Safeguard PC from voltage fluctuations

chayarishav

Disciple
Hi all
I'm experiencing voltage fluctuations in my building from past couple weeks, hence would like your kind suggestions on how to safeguard PC (1000watt PSU) from voltage fluctuations.
Is there any voltage stabilizer for PC?
Not necessarily looking to buy UPS but if it's the last resort then we might consider that.
 

himalayan

Recruit
You don't use a UPS currently?
UPS acts as a voltage stabilizer and as an intermediate backup, so why go for a stabilizer seperately?
 

Psycharge

Disciple
himalayan said:
You don't use a UPS currently?
UPS acts as a voltage stabilizer and as an intermediate backup, so why go for a stabilizer seperately?
Click to expand...
Any good recommendations? Don't need a whole lot of power but more would be good to have. Which ones offer the best value for money? Is it worth getting higher capacity or should I just cheap out and get something that allows me to save my work before it shuts down?
 

chayarishav

Disciple
himalayan said:
You don't use a UPS currently?
UPS acts as a voltage stabilizer and as an intermediate backup, so why go for a stabilizer seperately?
Click to expand...
I've bought and setup a microtek UPS + battery when I build the PC but discarded it later as it was making constant buzz noise during operation which was bothering at night as it was placed right under the desk and there were no power cut issues.
Since power cut isn't an issue here, I'm inclining towards a stabilizer first so there wouldn't be any bothering static noise. Moreover, I've looked into few APC UPS in 5k inr segment but again read reviews that noise still gonna be there.
So, my first preference currently is a stabilizer then UPS if no good choices are there in stabiliser.
Jaspreetrattan said:
APC / Eaton Is good as per my experience
Click to expand...
Do they make any kinda buzz or humming noise during operation?
 

himalayan

Recruit
Psycharge said:
Any good recommendations? Don't need a whole lot of power but more would be good to have. Which ones offer the best value for money? Is it worth getting higher capacity or should I just cheap out and get something that allows me to save my work before it shuts down?
Click to expand...
APC seems to be the most reliable brand. I currently use the normal branded (intex) ones as i have generator backup. Choose capacity according to your usage, if you have the budget get a higher capacity ups.
 

lockhrt999

Not a Fan.
Skilled
Why not get a stabilizer which is used for 1.5 ton AC?

chayarishav said:
I've bought and setup a microtek UPS + battery when I build the PC but discarded it later as it was making constant buzz noise during operation which was bothering at night as it was placed right under the desk and there were no power cut issues.
Click to expand...
All big UPS have fans for active cooling. Those tiny fans are whiny. Make sure you have given it enough room to dissipate warm air.

I have APC UPS which is similarly noisy. Bright german engineers didn't put any vents in this UPS. So I drilled some. It still made noise sometimes, so I stuck a Q-tip in the fan.

If you are going to discard your UPS anyway then there's no harm trying these tricks. Stabilizer is okay for some appliances but it doesn't really filter noise in the power supply like how UPS does.
 

chayarishav

Disciple
lockhrt999 said:
Why not get a stabilizer which is used for 1.5 ton AC?
Click to expand...
I have a 1.5 ton AC stabiliser lying spare, are you sure I can use it for PC? It's V GUARD VN400 with a capacity of 12A.

For 1000w psu I'm seeing APC UPS starting from 15k inr that too with a max capacity of 900watt. Suppose if I shell 15k on it, would it be enough for 1000w psu? I'd try to place it outside the room and pull wire but really don't wanna do all these unless it's the last option.
 

himalayan

Recruit
If you have a spare AC stabilizer lying around, you can definitely use it for your PC.
 

abmr2d2

Disciple
chayarishav said:
I have a 1.5 ton AC stabiliser lying spare, are you sure I can use it for PC? It's V GUARD VN400 with a capacity of 12A.

For 1000w psu I'm seeing APC UPS starting from 15k inr that too with a max capacity of 900watt. Suppose if I shell 15k on it, would it be enough for 1000w psu? I'd try to place it outside the room and pull wire but really don't wanna do all these unless it's the last option.
Click to expand...
Do remember that if you use the V-Guard VN400 it will cutoff the power to the pc if the voltage goes above or below the High/low cutoff voltages of the VN400 and the PC will be shutdown abruptly.
 

chayarishav

Disciple
abmr2d2 said:
Do remember that if you use the V-Guard VN400 it will cutoff the power to the pc if the voltage goes above or below the High/low cutoff voltages of the VN400 and the PC will be shutdown abruptly.
Click to expand...
I think below 160 & above 280 are extremes. We're not facing such fluctuations.
 

lockhrt999

Not a Fan.
Skilled
chayarishav said:
I have a 1.5 ton AC stabiliser lying spare, are you sure I can use it for PC? It's V GUARD VN400 with a capacity of 12A.
Click to expand...
You could but do keep in mind what @abmr2d2 said. If your system isn't under full load, it may (by chance) survive the tripping.

chayarishav said:
For 1000w psu I'm seeing APC UPS starting from 15k inr that too with a max capacity of 900watt. Suppose if I shell 15k on it, would it be enough for 1000w psu? I'd try to place it outside the room and pull wire but really don't wanna do all these unless it's the last option.
Click to expand...
900W capacity UPS won't do. UPS create their own power grid for the connected devices. If it says it's 900W, then you can't exceed that. At this price point, I'd seriously look at home UPS instead of PC UPS.
 

Psycharge

Disciple
chayarishav said:
For 1000w psu I'm seeing APC UPS starting from 15k inr that too with a max capacity of 900watt. Suppose if I shell 15k on it, would it be enough for 1000w psu? I'd try to place it outside the room and pull wire but really don't wanna do all these unless it's the last option.
Click to expand...
I mean are you sure your PC can pull 1000W from the wall? Having a 1000W PSU doesn't exactly mean you need a 1000W PSU, even if you have a 4090 and are fully loading a 13900K, the UPS is going to be out of juice really quickly at 1000W draw.
 

abmr2d2

Disciple
As @lockhrt999 suggested a Home inverter (pure sine wave) solution looks more suitable. Most Home inverters have a UPS mode where the switchover time is very little less typically < 5ms and the over voltage and under voltage range is also narrow so that in case of a power cut/power fluctuation scenario the appliance (in this case your PC) is not affected and clean continuous power is supplied.
Have a look at this article:
https://www.payperwatt.com/post/can-a-home-inverter-be-used-as-ups-for-the-computer