[KenLautner]

Hello, my PC specs are in the sign and my problem is that my current UPS which is only 600VA is not able to provide backup for my PC if I'm doing some intensive task.
So, I'm thinking of upgrading my UPS. I haven't decided which one yet, but if you have recommendations, please let me know.

My main concern is that I have no experience with changing batteries for the UPS. After a year or so when I need to change the batteries of the UPS, I want it to be as simple as possible.

So, can you please tell me the last time you changed the batteries on your UPS and how did you do it?

Thanks!

 

[mrtbahgs]

I am really happy with my CyperPower UPS and I believe they are one of the top brands to get, right up their with the more commonly known APC brand.
You never mentioned what brand your 600va unit is by the way and I didnt see it in the rig builder.

I have a CP1350PFCLCD which is a pure sine wave unit at 1350va or 810w.
If my power goes out and the PC was just sitting at idle, I get something like 23 minutes of run time (maybe a bit more) and settings let you control when it auto shuts down if on battery power.
If gaming or doing something with a higher load and the power goes out I think I can still get 12+ minutes to finish up and shut down.
These times are based on memory, but should be pretty accurate.
Also I like both the unit's LCD screen as well as the widget or whatever they are called that I put in the corner of my monitor to see its status.

I did go with a model higher than needed because I wanted the longer battery run time and maybe a few other features were added too.
At the time, the price wasn't that much more either.
That Newegg link I have above shows it at $180 today.
I believe I paid just under $150 near the end of 2014 so you can likely shop around or wait for a sale, maybe memorial day.

I'm not sure if your PSU requires or prefers the pure sine wave, but I think most modern PSUs do.
If not, or you are trying to save some money, you can try the simulated sine wave units.

As far as battery replacement goes, I am still on the original batteries and have had my PC on 24/7 although it idles while I am at work or asleep.
I want to say they last 3 years or more, but I cant remember for sure.
Typically you just pull off the front cover, unplug the connector, maybe unscrew a holder, and then pull out the battery and swap a new one in.
Some units will have 2 batteries so the replacement cost is more. I think mine might actually be a 2 battery unit when I bumped up to the 1350va one.
You can easily check the replacement cost, I don't think they were too crazy, maybe $20 each?

Other things to keep in mind when searching for an UPS:
- The number of plug-ins that are available for On-Battery and just Surge protection. (I run the PC, main monitor, modem, and router all on the battery side)
- Being sure it has things you want like voltage regulation or conditioning.
- Size or shape depending where you want to store it.

 

[KenLautner]

Thanks!

My current UPS is by Intex, and it's really really bad.

Money is not a problem, I can get almost any UPS on the market with no issues, but I wouldn't wanna spend more than necessary either. For future, even if I upgrade, the newer GPU's are more power efficient so it will not be a problem.

My main concern is only with the battery replacement and the handling of the UPS. I want things to be simple and easy to use.
And about the batteries, I don't know which one's to buy either. Is there a different battery I need to buy for every UPS or some particular one's will work with all? I need to know this because I'll have to check the availability of the batteries as well.

 

[mrtbahgs]

I take it you are not in the US if you are worried about battery availability.

Each unit could certainly have a different battery, most likely same brands will have a better chance of using similar batteries and just be either varying sizes or have 2 instead of one.
Once you narrow down to a few UPSs you can see which battery they require and also look into potential off brands or something to save money or possibly easier to find.

I have a feeling there are going to be youtube videos on battery replacement for a lot of UPSs so you can look into that to see how easy it is or try and pull the manual from the manufacturers website as they should have a page or 2 on the swap.

If in the US you could either buy a battery online or just walk into an everything battery store such as Batteries Plus, Interstate All Battery, etc. and they should have anything you need.
I'm not sure how other countries are with stores like this if you are from somewhere else, I'm not familiar with where "Awesomity" is located.

If you are also concerned with the handling in terms of setup, my CyberPower one was super simple and continues to be that way since I set it up.
The LCD screen isn't something I look at too often, but it certainly is a nice feature to have and glance at.
You can view different screens and maybe a few menus, the main reason for it is to display current wattage and if it kicks on to battery power, it will switch over to time remaining before it is drained so tha'ts when it is super nice to have because you can see how much time before you really need to shut down if the power doesn't come back on.

Depending on if you get a lot of brown outs or voltage spikes then it is also smart to have in line to clean those up, but if you already have a UPS I assume you know the basics.

 

[kevmatic]

Nearly every consumer-sized UPS uses either 1 7Ah, 12v batteries or two of them. They are used in many many things and are easy and cheap to find. Only exceptions are very large UPSes, like server ones, and those very small ones that look like big power strips.

The replacement process can vary greatly between device and device. On many devices there's a cover you pop off and the battery just slides out, you curse at the terminals because they are always a pain to pull off, and you just slide the new one in.

I'm not sure about Cyberpower, because my Cyberpower is 5 years old and still on its original batteries!

I know that APCs usually have the batteries in their 2-battery units built into this goofy module to try and force you to buy the battery from them, but you can just peel the sticker off that joins them and swap the batteries as there's nothing special about them. This is likely true for many UPS makers that use 2 batteries.

My sister has a SparklePower UPS (AKA SPI) that I had to pretty much completely disassemble to replace the battery. Of course, this still only took like 15 minutes.

Don't buy the cheapest replacement batteries you can find, though. Better batteries last longer.