UPS for Precision T5400

Hi Ben,

 

The T5400 comes with an 875W power supply, but it's important to note that the rating refers to the output of the power supply unit.  You'd also have to add on some additional margin (I'd say 150W or so) to compensate for the power that's lost in the power supply itself.

 

But - if you size your UPS to provide that much power delivery, you will probably be drastically conservative.  The 875W supply is sized to cover the absolute top-end system that Dell offers... two high-end processors... two graphics cards... 32GB memory... you get the picture.  Then run that system with all those components maxed out simultaneously for 30 minutes.

 

I'd be tempted to approach this as a two-step process.  Buy the T5400, set it up the way you plan to use it, then take some simple AC power measurements during typical operation (say, using a kill-a-watt or similar).  I suspect you'll find that you could get by with a much smaller UPS.

 

My 2c...

 

 

 

 

Thanks Cue!  I recognize that the output rating is that and designed for a maxed out system.  I do tend to be very conservative in my estimations and buy a little more than is needed. 

 

Your two cents is much appreciated!

 

Ben

Thanks Dev...I use the APC site for my datacenter UPS sizing needs; didn't even think about it for the desktop!

 

The faculty member requested 30 minutes.  He's a physicist and wants to have the ability to finish compiling data/programs if there is an extended outage.  Sometimes those processes can take upwards of 10 min or more.  I think he could get by with 15, but I'm just a tech guy so what do I know!

 

Thanks again,

 

Ben

Why do you want to be able to run 30 minutes?

I use 2 UPSes at home; one for my cable modem, router, switch, primary PC and primary monitor (don't overlook the monitor), and the other UPS is for my NAS.

The reason I have the UPSes is that I can survive a short power outage (most power outages where I live are 5-30 seconds (when lightning strikes or so)), or long enough for me to shut down safely if power doesn't return fairly quickly.

But besides this; with the calculations of your UPS needs, keep in mind the other things that are needed; monitor, USB hubs (if your keyboard and mouse or other critical devices go through this), switches, routers, etc.

I'd suggest to check APC. They have options where you can select your powerdraw and then see which UPS will last how long. This should get you some ideas how powerful a UPS you should get (even if you don't go with the APC branded UPS option).