SAI? Does it worth?

Sr.Agaporni · Post by **Sr.Agaporni** » Tue Aug 17, 2010 5:03 am

Hi.

As far as I am planning an upgrade of my HTPC, I am also thinking in a SAI, because the quality of the energy provider where I live is more than poor. Every time it starts to rain, the electricity "goes off". Till now, I haven't had any problems, but I would like to make an extra protection to my computer, because it stores important data for me.

What do you think about SAIs? Do they work well or do they lower the efficiency of the whole system?

Sr.Agaporni · Post by **Sr.Agaporni** » Thu Aug 19, 2010 2:18 am

Hopefully, someone has something to say about this. I think it is another important point in this forum, because there are lot of people building low power home servers, and a SAI is always welcome to help them and no to lose information.

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Thu Aug 19, 2010 4:04 am

I'm sorry -- I don't know what a "SAI" is. Can you explain, please? Is it a battery backup unit?

Holy-Fire · Post by **Holy-Fire** » Thu Aug 19, 2010 4:16 am

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAI :

sistema de alimentacion ininterrumpida (Spanish): uninterruptible power supply.

This acronym is probably unknown outside Spain.

Sr.Agaporni · Post by **Sr.Agaporni** » Thu Aug 19, 2010 4:35 am

NeilBlanchard wrote:I'm sorry -- I don't know what a "SAI" is. Can you explain, please? Is it a battery backup unit?

Ooops, sorry, so common here to call them SAI = UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply).

My apologies.

lodestar · Post by **lodestar** » Thu Aug 19, 2010 5:04 am

I have used a SAI/UPS. If you have a need for them and pick the right model they can be useful devices. The amount of battery capacity will determine how long they will last during an extended power cut. And more battery capacity will mean more cost. Apart from providing backup power some models will also handle voltage fluctuations and deal with voltage surges. A SAI/UPS could be worth it for just its line conditioning capabilities alone.

You can obviously plug any mains powered devices into the unit as well as a PC. This includes a modem/router or a printer but every additional device will reduce battery life. When it is dark, you can plug mains powered lights into them but again at the cost of reducing battery life.

Parappaman · Post by **Parappaman** » Thu Aug 19, 2010 6:00 am

All I have to say is don't skimp on this expense, if you want one, get the best for your setup. I've seen too many computers blown due to the cheap 30â‚¬ unit that some people think is good enough for their 1000â‚¬ setup.

Sr.Agaporni · Post by **Sr.Agaporni** » Thu Aug 19, 2010 10:22 pm

I see, so I should go for a high quality UPS then. I will try to fit it on my money budget, because it is already very adjusted.

Fayd · Post by **Fayd** » Fri Aug 20, 2010 9:40 am

Parappaman wrote:All I have to say is don't skimp on this expense, if you want one, get the best for your setup. I've seen too many computers blown due to the cheap 30â‚¬ unit that some people think is good enough for their 1000â‚¬ setup.

huh? i've never seen a computer blown by an UPS.

get one rated to handle your computer's specs with an acceptable battery capacity. maybe your computer + your monitor for 10 minutes or so.

get it from a decent company. APC, Tripplite, and Belkin all make good UPS's. beyond that, don't spend more than you have to. and realize that some UPS that have active power filtering will have a constantly-on fan that's very annoying.

Parappaman · Post by **Parappaman** » Sat Aug 21, 2010 12:12 am

I do. Damn Trust thingies.

Sr.Agaporni · Post by **Sr.Agaporni** » Sun Aug 22, 2010 10:17 pm

Thanks for your answers pals, I will try to find a good UPS from a good brand.