Do i need UPS?

hi, do laptops (MBP) need UPS?

i've got a UPS is it a good idea to plug my MBP into its battery backup one?

how is your laptop coping with brownout or blackout when it happens?

i've got a standby UPS http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProdu...duct_Id=453571. is this good enough?

im planning to plug my external HDD into the standby-UPS so the when there is power outage im hopefully well protected. is the standby-UPS type good enough (will there be power blips when switching)? i never use standby UPS. i mostly use line-interactive type..

and can i extend the ups with another 8-way power extender w/ surge protection? the total load wont exceed 100w so i think i should be ok. but will there be interference by doing double surge protection?

 

I have all of my valuable electronics plugged into a UPS. I had a power transformer blow behind my house last winter, and it knocked out my Power Mac G5 through the cheap surge suppressor that I had it plugged into, so now I don't take any chances... (A good surge protector would also do the trick, but I like the benefit of having a battery backup for the brief power outages which do happen quite often in this apartment).

For your laptop though... If you can get one for a good deal, go ahead and score it up, but otherwise spend the money on a very good surge protector. I don't think you'll have problems plugging a surge protector into a UPS though, just faster draw on your power with extra devices.

However, if surge protection is your #1 priority, also invest in home owners / renters insurance. It is well worth the money if you don't already have it.

 

get a surge protector,

don't worry about a UPS for a laptop.

 

UPS or Surge protector is must have item if you want to keep your electronic goods healthy

BTW Laptops don't want UPS (Battery works as a UPS) so Surge protector is good choice like masterchef said.

 

Yep I second that. UPS is great for desktops and other non battery operated electronics. But laptops can just run off a surge protector or just unplug them during electrical storms.
Speaking of which I thought I had taken all the precautions but we got hit by lighting last week. And our modem blew up from electricity thru the telephone line.. the one thing I had forgotten.
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yikes @ underpantman. i got my phone line covered all of em, including for my phone. not sure if it'll absorb electrical shocks though...

i think i have decided not to plug my laptop to the UPS.

anyone got opinion on this?

"can i extend the ups with another 8-way power extender w/ surge protection? the total load wont exceed 100w so i think i should be ok. but will there be interference by doing double surge protection?"

 

You could get a surge protector/ups unit installed into your main power grid. At my Canadian home we added it after we had a desktop become fully black inside, microwave explode, fridge damaged, TV blown etc.. you get the idea.. that was from a car hitting a pole.. Since then I have used a UPS/Surge protector as well as one for the main power supply to my home.

I actually had a UPS/Surge protector with the computer but it blew that as well. That is why I use both.

 

Yeah the irony is that my UPS actually has an input for the telephone line, so it was avoidable had I not forgot. Its plugged in now, so hopefully I'm good for the future.
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I have three MBPs - UPS is not needed. They run through blackouts and brownouts with no problem - as long as the battery isn't removed.

 

thanks mmoy. so when the MBP when the MBP went through brownout it just run through it without a bleep?

last question.

can i extend the UPS (w/surge protection) with another power point extender with surge protection?

and

do standby UPS switching time fast enough not to cause a electricity bleeps in extenal drives?

 

Pretty sure that they are fine for external drives. Only had this happen once so far and no issues with my external. As for the extension, yes you can but you risk overloading the ups and then if there is a failure, possibly all your gear could be at risk. My advice is to prioritize, the most important expensive stuff to the least, until you run out of points on the ups, then just run everything else off a surge protector.
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Yes, the MBPs ran fine. There may be a slight change in power settings as the MacBook Pro changes various settings on battery compared to being plugged in but it doesn't shut down on you. BTW, this is with all laptops, not just MacBooks.

External drives are another issue and it depends on how they are powered. Some external drives run off one USB port, two USB ports and maybe Firewire ports. For those, you don't need a UPS as they can run off the MacBook Pro. If you're using something bigger like a 3.5 inch drive, you need backup power. If you're using external power for a 2.5 inch drive, then you need backup power. In general, it's not a good idea to power-slam an external drive.

We've had some momentary power drops when I've been on my Dell desktop and the desktop usually stays up just fine but I have had to rebuild the operating system once when the desktop lost power in the past.

 

thanks guys...

i think i decided not to plug my MBP in the UPS, i will just plug my (2x) 3.5" external drive.

i think i will make another thread about the switching time of a standby UPS because i think it does not fit the "do i need UPS?" context

 

think about it... difference between brown out or a sudden power outage isn't different from a sudden removal of the power supply, and that is expected usage for a laptop.