Big UPS Meets Big Power Requirements

APC's Smart-UPS 2200VA USB (Fig. 1) is designed for heavy duty use. Its SmartSlot can accept a range of modules including an Ethernet SNMP unit for remote management and monitoring.

I chose the Smart-UPS 2200VA USB because of its capacity and its true sine wave output, two requirements for the Enermax Galaxy 1000W used on the test system. These are critical because a smaller UPS (uninterruptible power supply) would not last very long when the power goes out. The run time with our system and a full battery charge is 10-20 minutes. A quad core processor can do quite a bit and it doesn't pay to lose data when you don't have to. Likewise, the Galaxy 1000W would be destroyed by a non-sine wave output UPS.

The Smart-UPS 2200VA USB uses sealed lead-acid batteries like most UPS systems. It supports direct links to the PC via USB or a serial connection. There is a range of power management software programs designed to work with different types of systems from desktops (PowerChute Business Edition) to servers. The latter includes integration with system management tools and APC's power management software. The SmartSlot is yet another way to manage the system (Fig. 2).

System setup is relatively trivial for a Windows machine. The USB interface is automatically recognized and you have a choice of using the default Windows support or the more functional APC software.

The Smart-UPS 2200VA USB is not cheap. It is priced at $839, but this is a small fraction of the price for the system that it is protecting and worth every penny. The unit has a two-year repair warranty with optional on-site and extended warranties. It comes with an equipment protection policy of $150,000 for the lifetime of the unit.