Which UPS to buy ?

Elito11 · 29th May 2009, 23:59

Su-Kam and microtek are THE best! Take this from someone who has spoken to numerous small time system admins regarding this.

Elito

Raccoon · 30th May 2009, 01:31

Microtec the best?!?!?!

No way! I don't know about Sys admins... maybe they are talking about bigger units or something; but every individual user I'v spoken to had nothing remotely nice to say about it.

Su-Kam I dunno. We have a Su-Kam inverter which is good... but dunno anything about their UPS. Don't know anyone who has one either. I don't think they can match APC though.

deepclutch · 30th May 2009, 02:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raccoon

And pray tell why one should not just buy a APC instead of doing all that?? A UPS must be able to handle all fluctuations. When the power input is such that it cannot be regulated, it must immediately switch to battery power. Under no circumstance should it allow the comp to reboot. A UPS that cannot do this is not worth using/buying. In fact it should not be called a UPS in the 1st place.

don't want to create any flame war.but APC failed for me.with constant current fluctuations due to transformer sharing with a near by matchbox factory ,APC too Failed-not only once,but many times(in extreme conditions).I cannot verify whether it was due to some mosfet failure etc with UPS.but that is what I experienced for few years.That is why my question dear Raccoon.So is the question about CVT.

Elito11 · 30th May 2009, 10:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raccoon

Microtec the best?!?!?!

No way! I don't know about Sys admins... maybe they are talking about bigger units or something; but every individual user I'v spoken to had nothing remotely nice to say about it.

Su-Kam I dunno. We have a Su-Kam inverter which is good... but dunno anything about their UPS. Don't know anyone who has one either. I don't think they can match APC though.

This is my personal opinion but APC sucks. It sells purely on 'brand' name and excellent customer service. But purely in terms of backup and reliability it is just about average.

Su-kam sells 'pure' sine-wave ups, which is wayyyyyy better than square wave ups from APC.

Also just walk to your nearest computer shop who stocks multiple brands ask for complaint/exchange rate of microtek vs the rest and trust me you will be surprised. Microtek provides the longest backup.

Elito

adityamunshi · 30th May 2009, 15:50

I just found out that if you have a PSU with Active PFC, you need a pure sine wave UPS.

I know APC doesnt have any in the Back-UPS range. Any idea if Microtek/Su-Kam have a Pure wave UPS in the entry level. Budget is 4- K

And, the SuKam dealer i went to told me that all their UPSes come without a battery and it has to be purchased separately. Is this true ?

Raccoon · 30th May 2009, 16:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by deepclutch

don't want to create any flame war.but APC failed for me.with constant current fluctuations due to transformer sharing with a near by matchbox factory ,APC too Failed-not only once,but many times(in extreme conditions).I cannot verify whether it was due to some mosfet failure etc with UPS.but that is what I experienced for few years.That is why my question dear Raccoon.So is the question about CVT.

Allrite... maybe it is so in extreme conditions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elito11

This is my personal opinion but APC sucks. It sells purely on 'brand' name and excellent customer service. But purely in terms of backup and reliability it is just about average.

Su-kam sells 'pure' sine-wave ups, which is wayyyyyy better than square wave ups from APC.

Also just walk to your nearest computer shop who stocks multiple brands ask for complaint/exchange rate of microtek vs the rest and trust me you will be surprised. Microtek provides the longest backup.

Elito

As I said, the back up might be low, but it scores in power filteration and performance! At least for me, thats far more important.

And btw, comps don't need pure sine waveform output!!!

muneemmk · 1st June 2009, 14:39

APC UPS Sucks big time, I Am currently using a 650VA Back UPS ES and it's the 2nd one that I am getting(under warranty ofcourse) after the one I bought failed and currently this one dosen't provide more than 2 minutes of back up.But the Service is quite good,but once I am through with the warranty period i am getting myself a Microtek or Su-Kam for sure.

Now i am gonna call up the APC Guys and request for another replacement UPS

BaCkSeAtDrIVeR · 1st June 2009, 15:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raccoon

And btw, comps don't need pure sine waveform output!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by adityamunshi

I just found out that if you have a PSU with Active PFC, you need a pure sine wave UPS.

Now, which of them is correct?

@muneermk, where did you source the APC UPS/

And a question - I have a 600 VA UPS, giving approx 8 minutes of backup. If I want around 30 minutes backup (17inch monitor, AMD65 processor with 2 hdds, etc), what should be the specification of the UPS? 1KVA?

muneemmk · 1st June 2009, 15:25

This place should give you an Idea about the power requirement for the UPS.

UPS Selector Sizing Applications

I buy all my hardware from a reseller close to my home for the past 6 years.

greenhorn · 1st June 2009, 15:33

I've personally found UPS pretty reliable. My earlier V guard UPS would make my system turn off when the power went off, and then start up again !

havent had much problems with the APC i eventually bought to replace it. And it has suffered a lot more abuse , and its still going strong. Now I've got two, and havent had any issues with either of them.

I think they have an excellent product. At least it works beautifully for me

Raccoon · 1st June 2009, 15:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by muneemmk

APC UPS Sucks big time, I Am currently using a 650VA Back UPS ES and it's the 2nd one that I am getting(under warranty ofcourse) after the one I bought failed and currently this one dosen't provide more than 2 minutes of back up.But the Service is quite good,but once I am through with the warranty period i am getting myself a Microtek or Su-Kam for sure.

