adaptive sinewave UPS (CyberPower)

Is anyone using a Cyberpower UPS that has the adaptive sinewave capability (not stepped or modified)? I am interested in feedback from owners on if/how well the unit(s) perform and if they are satisfied.

I am getting ready to purchase a PC that has an Active Power Factor Correction (PFC) and thus requires a sinewave UPS. Dell Studio XPS 9100 has already given owners UPS issues, so I hope to be able to weigh in on the UPS choices and how they may effect my budget.

"True" sinewave units exist and are pricey - they can be 20% of PC cost, depending on the necessary watts coverage. CyberPower has come out with a new series of UPS units that use adaptive sinewave "technology" at much more reasonable costs and for the purpose of offering product to fit this developing need.

I'd love to hear any comments from those who have experience with the CyberPower products. I don't know of any other company with this kind of UPS.

Thanks! Nancy

When was the last time you had a computer with a voltage switch on the back? You know, that little red thing that you needed a screwdriver to switch between 120V and 240V? Well, that's the last time you had a PC that didn't have active PFC.

Active PFC and sine wave UPS's are unrelated (at least in the way you're describing). Unless you're sure your sources are knowledgeable people (when it comes to computer problems they usually aren't) I'd almost be willing to bet that people who bought one of those Dells simply have a UPS that can't handle the power draw because they're comparing the computer's "Watts" to the UPS's "Voltage-Amperes" thinking they're the same thing. It happens WAY too often.

If you already have a UPS, please post which one it is, as well as the specs of the Dell's configuration. It may be cheaper for you to simply buy a better power supply for the PC than to buy a UPS.

Of course, if you don't have a UPS, then you might as well get one of these I guess...

Please read the following link for a better description of the circumstances than I can give myself:

http://www.tomshardwar​e.com …te-smart1500slt,2785.html

My very basic understanding is that some of the newer power supplies are more energy efficient and therefore more sensitive to waveform than traditional PC power supplies.

The Dell Studio XPS 9100 has one of these more sensitive power supplies at
525 Watts.

When Dell owners had varying incoming power fluctuations or outages, their traditional and properly sized UPS units did not provide any protection. Dell support informed those who persisted in finding out the problems that they needed to use a sinewave UPS for this new PC power supply.

I inquired about changing out the power supply and of course that voids the warranty, but also does not really address this up and coming issue of the changes in efficiency of power supplies. Replacing the original PS with another might get you right back to the same issue.

I'm ready to accept the changes in new power supplies, and it looks as though CyberPower has started the work toward providing the consumer with a less expensive alternative UPS to the "true" sinewave units (which they and others, like APC, sell).

So, is anyone using a Cyberpower UPS that has the adaptive sinewave capability (not stepped or modified)? I am interested in feedback from owners on if/how well the unit(s) perform and if they are satisfied.

I'm not fond of the idea of purchasing the Dell and the CyberPower (I do not currently have a UPS) only to find out that this new UPS has it's own issues and I must look to the more expensive UPS sinewave units.

Here's the key to the whole article:

That's Dell for you alright . They've used nothing but the cheapest PSUs in their systems for as long as I can remember. New power supplies haven't changed though. The last time I saw a PC without active PFC was over 10 years ago.

Either way, worst case you can just get the Cyberpower and test it out with the Dell. Wait for it to fully charge, load up a demanding application (like a video game, or some rendering software), and unplug it and see what happens. If it works fine then you're good. Otherwise return it.

Yes, I definitely saw that paragraph. I understand what you are saying about active PFC being around for years, but just now we, or should I say me at the moment, are having to deal with the cutting of corners on power supplies and what that seems to entail if you go with it.

I don't have the Dell system yet, and did not want to test the CyberPower by buying both the Dell and the CyberPower UPS just to find out the UPS is less than suitable, and I would then have to purchase $300+ sinewave UPS to get what is needed or deal with returning a PC, if that would even be possible. I thought about replacing the PS, but there's that warranty situation...

I will look elsewhere for better PC systems. I have been doing research for weeks, and since it has been about 8 years since I've purchased a PC, there is a lot to learn. I never dreamed I'd be learning about power supplies and getting in to some weeds on UPS units. Still, there is good info out there - you just have to find it and understand it!

Also with Dell Studio XPS 8100 (lesser) system, I learned that they use a 350 watt PS in the guts, along with the choice of an ATI Radeon HD 5770 graphics card. I've read and been to sites that report this power supply to be too small for the system - at least with this graphics card. What the !@#! I brought this to the attention of the local Best Buy staff, and they were a little surprised (they opened up the case and took a look). They then told me (the Geek Squad that is) that the motherboard would not allow the graphics card to press the power supply. I am not at all comfortable with this.

The more I read about Dell and other companies...the more I may choose to have a system built for me.

Thanks for your input. I'm open to further ideas. Nancy

Wow 8 years...yeah I'd say it's definitely time to upgrade!

To put it quite simply - the BEST option, since you brought it up, is to get the system custom built (or do it yourself since you seem to know what you'd be doing ). I can't think of a single corner that Dell/HP/Apple/etc doesn't cut. Their motherboards have only minimal power filtering to the CPU, their power supplies are some of the worst I've ever seen, they use the slowest and cheapest RAM they can get their hands on, the hard drives are extremely slow (size and RPM doesn't tell the whole story), their cooling is inadequate and gets very loud, ......yeah I think you get the point . They aim only for specs they can advertise, and skimp on the rest.

And that thing Geek Squad told you about how the motherboard stops the graphics card from stressing the PSU.....lies. There is no physical way that a component in the computer can be stopped from putting a load on the power supply, other than installing a second one.

Thanks Mayniyak, for your input. I do indeed get your points, and so am looking at companies that build.

Right now I'm investigating Puget Systems, and will seek out additional choices. I do not feel confident at all with building it myself.

More research and investigation!

flanny wrote in post #11334515
Thanks Mayniyak, for your input. I do indeed get your points, and so am looking at companies that build.

Right now I'm investigating Puget Systems, and will seek out additional choices. I do not feel confident at all with building it myself.

More research and investigation!

You should head over to overclock.net, they can help you pick out your components at least .