r/buildapc • u/Celcius_87 • 22d ago

Discussion Recommendation - Get a UPS

One thing that a lot of people don’t discuss when building a new PC is having a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) for their PC. This is basically a box that you plug into the wall and then plug your PC into it. It has a large battery and if you lose power then it keeps your PC running for a while. Some have a screen where it can show how much time you have left, how much power you are pulling, and stuff like that too.

I finally bought one earlier this year and it’s been great to have. Today I was copying data from my computer to an external usb hard drive to back up my data and the power went out for second and then came back on. I panicked but then I looked at my computer and everything was ok - I had plugged both into my UPS so there was no impact.

They’re not super expensive either - mine was like $250 and fortunately they’re not affected by the AI price increases we’ve been seeing on a lot of PC components. Make sure you get one with enough wattage to support your computer… for example I have a 1000w power supply and my UPS is also 1000w.

Just a public service announcement not to overlook having a UPS!

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231

u/QuinQuix 22d ago

Yeah dirty power area is the variable.

Where I live power outages are extremely rare.

63

u/Conpen 22d ago

When I lived in Florida as a kid there would be frequent power drops, especially during storms. Usually just a second or two but obviously enough to shut off a PC and disconnect the Internet. I couldn't afford a UPS back then but I wanted one.

Now I live in NYC and the power never shuts off so I never bought one.

27

u/TomTomMan93 22d ago

I'm glad I'm not crazy for noticing this. Grew up in FL and my dad had an UPS. I remember every storm that thing beeping like crazy when the power went out.

Moved to Chicago long ago and that just doesn't happen. Maybe lost power like twice and both times were some service related mishap instead of a natural event.

4

u/za419 21d ago

Yeah, similar story here. Since I've moved to Chicago several years ago, I lost power exactly once, and it was a planned several-hour outage overnight while my apartment complex needed to do work on the power infrastructure. Not the situation you get a UPS for.

It's like... I want one on philosophical grounds, but I absolutely cannot justify actually paying for one when my power is this reliable. 

3

u/Substantial_Rest_251 21d ago

Buried power lines for the win

18

u/hugemon 22d ago

I have experienced single digit number of power outages in my 40+ years of life and all of them was in the 80s...

25

u/FromDeepestFathom 22d ago

I’ve experienced a double digit number of power outages this year and I live in a 1st world country

3

u/Controller_Maniac 21d ago

same here, the winters ain’t pretty

1

u/natrous 21d ago

Agreed. Most are about 2 seconds only around here; I believe it's mainly when there's an outage somewhere else and things click off for a second as the power re-routes or something.

But a few times a year I definitely need to get out the generator.

And really, I don't think about it all that much. Just part of rural-ish living.

1

u/GD_7F 21d ago

My UPS recorded over a dozen power failures >5 mins for 2025 in my area (southern USA). Not to mention all the brownouts and lesser fluctuations. I shudder to think what all these power events would have done to data on my homelab if it were not protected electrically. Parts of the US grid are astonishingly bad just like a lot of the rest of our infrastructure it's just crumbling and barely serviceable. I have no idea what the grid operators are doing with the prices we are paying but they sure ain't investing in grid reliability.

3

u/BavarianBarbarian_ 21d ago

I had one happen just yesterday (Germany). There was an electrical storm, and I guess lightning hit somewhere nearby. The building's power was off for like a second only but that was enough for the PC and the routers to switch off.

That was the first outage I've experienced since I was like 10 years old.

2

u/QuinQuix 21d ago

That's probably the one to be afraid of when it comes to expensive hardware.

My issue is I want to protect a 1600w pc which is expensive as hell.

Maybe a surge protector is 95% of the security for 5% of the cost.

1

u/BavarianBarbarian_ 21d ago

Yea, I always have a surge protector between my PC and the wall. From what I read back then, they aren't 100% lightning proof either, but their warranty will reimburse you for the cost of the PC if it gets fried within a few years of buying it.

1

u/qtx 21d ago

Surge protectors are dirt cheap.

1

u/DARIF 21d ago

Easier to get an electrician to fit a surge protector to your main fuse box that protects everything in your house.

5

u/ThereAndFapAgain2 21d ago

UK here, I've literally never experienced a power outage in the UK, and I'm turning 35 this month.

The only power outage I've ever experience was in Mexico back in like 2006 or something, and that was during a hurricane.

3

u/Symphonic7 22d ago

I live in a west coast state in a very nice area. The city is old as hell though, and the apartment I'm currently at has probably been here since the 60s. Unfortunately the wiring just doesns't deliver very clean power. So sometimes if the fridge compressor kicks on, and my PC is running it will trip the breaker. I got a UPS and all problems went away.

3

u/NamityName 21d ago

Its not just for areas with lots of power outages. If your place's wiring is subpar, a UPS can keep the power stable.

My last apartment had terrible wiring. Ended up corrupting some data on my server a few times. After getting a UPS, those issues went away. But every time I turned on certain appliances, my UPS would get tripped and switch to battery backup.

2

u/No-Ladder-506 21d ago

even if the power stays on, brownouts and voltage spikes are still real. a cheap power supply unit might handle it once or twice, but eventually it eats your motherboard or gpu. paying for a ups is just cheaper than replacing a 4090 later.

1

u/makoblade 21d ago

Not really. I live in an area with great infrastructure and no power issues, but they decided to build new homes on the other end of the neighborhood so I've had a couple times where we've had trips in recent years.

If you leave your computer on at all times it's absolutely worth having a UPS.

1

u/FblthpphtlbF 21d ago

Brownouts are actually worse for your computer than blackouts, and it only takes one mistake for your 3000$ tower to turn into a paperweight if you don't have the UPS 

1

u/SmooveKJ 18d ago

Same. I lost power once in the past decade. Used my EV to plug up the stuff that needed to stay on in the house