UPS for XPS 435

Have you tried adding one on (but not buying it) to your Dell shopping cart while spec'ing out your system? I'd see what Dell recommends -- I assume they'd sell only compatible models -- and try finding them cheaper elsewhere. That's what I'm going to do, as a matter of fact.

I found out that the XPS435 has a PSU with power factor correction and it requires a UPS with a pure sine wave output. The price range for a 800 to 1000VA unit is close to $300!! Why on earth would Dell design in this type of PSU? As far as the user is concerned, I think the cons outweighs the pros.

After a LONG chat with support, I now know that Dell is aware of this "known issue".  I requested that Dell makes this information known to potential buyers.  I'm still not sure they're being totally up-front about it.  They did offer to sell me one of the expensive SUA models.:emotion-43:

Let's keep an eye on Dell to see if they really intend to do something.

Below is a partial transcript of the chant session (with names changed to protect the innocent)

09:34:56AM    Agent : "My supervisor says that, either of the two models that you have already mentioned, have to be backing the system pretty well."   
 09:35:15AM    Agent : "But, since you said they did not help, he has a suggestion for you"   
 09:35:37AM    User: "Well they're not, and other users in the forum have reported exactly the same thing."   
 09:36:54AM    Agent : "I would request you to please contact APC once, because there are certain settings that are required for certain machines, which we are not aware of. But the guys at APC should be the best people to help you in this case."
   
 09:37:17AM    Agent : "And if this does not help, I have another suggestion."   
 09:38:53AM    User: "They're going to tell me that with power supplies with FPC power supplies, a pure sine wave is required. In fact their web site has a selector that recommended the product that didn't work."   
 09:39:51AM    Agent : "Did you try the APC with the pure sine wave power, David?"   
 09:40:25AM    User: "What's puzzling is the Dell offers these APC units as accessories and they don't seem to work with their own PC's. No I didn't try the pure sine wave model because it's $400."   
 09:40:59AM    User: "It will be cheaper to replace the power supply in the computer than invest in a $400 UPS."   
 09:41:43AM    Agent : "please give me a minute while I check with my supervisor"   
 09:52:51AM    User: "Sorry, that last reference should have been PFC (Power Factor Correction) power supplies."   
 09:55:24AM    Agent : "okay"   
 09:57:48AM    Agent : "My supervisor suggested, that this is a known issue for the XPS 435."   
 09:58:56AM    Agent : "Dell, at the moment is working towards finding a solution for this issue, but I can direct you to a discussion dedicatedly going on about this issue, in a forum on www.dell.com."

 09:59:33AM    Agent : "But, we have a list of UPSs which support these high-powered computers."   
 10:00:14AM    User: "Okay, then let's make the issue known to potential buyer. And is Dell doing anything to satisfy current users. I'm already familiar with the discussions. Could I access that list? Are those units proven to work with the 435t?"
   
 10:00:15AM    Agent : "So, if you are interested in making a purchase, I would be able to help you with the purchase, once I mention the products to you."

Last week, while I was installing the numerous Tuesday updates from Microsoft, my 435T lost power during the reboot. My APC UPS, which doesn't supply pure sine wave output, did not keep the system running. This caused a corruption of my hard drive. Luckily, I was able to run a check disk and repair the drive. This power supply issue is a real problem. I really don't want to have to spend several hundred dollars for a pure sine wave UPS when my existing one has worked just fine with other systems.

A agree.  I suggested to Dell that they offer a discount on a sine wave UPS to owners of the 435t.

I chuckled when they said that this was a known issue and offered to sell me a new APC UPS.  (no break on price of course)

I've been loyal to Dell for a long time but now I'm beginning to wonder.:emotion-6:

The "power factor" type of power supplies are becoming more common.  Eventually that will be the "standard" type of power supply.  I read that one of the driving factors is the European requirement for "green" products.  Many manufacturers are increasingly using one power supply for worldwide use rather than a particular type for one country and another different type for another country. 

The least expensive option, if you don't want to buy one of the high priced UPS systems is to buy a standard switching power supply (about $100 for a good grade high power supply).  You can then use a lower cost UPS.  Like all new technology, as more and more PFC power supplies are used and more of the pure sine wave UPS's are sold, the price of the UPS systems will come down.

I have a friend who's son is an electrical design engineer working with power equipment.  His son says they have been using PFC on commerical equipment (not just PC's) for a while.

There are a few reliable UPS brands that are much cheaper and better than APC. I had scouted for one and finally settled for a JP1000 from Ablerex at less than $240. Pretty nice with LCD display and hot swappable batteries. Its about half the size of the X435 :-0

I just encountered this problem with our 435T and since the final post was about five months ago I was wondering whether or not anyone ever got any better response from Dell or any special offer on an UPS that has a pure-sine output?

Thanks,
James

p.s. Thanks for the info posted here and elsewhere in the forum (see audio section for another post w/ description).

p.p.s. Of course the REAL solution is to integrate the UPS into the Power Supply.  This would be cheaper than the two units together (eliminates one of two AC-to-DC conversions AND the inverter portion of the UPS!).  As a EE I'm pretty sure this would work and I've been amazed that no one seems to offer such a supply (at least for the general market).

BTW, APC App Note #147 discusses this issue (in general).  See it at http://www.apcmedia.com/salestools/RMUZ-7DTKRC_R1_EN.pdf