Gaming on a UPS?

[JFreak21]

Hi guys

Has anyone ran their gaming rigs on one of those standard +-600va UPS's? Is it possible and roughly how long does it last?

 

[ovisser1]

UPS is meant to last you a few minutes so you can savely shut down, not actually meant to keep it on. I have a 1400va UPS and it lasts about 15minutes on idle.

If you want to game while the power is out, you are either going to have to power the UPS via a generator (UPS to clean the power so you dont fry your PC) or get a pure sine wave inverter with batteries.

I want to get a kit like this for myself, but with 4 x 200ah batteries.

3000VA Mecer Axpert Pure Sine Inverter + 2x 100Ah Battery Trolley (8 HOUR BATTERY LIFE) KIT - 3000W (150-200 cycles) - GeeWiz

3000VA Mecer Axpert Pure Sine Inverter + 2x 100Ah Battery Trolley (8 HOUR BATTERY LIFE) KIT - 3000W (150-200 cycles) for sale online at the Best Prices! Door to Door and Overnight Delivery

www.geewiz.co.za

Obviously depending on PC specs, usage and battery capacity its hard for me to tell how long it would last you.

I have seen some guys on here who did the math though, so this just needs to catch the right eyes and they can give you a ballpark. You would have to give them your PC power usage (Drawn from the wall)

 

[JFreak21]

UPS is meant to last you a few minutes so you can savely shut down, not actually meant to keep it on. I have a 1400va UPS and it lasts about 15minutes on idle.

If you want to game while the power is out, you are either going to have to power the UPS via a generator (UPS to clean the power so you dont fry your PC) or get a pure sine wave inverter with batteries.

I want to get a kit like this for myself, but with 4 x 200ah batteries.

3000VA Mecer Axpert Pure Sine Inverter + 2x 100Ah Battery Trolley (8 HOUR BATTERY LIFE) KIT - 3000W (150-200 cycles) - GeeWiz

3000VA Mecer Axpert Pure Sine Inverter + 2x 100Ah Battery Trolley (8 HOUR BATTERY LIFE) KIT - 3000W (150-200 cycles) for sale online at the Best Prices! Door to Door and Overnight Delivery

www.geewiz.co.za

Obviously depending on PC specs, usage and battery capacity its hard for me to tell how long it would last you.

I have seen some guys on here who did the math though, so this just needs to catch the right eyes and they can give you a ballpark. You would have to give them your PC power usage (Drawn from the wall)

Thanks allot man, this explains allot. I was clueless. Guess I'll just have to put up with Eskom for now

 

[OlaSenior]

Hey, As ovisser1 said, it's meant to hold your machine for a couple of mins while shutting down or getting the generator going.

I game without a UPS and use my generator. I just made sure I purchased one with an AVR (Automatic voltage regulator) I've been doing it for years with no issues. My UPS died a couple of years ago and I just couldn't be bothered to buy a new one.

 

[ovisser1]

@OlaSenior made a good point. If you buy a proper generator, you dont need a UPS.
It won't hurt having both, but you should be fine if it has AVR and a pure sine wave output

 

[∀Z‾soʇɐuɐɥ┴]

Hey, As ovisser1 said, it's meant to hold your machine for a couple of mins while shutting down or getting the generator going.

I game without a UPS and use my generator. I just made sure I purchased one with an AVR (Automatic voltage regulator) I've been doing it for years with no issues. My UPS died a couple of years ago and I just couldn't be bothered to buy a new one.

Yea I got a 2kva UPS which keeps my pc on for all of 5-10mins before it starts going spastic with beeping (low power remaining).
Gennie to power UPS or Inverter is the way to go if you wana game (or get decent gennie as above)

 

[∀Z‾soʇɐuɐɥ┴]

On this, does anyone have any decent ~1000w gennie suggestions?
Preferably petrol rather than 2stroke, though 2stroke is cheaper as far as I can see.

 

[4saken07]

Be careful with generators, I had a normal generator with AVR and it blew my router. I now have an Inverter Generator (pure sine wave) and it works perfectly. Also smaller and quieter.

I also went the generator route because sometimes with load shedding, things can break at the substation and then you sitting without power for more then 2 hours. An inverter with batteries does not suffice when you are without power for 3 days.

 

[∀Z‾soʇɐuɐɥ┴]

Be careful with generators, I had a normal generator with AVR and it blew my router. I now have an Inverter Generator (pure sine wave) and it works perfectly. Also smaller and quieter.

Im personally not too worried about my router... Got a mini UPS that runs that just fine during loadshedding (generally 2-3hrs)

 

[ovisser1]

Im personally not too worried about my router... Got a mini UPS that runs that just fine during loadshedding (generally 2-3hrs)

If it popped a router, it can pop a pc
I would get a generator, but keep the ups as well.
Rather a bit more load on the generator than a fried pc

 

[gertvanjoe]

Well let's put down a quick calculation to help you understand what you will need. A standard office computer uses about 1A for the pc. So your gaming setup with screen would run anything between 2 and 3A on "full throttle".

