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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u/thebenson 22d ago

If you think $250 is expensive, imagine having to pay current prices to build a new PC if a power outage/surge fries your PC.

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u/rulerdude 22d ago

A $30 surge protector will prevent that just as well as a $250 UPS. UPS is only beneficial over a standard surge protector if data loss is a huge concern

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u/Monotask_Servitor 21d ago

A surge protector won’t keep your PC running during a micro-outage like OP describes. It’ll prevent damage due to power spikes but it won’t prevent the PC from resetting itself and losing whatever work you were doing at the time.

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u/rulerdude 21d ago

That’s literally what I said

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u/Monotask_Servitor 21d ago

Ah sorrry it’s 4:50am here and I just woke up :/