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Saving Face with a UPS: Benefits of UPS PC Protection

You only need to screw up once, in a big way, to learn a lesson and never do it again. After a storm last summer, I had the catastrophic experience of losing tons of important computer files — as fast as lightning, never to return. It took nearly a week to rebuild my system. That's when I bought an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). Word to the wise: Get a UPS before this happens to you.

Why you should have a UPS:

A UPS is similar to car insurance: you need to have it, but hope you never have to use it. Like an automobile, a computer is an expensive investment you want to protect. In the event of a blackout, a UPS instantly switches your computer to emergency battery backup power and lets you work through brief power outages without losing data or experiencing other damaging effects. These can include hardware degradation, keyboard lockup and motherboard damage.

A UPS protects your system from the following power problems:

• Power transients — brief surges in voltage caused by lightning strikes or when electricity-hoarding appliances (like air conditioners and copiers) are turned off
• Spikes — instantaneous increases in voltage caused by lightning or overloaded power grids
• Brownouts — a reduction of your incoming voltage
• Power failure — a complete interruption of electrical power
• Line noise — interference from electrical appliances

Why a UPS and not a surge protector?

UPS units have a leg-up on surge protectors in many ways. Both handle surges, but a UPS gives you battery backup power. This allows time to save the data in your computer and shut down your system before anything is lost. Typical battery backup run times are shown in minutes and indicate the amount of time the battery backup operates. A UPS protects your computer from electrical noise and damaging power surges, including lightning. A surge protector can handle surges during a brownout, but your system will still have to work harder due to the lower voltage.

What you need to know before you buy:

Before you can decide which UPS system to buy, you need to know how much capacity, or volt-amps you need. To determine this, multiply the number of amps by 120. If the measurement is given in watts, multiply it by 1.67. For example, if your monitor uses 2 amps (2 x 120 = 240) and your computer uses 100 watts (100 x 1.67 = 167) the total volt-amps needed would be 407 (240 + 167 = 407).

Along with knowing your volt-amp capacity, look for the joule rating given on the UPS system. A joule (pronounced jewel) is a unit of energy. Its rating provides an idea of how much surge protection a UPS system provides. Look for a rating of 400 or greater to ensure reliable protection for your system.

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