UPS watt ratings

[Bullwnkle88]

I am building my first pc and have never owned a ups before. Someone please help me out with decifering the wattage ratings of a UPS. For example, the UPS I was looking to purchase is the APC ES 725 BB. It has a watt rating of 450W. Uptime Full Load: 3.3 Min Uptime Half Load: 11.8 Min. I mainly just want a UPS so that I can safely shutdown my pc in power outages. I have a 480W PSU. If my power consumption somehow goes to 550W, will the UPS shutdown? Will the UPS just have a shorter uptime? What is the consequence of going over the watt rating? Thank you all for your help.

 

[josepablomir]

APC website shows 4.3 min for max. load (450 W) and 14 min at typical load (225 W). The UPS won't be able to handle more than 450 W of power requirement. If your PC grows to 550 W the UPS will shut-off itself (and the PC).
But I realy doubt that any normal PC could require more than 450 W of power. I know, the power supply manufacturer says it could handle more, and I know, many so-called "power-users" like to think that more power means more speed or better graphics. But to dissipate 450 Watts of heat means that putting your hand on several parts of your chasis (including air ventilation holes) will be a very painful experience. This look similar to the 2500 Watts your Audio System seems to have, which, when truth is revealed, have just 10, 15 or 20 Watts.
If you PC is a normal PC, even those "Powerful" Gaming PCs, 450 Watts should be more than enough.
On the other hand, UPS manufacturers know how much Watts are now "over valued" and their products hardly can manage the power they publicit.

Hope this help.
Regards,
Jose.-

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Pablo Mir

http://www.pablomir.com

pm@pablomir.com
NJ, USA