Voltage Stabilizer or UPS

[prakashn]

Hi guys
I live in a place where there are voltage fluctuations and power cuts at times. I do not feel the need of a UPS. Is there a voltage stabilizer available which will take care of voltage fluctuations which can protect my hardware. Or is a UPS a must for a computer. Pl advise.

[mjc]

I would say go with a UPS, since I got mine I have noticed several improvements to my computer. I live in a rural area but in town, we still have what I call "country power", I get at least one brief power loss at least every week, there is all sorts of line noise, and minor fluctuations. The voltage conditioner would take care of the noise and fluctuatuions, but do nothing about the outages.

Not all UPS affer line conditioning, though, especially some of the cheaper ones.

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mjc
Computer Links (http://www.dreamwater.org/tech/mjc/index.htm)

Celts are the men that heaven made mad, For all their battles are merry and their songs are all sad.

[Flick]

You need a good UPS for 2 main reasons. If you are in the middle of creating or changing a file (letter, spreadsheet, etc.) and you lose power, then you just lost that file too. Most of us don't "save to disk" every ten minutes. The other problem is that all versions of Windows have a particular "shutdown" procedure. If you by pass the Windows shutdown, you're just asking for trouble. In short, a UPS gives you the time (a few minutes) to save your work and properly shutdown your computer. I use the APC Back-UPS Office 500 VA. It even includes software that will automatically shutdown the computer and it provides full surge protection. Haven't lost a single bit of data since I've used this system.

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Quondo Omni Flunkus Mortati

[penta_chris]

I'm gonna go with mjc & flick here - sounds like you're a good candidate for a UPS.

Make sure, though, you don't get stuck stick you with an SPS - Standby Power System. They only kick in when the power goes off completely, and there's a split second of no power. This is often so short a time that there's no data loss, but not always.

You want an online UPS - Uninterruptible Power Supply. They almost always condition the power because you are using the power from it's battery all the time, and the ac from the wall is constantly keeping it charged.

Also, if you've got a laser printer, don't plug it into your UPS - they use way too much electricity and can possibly interfere with your ability to shut down properly should the power go out.

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I fight authority,
Authority always wins