jinet
Level 1 (19 points)
Desktops

Q: Recommendations for UPS power supply for an iMac 27" SSD (1TB) 2015?

I've heard that SSDs are vulnerable to data loss / corruption in irregular current situations (surges, outages, etc.) and that a UPS is highly recommended. Does anyone know what might work best for an iMac 27" 2015 (late) with 1TB SSD? Amazon's top sellers are quite disparate. The no. 1 may not be strong enough. No. 4 seems not to have OS X compatible software. Being new to this kind of hardware I don't know what to look for and what would suit my machine best.  It seems to consume 240 W max.

 

Relatedly: I read that storing an SSD in warm temps can ruin the drive (or some dr. I was considering turning off my machine when I am away during the summer (in an non-airconditioned office that can heat up at times). Am I better off leaving it running (asleep)?

 

Thanks in advance.

iMac with Retina 5K display, OS X El Capitan (10.11.2), 1TB SSD 2015 (late)

Posted on Jan 2, 2016 7:51 PM

by Duane,Solvedanswer
Duane Duane
Level 10 (124,018 points)
A:

To soothe your nerves, I would get a UPS. They are beneficial. They will give you time to shut down your iMac if the power gets troublesome.

Posted on Jan 2, 2016 8:11 PM

Close
jinet

Q: Recommendations for UPS power supply for an iMac 27" SSD (1TB) 2015?

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by Duane,

    Duane Duane Jan 2, 2016 7:57 PM in response to jinet
    Level 10 (124,018 points)
    Jan 2, 2016 7:57 PM in response to jinet

    A UPS is highly recommended whenever you have irregular current situations. It doesn't matter if you have a hard drive, SSD, or anything else.

     

    240W is the max for the entire iMac.

     

    Not sure where you are hearing your horror stories about SSDs.

  • by jinet,

    jinet jinet Jan 2, 2016 8:02 PM in response to Duane
    Level 1 (19 points)
    Desktops
    Jan 2, 2016 8:02 PM in response to Duane

    You must be right about the horror stories. I found a correction here.


    I don't know if I have irregular current: I doubt it, as I am at a major university on the west coast. But I was concerned about surges or power outages, which can happen anywhere. Suppose the power goes off without warning: will that ruin the drive? (My understanding is that a UPS will run long enough to allow for, or enforce, a graceful shutdown, saving your data. Is that wrong too?)

  • by Duane,Solvedanswer

    Duane Duane Jan 2, 2016 8:11 PM in response to jinet
    Level 10 (124,018 points)
    Jan 2, 2016 8:11 PM in response to jinet

    To soothe your nerves, I would get a UPS. They are beneficial. They will give you time to shut down your iMac if the power gets troublesome.

  • by jinet,

    jinet jinet Jan 2, 2016 8:17 PM in response to Duane
    Level 1 (19 points)
    Desktops
    Jan 2, 2016 8:17 PM in response to Duane

    Merci. I feel better already.

     

    So the criterion is just to have enough juice to cover the wattage of the machine and to buy enough minutes to power down gracefully?

     

    The cheapest of the units, no. 1 on Amz., is 330 W. The others in reach are around 2x's that wattage.

     

    Do I need to worry about sine-waves? (I read in one comment that newer computers may require this technology. The no. 1 above uses square not sine wave.)

    [why does computing life have to be so damned complicated??]

  • by Duane,

    Duane Duane Jan 2, 2016 8:22 PM in response to jinet
    Level 10 (124,018 points)
    Jan 2, 2016 8:22 PM in response to jinet

    That UPC will be just fine.

  • by jinet,

    jinet jinet Jan 2, 2016 8:27 PM in response to Duane
    Level 1 (19 points)
    Desktops
    Jan 2, 2016 8:27 PM in response to Duane

    Thanks again.