor dips and surges coming from the wall get leveled out to an even 110/120V. The common wisdom surrounding this feature says that these variances gradually wear down your PC's components by increasing heat at the circuit level. As CyberPower puts it in the company's ad: "Automatic Voltage Regulation keeps the power to your computer at a consistent level, helping to prevent lockups and protect and prolong the life of valuable computer components." Good theory. What most AVR (automatic voltage regulation) vendors don't tell you, though, is that the switch mode power supplies that have been used in PCs for about the last 20 years already perform this function. According to Zero Surge president and chief engineer Rudy Harford, a standard power supply should be able to cope with voltage down to about 85V, and any surges above the power supply's threshold should be smoothed out by a reliable suppressor. So why do vendors keep selling voltage regulation? One manufacturer told us it largely came down to a battery issue. If the line conditioner could bump up the voltage during a sag and keep the UPS from going to battery backup, then there would be more power during an actual outage. However, given that most sags only occur for a few seconds at most, such as when your furnace or laser printer kicks on, this seems like a tenuous explanation at best. In reality, voltage regulation does help on one point. As input voltage from the wall decreases, the power supply draws more and more current out of the AC line. This increased current can actually damage the input components of the power supply. Given that line conditioning in a UPS only costs about an extra $30 to $50, the investment may be worthwhile, especially if you've paid for a premium power supply. Sine Wave vs. Step Wave Once upon a time, sine wave UPSes were marketed by telling consumers that the step waves produced during battery runtime on less expensive units were harmful to PC components. When graphed, a sine wave shows a smooth progression of repeating bell curves cycle after cycle while a step wave only exhibits power in straight lines at the peak, trough, and center of the wave. The reality is that the only components that really benefit from constant sine wave power are motors, such as those in scanners and printers. Your power supply is safe with step power, as are the rest of your components and peripherals. So if you have motor-based peripherals that need battery backup, Para Systems' SmartSine series is for you. Otherwise, a step wave unit, including Para's own MBK and Pro series, may be a more cost-effective choice. Backup Software You may not always be there when the power cuts out and your UPS swings into action. This is why many models, particularly those aimed at corporate users, include software that performs shutdown tasks automatically and maintains a log of such events. Additionally, most of these applications will also provide details on the status of your UPS and your present power situation. The MINUTEMAN SentryII application bundled with our SmartSine S 700 is an excellent example that comes in both client and server versions. In addition to monitoring and diagnostics, SentryII can be configured to send out email or pager alerts to multiple users when the battery is activated. The software can also execute predefined programs, save any open files, and perform an unattended shutdown of the operating system. Because the application is browser-based, authorized users can control the UPS from anywhere with a network connection. Rival applications, such as the PowerPanel Plus title that accompanies CyberPower's unit, are optimized more for single-user settings. All control is done locally. The interface shows the approximate backup time left on the battery, the load currently being placed on the UPS, battery level, and other statistics. Users can schedule unattended shutdowns, but the program's chief purpose is simply to perform such shutdowns when you're not there to save and close programs yourself. Many users ignore the software that comes with their UPS, and this is unfortunate. Not all of us remember to save our work when we leave the room, and without having unattended shutdown software in place, you may not be letting the UPS perform the job for which you bought it. Save Us From Protection Plans How much is enough to cover your system? $30,000? $300,000? All of the zeros you see in these connected equipment protection warranties are meaningless. According to Para Systems, the company pays out on two or three such claims a year. If your PC takes a surge hit while connected to a warranted UPS and sustains damage, the UPS vendor will reimburse you for your loss. But consider the real process. Your UPS fails to absorb a whole surge or spike, and you lose your power supply, sound card, and motherboard. You get an RMA (return merchandise authorization) number from the UPS vendor and pay to ship the unit back to them. They sit on it for a few days while a back-room tech finds time in his schedule to examine it. He opens the box, verifies the damage, and sends the unit back to the front room. Several days later, the UPS vendor ships your PC back to you with a check for maybe $200-enough to replace your fried components. In the meantime, you've been without your box for weeks and still need to buy new parts and install them. Did your hard drive get hit, causing you to lose your invaluable data? Too bad, so sad. The value of data is entirely subjective and not covered. The moral is: Protection plan warranties have nothing to do with actual protection. Only suckers watch the zeros. Five Power User UPSes Here are a few UPSes we think are worth checking into.  APC Back-UPS ES 725 $99.99 www.apc.com This unit exemplifies why APC remains one of the top names in UPSes. With the lowest price in our roundup, this 450W model still manages to clock in at the center of our group for battery backup time. We were impressed that the ES 725 was the only model we saw that features an easily accessible battery area for hot-swapping of cells, eliminating the need to send the UPS back to the factory someday for a new battery. (The unit ships with the wire lead to the battery disconnected for safety, a provision none of the other vendors apparently find necessary.) The 16.2-pound ES 725 features eight total receptacles, all of which are surge protected but only four of which link to the battery. APC also throws in surge-protected RJ-45, Ethernet, and coax ports. APC was also the only vendor we saw that integrated an admittedly overkill USB 2.0 port (cable included) for linking back to the PC for use with its bundled PowerChute Personal Edition software. PowerChute goes a bit beyond the usual shutdown software by offering some additional battery management and periodic UPS component quality checking functions, but realize that the antivirus, firewall, and other included titles are only trial-version. Overall, we were very pleased with the ES 725 and feel that it's probably the most cost-effective unit in this roundup for moderate-load home desktop users.  