If you'd pair this with a 12V system (I highly do not recommend this) you'd be looking at a current draw of between 40 and 60A on the battery. For a big 100A deep cycle battery at 50% dod (this is already a lot) that gives you about half an hour. Add ineffective stuff and preserving the life of the battery, your looking at 20 mins max. If anything, look into a 48v system to attempt this

 

[Off-The-Chart]

inverter generators are expensive and do you get them above 5kva?

also had a normal generator and I had 2 APC Backup UPS units and they both suffered damage so not sure about a gennie being used on stuff

 

[∀Z‾soʇɐuɐɥ┴]

If it popped a router, it can pop a pc
I would get a generator, but keep the ups as well.
Rather a bit more load on the generator than a fried pc

thats the plan for me yea... ups for switchover anyway, so wouldn't remove the ups from the loop...

 

[Dirtdiver]

Im personally not too worried about my router... Got a mini UPS that runs that just fine during loadshedding (generally 2-3hrs)

What model and specs....I need one for my router. I assume u don't need anything to crazy for a router.

 

[ovisser1]

What model and specs....I need one for my router. I assume u don't need anything to crazy for a router.

For normal wifi routers;

Mini UPS for sale online At Lowest Prices

Buy Mini UPS online at the Best Prices! Door to Door and Overnight Delivery. Voted the best online store in SA. View Here

www.geewiz.co.za

For fiber ONT and router;

Gizzu 8800mAh Mini DC|POE UPS - Black

From power failures to blackouts, GIZZU's Mini 8800mAh DC|POE UPS is here to keep you connected.

www.geewiz.co.za

 

[∀Z‾soʇɐuɐɥ┴]

What model and specs....I need one for my router. I assume u don't need anything to crazy for a router.

Not sure tbh.
It's basically a glorified power bank (same size as one too) that I got from RSAWeb when I signed up for fiber.

 

[Dirtdiver]

Thanks guys need this ,, we get load shedding twice a day.

 

[sachak]

UPS is meant to last you a few minutes so you can savely shut down, not actually meant to keep it on. I have a 1400va UPS and it lasts about 15minutes on idle.

If you want to game while the power is out, you are either going to have to power the UPS via a generator (UPS to clean the power so you dont fry your PC) or get a pure sine wave inverter with batteries.

I want to get a kit like this for myself, but with 4 x 200ah batteries.

3000VA Mecer Axpert Pure Sine Inverter + 2x 100Ah Battery Trolley (8 HOUR BATTERY LIFE) KIT - 3000W (150-200 cycles) - GeeWiz

3000VA Mecer Axpert Pure Sine Inverter + 2x 100Ah Battery Trolley (8 HOUR BATTERY LIFE) KIT - 3000W (150-200 cycles) for sale online at the Best Prices! Door to Door and Overnight Delivery

www.geewiz.co.za

Obviously depending on PC specs, usage and battery capacity its hard for me to tell how long it would last you.

I have seen some guys on here who did the math though, so this just needs to catch the right eyes and they can give you a ballpark. You would have to give them your PC power usage (Drawn from the wall)

With that Mecer 3000va system you posted. How long do you reckon it would run a Threadripper with 3090 and 55" 4k screen for? Would this cut it as a viable option?

I am a 3d animator and this load shedding is really causing me issues with my deadlines. While rendering the Corsair app on my pc for my psu reports up to around 500 - 600w power draw, used to be 1kw when I was running 4x1080ti so I replaced with 1x 3090 which gives roughly the same rendering power at half the power draw.

 

[ovisser1]

With that Mecer 3000va system you posted. How long do you reckon it would run a Threadripper with 3090 and 55" 4k screen for? Would this cut it as a viable option?

I am a 3d animator and this load shedding is really causing me issues with my deadlines. While rendering the Corsair app on my pc for my psu reports up to around 500 - 600w power draw, used to be 1kw when I was running 4x1080ti so I replaced with 1x 3090 which gives roughly the same rendering power at half the power draw.

I am unfortunately not that guy, I dont have the calculations needed to give you a proper answer. 😅
I only want to power a TV for now and maybe charge a small device from time to time, I am 99% sure my plan would work for my use case.

I am adding a bit of future proofing so I can eventually connect the unit to the house DB (Once I eventually buy a house). So I know that the 3kva is a bit overkill for my current plan.

 

[johnny_h]

With that Mecer 3000va system you posted. How long do you reckon it would run a Threadripper with 3090 and 55" 4k screen for? Would this cut it as a viable option?

I am a 3d animator and this load shedding is really causing me issues with my deadlines. While rendering the Corsair app on my pc for my psu reports up to around 500 - 600w power draw, used to be 1kw when I was running 4x1080ti so I replaced with 1x 3090 which gives roughly the same rendering power at half the power draw.

