Doc wrote:
I've got two computers - a PIV and a PIII that share a monitor. I use
them primarily for doing audio/video.

I thought I'd look into a UPS. What I'm looking for is mainly
something to guard against momentary power outs that might happen in
the middle of tweaking a file or the like. When I hear the lightning
coming near, I shut down and unplug everything. But around here, it
seems like the power can flick off at any time.

How much UPS would I need to protect and keep both computers going in
the event of a short brown out or power loss or keep them running at
least long enough to shut things down if it looks like the power is
going to be off for a while.

I've seen where there are issues with the type of power that comes out
of some UPS units. Are any of the units at Best Buy/Circuit City -
such as the APC brand - any good? What are important features to look
for? These various units have charts indicating how long they should
power a computer, but I don't know how realistic they are.

On the other end, how much unit would I need to keep a computer going
for say an hour if I were doing some rendering of a DVD and didn't
want to start over. I usually turn off the monitor when rendering
video, it's my understanding the monitor is a big power hog.


Thanks for all input.


I've had a SmartUPS 700 in service since 1999 and replaced the batteries
(2 12v Gel) with generics from Zbattery for about $20 each, no problem.
Different UPS's will produce different types of waveforms and this
can cause problems with some power supplies.

Here's some graphic pictures to illustrate what I mean by waveforms (I
was happy to see the Smartups puts out a true sinewave vs the chunky
stepped wave of the cheaper models)...

http://www.jkovach.net/projects/powerquality/