Belkin Universal UPS 1200VA $159.99 www.belkin.com During this writing, Belkin's Web site noted that "due to the overwhelming popularity of this product, we are temporarily out of stock." (Several online resellers had units on hand.) Even more hyperbolic is Belkin's $500,000 connected equipment warranty. On the other hand, kudos for the 1200VA are definitely due. First off, Belkin trounced every other player on our backup time test, even handily defeating Para Systems by four minutes at only half the price. Four of the unit's six surge-protected receptacles receive battery power, and with 670 watts, you've got plenty of capacity for dual monitors and extra peripherals. For what it's worth, Belkin also tosses in voltage regulation, but a more subtle touch is the inclusion of an RS-232 serial, as well as a USB port for use with the bundled Bulldog Plus software. With both ports, old corporate boxes running NT are covered the same as new legacy-free systems. Although it does support a more comprehensive set of LED indicators than APC, Belkin omits a coax pass-through and instead only offers protected in/out jacks for RJ11 and RJ45 cabling. Still, considering the lengthy runtime, high load capacity, and surprisingly low price, Belkin's 1200VA stands out as the UPS of choice for power users with fully loaded systems.  CyberPower 825AVR $129.99 www.cyberpowersystems.com With an 825VA rating, integrated line conditioning, and a more-than-aggressive price point, we expected to be more impressed with CyberPower's 825AVR. Sure, the unit's output is clean, but we were immediately on alert upon seeing the 825VA only translate into 410W and noticing that only three of the six surge-protected receptacles were for battery use. We were willing to float the unit a little more slack upon seeing that the 825AVR supports both RS-232 and USB cables for its PowerPanel Plus software. As with the Belkin, CyberPower provides in/out jacks for fax/modem and Ethernet and skips coax. (This should only bother people doing TV tuning or PVR apps on their computers. In the latter case, you're going to want more capacity and battery time, anyway.) Beyond this point, our impression of the unit slid. Battery runtime was subpar for a unit with this VA rating, which, as mentioned, was itself suspect. Furthermore, the 825VA is rated for 1260 joules of surge protection, but we can't help but recall Dr. Richard Cohen's warning about high joule ratings. (See the "A [Surge] Arresting Argument" sidebar.) The two things the 825AVR has going for it are its low price and its relatively quick eight-hour recharge time. This makes a good UPS for a second PC, perhaps a low-demand network node, but falls short on covering a decently stacked tower.  Para Systems SmartSine S 700 $319 www.minutemanups.com We offer the SmartSine S 700 here instead of the other unit Para Systems sent us, the MN 525, which would have compared too similarly against APC and CyberPower. The SmartSine is a wholly different beast, featuring a runtime and form factor in league with Belkin but with an otherwise distinct feature set. The S 700 is a tough sell for home users. As stated earlier, unless you plan on using motorized devices on battery backup, sine wave output is largely unnecessary. Without sine, Para Systems' advantages against Belkin for consumers disappear, and you're left with a 500W UPS that has an RS-232 communication port but no USB. All eight receptacles receive backup power and are both surge-protected and line-conditioned. Although there is RJ-45 protection, convergence users will rue the omission of coax ports. All told, this adds up to one significantly overpriced UPS. For business users, however, the situation may be different. We've already discussed Para's SentryII software, which is optimized for multiple-user scenarios. The SmartSine is also the only UPS we saw that features a rear-mounted expansion slot. The company offers several plug-in cards for functions such as simultaneous shutdown of up to three systems and environmental monitoring for temperature and humidity. So under the right circumstances, a SmartSine unit may be a terrific investment. We just see it as more of a special solution in the medium- to large-scale business markets.  Tripp Lite SMART550USB $109.95 www.tripplite.com With the smallest footprint of any UPS we saw (5 x 6.5 inches), the 14.4-pound SMART550USB shoots for the lower end of the desktop segment and achieves mixed results. The unit is only rated at 550VA/300W, so we already wouldn't chance this UPS with more than a moderately stocked PC, preferably with a low power TFT display. To compensate, Tripp Lite integrates line conditioning effective from 83V up to 120V. We actually found the volume on/off button on the front readout panel a far more unique and useful feature. The incessant beeping exhibited by every UPS during battery runtime gets very old after about 20 seconds. Tripp Lite promises a backup time of 17 minutes at half-load and five minutes at full-load, so we were pleased with our 9:43 (minutes:seconds) test result. However, only three of the unit's six receptacles have battery power, and Tripp Lite recommends plugging the monitor into one of the surge-only plugs. Um . . . don't you want to see the document or game you're trying to wrap up? On the other hand, the SMART-550USB's smartest aspect is its software. WatchDog is a nifty background app that monitors critical applications and system services of your choice. If any of these are unresponsive for a specified amount of time, or if the system's CPU load stays too high or too low for an extended period, WatchDog and its companion diagnostics app, PowerAlert, will force an application or even the whole system to shut down and restart. These depend on the UPS' USB connection because there is no RS-232 connection. Similarly, the unit offers in/out phone line protection but not Ethernet or coax. Tripp Lite recommends the SMART550USB for kiosk and Net application servers, which makes sense given its configuration. In the home or small office, we can see using this model for secondary PCs, such as network storage machines, print servers, or Web /email servers, but not for primary system use.  by William Van Winkle
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