Ups

[kavern]

I have read the section regarding the ups in here. First of all, it is said the a computer should have a good brand of PSU. Like those of Antec truepower..etc. This is to prevent frying the components incase of power instability or so.
I would like to know whether a UPS can substitute the place of the PSU?
Like having a good UPS with a normal brand PSU will result in stable power?
Or it doesnt make any difference coz it's all depends on the PSU and not the UPS?

[PrntRhd]

Both are important.

A poor performing PSU will not have the juice needed to keep your system stable. It can fry components throughout the system. Each lead has to have the proper power.

Poor AC power will fry a PSU. Also a UPS will keep your system from going into Scan Disk when there is an abnormality, and does the best job of filtering to keep your system alive for a long time.

[Budfred]

Also, Antec or Enermax or one of the other decent power supplies are what should be considered normal and the others are just junk being passed off as legit....

[kavern]

:D normal to me means those that are most commonly used by people. Or people who don't know much about hardware. Usually i would refer those u listed as good PSU. :) I am using those 'junk' PSU. Will change when have the money.
My speaker woofer sometimes will produce continuos humming sound. I realise that whenever the washing machine is running, the sound will start. Sometimes it becomes louder and louder. However, sometimes with no apparent reason, the humming sound start.(washing machine not in use)

I was wondering is this the cause of power instability in my house or is it the woofer itself? AC or PSU?
Thinking of getting a UPS if that is the case.

[saphalline]

That could very well be "line noise" that is not evened out by your junk PSU. Line noise manifests itself inside a PC as EMI, and audio subsystems are an easy target. Shielded cables could also help. ;)

As for your PSU vs UPS question, yes both are important. They are both links in a chain, and we all know that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link! :p Unless your home's electrical system is incredibly old, I would deem a good PSU to be more important than adding a UPS. But that's just my opinion... :rolleyes:

[PrntRhd]

Actually humming in the audio is most likely a loose ground on the audio cable/jack. The washer being involved means you should have at the very least a good line filter between the wall outlet and the computer as the electrical noise the washer generates is going through the whole house. Motors don't get affected much by the noise but electronic devices certainly do. A UPS is the best for AC line filtering, good quality noise filtering strips not quite as good, surge supressors worse.

[kavern]

ok..so can a UPS solve the the problems listed out? if yes what brand u all recommend for my situation. Do you guys used it at home? (just want to know)

[Budfred]

APC gets the best press around here and it is what I use on my main computer... If you don't really need the power failure backup function, you can get the cheapest model which I have seen for as little as about $25...

I also use a Belkin on another computer and it seems okay too.

I think it will help with your problems, but you may still also need a new power supply as several people have said...

[kavern]

yup, would like to look for those that are not mainly for the backup power failure but a good one that is reliable.
Can guide me into getting one of that kind?
Btw, reading the guide about UPS in here, though there are some electronic terms i dont know, i understand that they mention UPS with a sine wave is good right? When buying one, how do i know if it is a sine wave unit?

[icywolf]

Also a good psu can take some power problem (my antec 430 is able to stay about 1 second without electricity)

[Budfred]

The first one on this page is the one I use and it cost me about $30. You need to watch the sales at the big chains to get a price like that, but it seems to come around every couple of weeks at one of the stores....

APC at Newegg... (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?submit=manufactory&catalog=72&manufactory=1317&DEPA=1&sortby=14&order=1)

[Fruss Tray Ted]

Also a good psu can take some power problem (my antec 430 is able to stay about 1 second without electricity)

Icywolf,
You make an excellent point. A power supply uses capacitors to smooth the electrical supply to the components in a pc. The larger the PSU the bigger the caps (and longer to discharge stored energy). When you have a PSU that has a 'cushion' (more than necessary watts) of power not being used by your current configuration, if a voltage drop or flicker in wall outlets from something powering up like air conditioners and furnaces occurs, the pc is more likely to survive the voltage spike or drop without rebooting or other PSU instability symptoms. In effect a few seconds UPS in itself. A PSU of 25%+- more power than total load would be about right.