Upgrade your PC system for better performance.
Upgrade your PC system for better performance.
For this setup: R9-5900X / 32GB Corsair RM850x 1TB WD Blue SN570 6TB WD Black HDD Corsair LL120 (x6) Corsair Commander Core XT Asus KO RTX3060ti-8-OC I use a 1000VA APC Back-UPS. It shows the system draws about 450W during gaming. With the 10-18 minute runtime and a 60Hz 55-inch TV, that’s what you see. What matters is pure sine and true sine waves—no square waves or anything else. Anything else can cause issues with motors in hard drives, fans, and most delicate electronics. These units are measured in VA, but I don’t have an easy way to turn wattage into VA. Unfortunately, there’s no simple formula I know. I’d avoid anything below 750-850VA and suggest upgrading your PSU. A 600W unit feels risky even for a 2060 Super. You might want at least 750W and better, plus a stronger PSU.
1000VA 600W should suffice. A simulated sine wave or genuine sine wave works well. I’d opt for 1200VA just to be cautious. A power supply changes AC from the wall or UPS into DC. There’s no chance a poor connection would harm hard drives or other components. Your claim is incorrect. In fact, the formula is clear: VA multiplied by UPS efficiency gives watts. Typically it’s 60-70%, so 1000VA should match roughly 600-700W. That last point is also untrue. You can determine the system’s needs by summing each component’s draw. His setup would handle a solid 400W unit easily. He has 600W—more than enough.
Square wave patterns appear as electrical interference that can affect specific parts of a system. However, DC motors might be less affected compared to AC motors. To clarify further... https://blog.tripplite.com/pure-sine-wav...-explained If you revisit my earlier comments, I mentioned there isn’t a straightforward formula I’m aware of. I didn’t claim there was none, but searching for calculations kept requiring 'power factor' details, which confused me. Luckily, my experienced uncle has been an electrician for over four decades and understood exactly what I needed. Edited April 24, 2022 by An0maly_76 Updated with additional info
I understand your point, but connecting motors directly to the UPS isn't the right approach. The PSU and power adapters handle AC to DC conversion, making the input quality less critical. If you link a motor—like a water pump or hair dryer—to the UPS, it won’t work well because these devices need stable DC. Running square waves or using transformers won’t be effective either. I assure you, my expertise comes from an electrical engineering university, so I’m confident in this explanation.
I don’t think we need to debate this. I value your expertise, but what I’m saying is that even if the PSU serves as a buffer, DC motors tend to handle these problems better than others. Anything beyond clean sine wave power could still harm the supply and its parts later, not just the devices it feeds.