Now i am gonna call up the APC Guys and request for another replacement UPS

What you probably need is a battery replacement. Insist on a brand new one and check that it is. They probably passed on a used one to you.

greenhorn · 2nd June 2009, 01:20

from my v guard travail days, I was told that if the UPS support folk were to replace the battery, it would have a warranty of only 6 months, on the other hand , If i bought it from outside and gave it to them, I'd have a warranty of 2 months.

Funny thing though, the UPS still died after We spent about 2k for the battery + repairs. And this time , the V guard folks said the problem was with the new battery, while the battery folks said it was with the UPS, and we figured it best to cut our losses then and buy an APC

Ravveendrra · 2nd June 2009, 01:52

APC, I bought one of their invertors (then sold by Videocon) about 15 years ago. It worked fine for and powered lights, fans, TV a small fridge and my computer for a decade until my power needs exceeded its capacity.

I am presently using a APC Back-UPS RS 1500 and it is perfect. A neat package that sits anywhere. It controls surges and spikes and gives seamless power out of 4 sockets. There is another socket without battery backup which is surge protected.

Cheers,

GTO · 2nd June 2009, 11:58

Quote:

I am presently using a APC Back-UPS RS 1500 and it is perfect.

Ditto. I'm using an APC backup UPS since over a year and, despite several power cuts in the area, it has performed flawlessly. Not a single problem till date.

mobike008 · 2nd June 2009, 12:02

AFAIK, Su-Kam has a pretty good range of invertors and also performs quite decently.

If anyone from Hyderabad is interested to purchase let me know, as a close friend of mine is Su-Kam distributor in Hyderabad.

29th May 2009, 23:59	#61
Elito11 BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Delhi Posts: 509 Thanked: 107 Times	Su-Kam and microtek are THE best! Take this from someone who has spoken to numerous small time system admins regarding this. Elito
	() Thanks

30th May 2009, 01:31	#62
Raccoon Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Poona Posts: 1,851 Thanked: 116 Times	Microtec the best?!?!?! No way! I don't know about Sys admins... maybe they are talking about bigger units or something; but every individual user I'v spoken to had nothing remotely nice to say about it. Su-Kam I dunno. We have a Su-Kam inverter which is good... but dunno anything about their UPS. Don't know anyone who has one either. I don't think they can match APC though.
	() Thanks

30th May 2009, 15:50	#65
adityamunshi BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Baroda Posts: 771 Thanked: 6 Times	I just found out that if you have a PSU with Active PFC, you need a pure sine wave UPS. I know APC doesnt have any in the Back-UPS range. Any idea if Microtek/Su-Kam have a Pure wave UPS in the entry level. Budget is 4- K And, the SuKam dealer i went to told me that all their UPSes come without a battery and it has to be purchased separately. Is this true ?
	() Thanks

1st June 2009, 14:39	#67
muneemmk BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Cochin Posts: 832 Thanked: 99 Times View My Garage	APC UPS Sucks big time, I Am currently using a 650VA Back UPS ES and it's the 2nd one that I am getting(under warranty ofcourse) after the one I bought failed and currently this one dosen't provide more than 2 minutes of back up.But the Service is quite good,but once I am through with the warranty period i am getting myself a Microtek or Su-Kam for sure. Now i am gonna call up the APC Guys and request for another replacement UPS
	() Thanks

1st June 2009, 15:25	#69
muneemmk BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Cochin Posts: 832 Thanked: 99 Times View My Garage	This place should give you an Idea about the power requirement for the UPS. UPS Selector Sizing Applications I buy all my hardware from a reseller close to my home for the past 6 years.
	() Thanks

1st June 2009, 15:33	#70
greenhorn Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: KL-01 Posts: 7,744 Thanked: 4,387 Times View My Garage	I've personally found UPS pretty reliable. My earlier V guard UPS would make my system turn off when the power went off, and then start up again ! havent had much problems with the APC i eventually bought to replace it. And it has suffered a lot more abuse , and its still going strong. Now I've got two, and havent had any issues with either of them. I think they have an excellent product. At least it works beautifully for me
	() Thanks

2nd June 2009, 01:20	#72
greenhorn Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: KL-01 Posts: 7,744 Thanked: 4,387 Times View My Garage	from my v guard travail days, I was told that if the UPS support folk were to replace the battery, it would have a warranty of only 6 months, on the other hand , If i bought it from outside and gave it to them, I'd have a warranty of 2 months. Funny thing though, the UPS still died after We spent about 2k for the battery + repairs. And this time , the V guard folks said the problem was with the new battery, while the battery folks said it was with the UPS, and we figured it best to cut our losses then and buy an APC
	() Thanks

2nd June 2009, 01:52	#73
Ravveendrra Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 1,391 Thanked: 446 Times View My Garage	APC, I bought one of their invertors (then sold by Videocon) about 15 years ago. It worked fine for and powered lights, fans, TV a small fridge and my computer for a decade until my power needs exceeded its capacity. I am presently using a APC Back-UPS RS 1500 and it is perfect. A neat package that sits anywhere. It controls surges and spikes and gives seamless power out of 4 sockets. There is another socket without battery backup which is surge protected. Cheers,
	() Thanks

2nd June 2009, 12:02	#75
mobike008 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 11,695 Thanked: 14,784 Times View My Garage	AFAIK, Su-Kam has a pretty good range of invertors and also performs quite decently. If anyone from Hyderabad is interested to purchase let me know, as a close friend of mine is Su-Kam distributor in Hyderabad.
	() Thanks