* I'm not an electrician at all, just going by my knowledge from my hobbies, so you definitely want smarter people's advice as well

That kit is 2x100ah 12V batteries, so 200ah at 12v total, which is 2400wh (200 x 12)
Take off around 10% (10% is a high amount, but rather under estimate if possible) for efficiency loss from conversion and you have 2160w.
People generally recommend you don't drain the batteries below 50% as draining the batteries too much shortens their life ( Deep Cycle Battery FAQ | Northern Arizona Wind & Sun (solar-electric.com) ).
50% of 2160wh is 11080wh, so you would have 1080w to play work with.

If your PC is only drawing 600w maximum (that's 600w an hour), your PC alone would run for just under 2 hours.
You can of course stretch it for longer, with the understanding that the life of the batteries won't last as long (how much it's affected depends on the battery and how far you drain it).
For example if you were willing to drain to 35%, you have:
65% of 2160wh = 1404wh
1404 / 600 = 2.3 hours

That's ignoring your 4k 55" screen though, some 4k 55" TVs draw around 120w an hour or more, so that would be a bit tricky to work with.

But it's also worth mentioning that apparently in parts of JHB we'll start getting 2 hour load shedding Gauteng load-shedding cut down to 2 hours: Eskom (timeslive.co.za)

So excluding your screen, if you drain to 35% and just have your PC on, you can possible get through the 2 hour load shedding blocks (if they actually go ahead with 2 hour blocks).

 

[sachak]

so basically I would comfortably need a good 9000va setup for this to work properly. Lovely, sounds cheap. :/

 

[eyetac]

I was about to put my relatively new 650VA up for sale as it can't handle my new rig, even at idle.
If I game, it starts beeping like mad due to being overloaded.
I think I'll just keep it and attach it to the router.


From what I've read, you need double of what your PSU is to ensure a clean uninterrupted switch and time to shut down.
live and learn

 

[Off-The-Chart]

so basically I would comfortably need a good 9000va setup for this to work properly. Lovely, sounds cheap. :/

no, you would just need more batteries

also @johnny_h I think that is a 24v inverter, so you just have 100ah

 

[BillNaaai]

UPS is meant to last you a few minutes so you can savely shut down, not actually meant to keep it on. I have a 1400va UPS and it lasts about 15minutes on idle.

If you want to game while the power is out, you are either going to have to power the UPS via a generator (UPS to clean the power so you dont fry your PC) or get a pure sine wave inverter with batteries.

I want to get a kit like this for myself, but with 4 x 200ah batteries.

3000VA Mecer Axpert Pure Sine Inverter + 2x 100Ah Battery Trolley (8 HOUR BATTERY LIFE) KIT - 3000W (150-200 cycles) - GeeWiz

3000VA Mecer Axpert Pure Sine Inverter + 2x 100Ah Battery Trolley (8 HOUR BATTERY LIFE) KIT - 3000W (150-200 cycles) for sale online at the Best Prices! Door to Door and Overnight Delivery

www.geewiz.co.za

Obviously depending on PC specs, usage and battery capacity its hard for me to tell how long it would last you.

I have seen some guys on here who did the math though, so this just needs to catch the right eyes and they can give you a ballpark. You would have to give them your PC power usage (Drawn from the wall)

How much can you run off this system?

 

[Oj0]

so basically I would comfortably need a good 9000va setup for this to work properly. Lovely, sounds cheap. :/

What are you planning to run that will draw 7kw+?

 

[ovisser1]

How much can you run off this system?

Read johnny's response above, then you should be able to calculate what you need.

What are you planning to run that will draw 7kw+?

I think he may have meant wh

 

[johnny_h]

no, you would just need more batteries

also @johnny_h I think that is a 24v inverter, so you just have 100ah

Ah thanks, missed that it was a 24v inverter🙈
The calculations stay the same though, runtime depends on the Voltage and Amps of the batteries (and efficiency of the inverter) . 24v x 100ah is still 2400

 

[nagapie]

Be careful with generators, I had a normal generator with AVR and it blew my router. I now have an Inverter Generator (pure sine wave) and it works perfectly. Also smaller and quieter.

I also went the generator route because sometimes with load shedding, things can break at the substation and then you sitting without power for more then 2 hours. An inverter with batteries does not suffice when you are without power for 3 days.

Out of interest what generator did you have and what generator do you have now?

 

[4saken07]

Out of interest what generator did you have and what generator do you have now?

I had a Tradepower 4.5KW Petrol Generator (with AVR)
Tradepower 4.5KW Petrol Generator MCOG727 | R | Generators | PriceCheck SA

I now have a Rato R4000I 3.5KW Inverter Generator
Generators | Generators For Sale | Goscor Power Products

To add to this, when I still had the Tradepower, I proceeded to get an Inverter + Batteries (2000w inverter + 250ah) to basically "protect" my pcs from the bad hertz, however it just would not charge off the generator it would constantly switch between "has power input" to "has none". Which was pointless because I couldn't keep the batteries charged during loadshedding when running the generator. A basic UPS wouldn't even work off it. This is just my experience and I would've saved quite a bit of money if I just went for the Inverter Generator from the start.

 

[Oj0]

I think he may have meant wh

I hope so. One is a measure of power over time, the other is a measure of instantaneous power.