So we've getting hammered this week with a lot of power hits due to heat and lightning storms this week. I've decided that I should invest in a slightly more beefy UPS.

I run a 500 watt power supply in my main machine and we have another server with I think a 230 watt ps in it that I'd like to put on the UPS also.

Now, if I've done my basic math there, I'm drawing 730 watts roughly between the two. That means I'd need a UPS that has a 800-1000 watt rating to keep the system up long enough to allow it to shut down gently right?

If thats the case, that sucks. UPS at that rating are spendy, but given the choice of dropping 3-4 bills on a UPS vs $2K on rebuilding my machine....

I love my APC UPS. With its nice battery backup, my PC is the only thing left on during a complete black out which is nice, not to mention frequent electric noise and surges. A good UPS will be worth every penny.

Most surge protectors these days also carry great reimbursement warranties.. that is if you keep all the paperwork and use everything the way it's supposed to be used.

We use APCs here at work. Not the best, but they work sufficiently.

Something to keep in mind: Your systems are going to draw ~730 watts.. but having your systems on isn't going to help without your monitors.

Anyway, with something like an APC battery backup, don't expect to have your system up for hours... but it gives you plenty of time to save and shut down.

Just some things to keep in mind:

50% of UPS DO NOT provide surge protection, just a backup power supply
25% of UPS DO NOT have Lightning Arrestors, just surge protection.

So only a few company makes true Lightning Arrestor-able UPS's

It's usually best to have them separate anyway. You'll usually have some peripherals you'd want protected from surges, but not draining the battery on your UPS. Plus, you wouldn't want to replace/repair the whole UPS due to a lightning hit, when you could just change out the cheaper part separately.