Depending on where you live in the world continuous power without disruption can be an issue. Here in the United States we are lucky to have a power grid that works great most of the time. However, on occasion equipment fails and your power can be disrupted. Do you need a Battery Backup to help keep things running in the event of a failure?
Battery backups have been around for many years and come in many different sizes and capacities. In this article I would like to focus on the backup you would use for your desktop PC.
TOP BATTERY BACKUP CHOICE:
Over the years I have found APC to be the superior choice in battery backup systems. They make very large units to cover the server room and small units to backup the desk top environment as well.
Think of a backup unit as an emergency spare tire that will allow you to safely pull over to the shoulder. When sizing a unit, it should give you sufficient time to save your work and shutdown gracefully.
I have found this particular unit – APC BE600M1 600VA to be perfect for desktop workstations. 5 outlets are battery backed, while 2 are surge protected only. This will give you plenty of room for your PC, multi monitors, router and wifi. In my testing 600VA can keep the average PC running for an additional 15min after the power has failed. Plus the unit is very affordable running for under $60 at Amazon. The best part is this unit features a USB port than can keep your phone or tablet topped off during the power failure!
There is even a lower cost version for $45 – BE425M. Similar in design however with one less outlet and no USB charging port.
I need serious Battery Backup Power
For a real large load, maybe a home network server or audio / video cabinet APC has a 1500va unit BX1500M that offers 5 battery baked outlets and 5 surge only. Its a bit more pricey than the first unit i suggested, but at under $150 on Amazon you really can’t beat the amount of power for the cost – Take a look at the BX1500M here.
Conclusion
Today protecting your sensitive equipment only from power surges is not enough. We need a window of time to shutdown gracefully and save our work from loss or corruption. APC has been doing this for years and I trust their battery backup units with all my electronics. I have used them exclusively in my office and my home and so far in 20 years they have never let me down.
That said, there are other players in the market:
- Cyber power
- Amazon Basics Standby UPS
- Tripp Lite
Just to name a few. A quick browse on Amazon can help you sort out the good from bad – CLICK HERE – However I still am going to recommend the APC brand backup.
Related Reading:
Battery Replacement – Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5
Thanks for reading my blog
-Joe
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www.GeekGearStore.com