UPS or Surge Protector

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Level 1

20 points

UPS or Surge Protector

I have been trying to find what is better to use for me. From reading It probably depends on preference but what is safer for the equipment and its protection? A good surge protector, or a battery back up ups? I was looking at the APC models of both UPS and surge protectors. From another post I read it was good to have both. I don't see how that is possible. Im' trying to protect my Imac, PS3, Printer, speakers, and the peripherals connected the the imac. So what is the best option for protection? Thanks

iMac9.1 2.66GHz 4gb DDR3 1067MHz 640gb HD NVIDIA GeForce 9400, Mac OS X (10.5.8), 16 GB 2G Touch / 2GB Ipod Nano/

Posted on Sep 29, 2009 10:28 PM

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Answer 1

Duane

Level 10

124,293 points

Sep 30, 2009 7:28 AM in response to JacKP308

UPS is by far the best option. A UPS by design offers surge protection and brown out protection.

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Answer 2

Sep 30, 2009 6:51 PM in response to JacKP308

UPS. Protects against surges (upward spikes) and brownouts (downward sags).
APC is a very good brand.
For your iMac+ - http://www.apc.com/products/resource/include/techspecindex.cfm?base_sku=BP700UC&totalwatts=200 . This is the correct choice and the price is very good. Buy now!

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Answer 3

JacKP308 Author

Level 1

20 points

Oct 2, 2009 9:55 PM in response to JacKP308

thanks ill look into a ups.

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Answer 4

Oct 8, 2009 5:09 PM in response to JacKP308

Hi,

You're much better off going with a UPS rather than a surge protector. The UPS regulates power, filters power, and offers surge protection. For Mac, you should get a UPS that outputs a sine wave, not a simulated or square wave. Mac's don't do well with those UPSs.

The best models for the Mac are a Smart UPS 1000 or a Smart UPS 1500. It also depends on how much other hardware you plan to be plugging in to the UPS.

It's always nice to buy a new Smart UPS, but if you're on a budget you can always buy a Refurbished APC.

If you have any questions, I would be glad to answer them. I've been dealing with UPSs for many years.

Tony

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