Computer UPS plays an important role as far as the longevity of the machine is concerned. The main purpose of UPS is to provide a backup power source to the parts in computer case, monitor and other devices that are plugged in to it. Choosing the best UPS for home can be a difficult task. The first thing you need to consider when buying best UPS for home is the type of protection you want from that UPS. Choosing the best UPS for home can be a tough task as need to consider many things. Moreover countless of companies are involved in the production of UPS these days. UPS will be one of the best investments that could be made by you to have uninterrupted computing experience. However to make your choice easy, mentioned below is the list of some of the best UPS for home from which you can choose the one that suits your need.

Best UPS for home:

1. APC BR1500 LCD 120V: It is a user friendly and fully featured UPS. A perfect choice for modern home computer. The output power capacity of this UPS is 865 watts/ 1500 VA, maximum configurable power is 865 watts/ 150 VA, nominal output voltage is 120 V, crest factor is 3:1 and output frequency is 60 HZ. It is quite powerful that it can keep your computer running during power interruptions.

2. Microtek UPS 600 VA Heritage plus: It is also popular UPS which is widely used. This UPS has active noise protection and short circuit fuse protection. The battery life is also excellent with good backup and with recharge option which makes it a good option for home computers. The battery of this UPS is sealed maintenance free lead acid type. Moreover, the battery of this UPS has automatic mains voltage regulation which helps to keep it running even though the input voltage is too low or high.

3. APC UPS 500VA: The main feature of this UPS is unit input fuse protection. APC UPS 500VA UPS has noise protection and short circuit fuse protection. The output power capacity of this UPS is 300 watts/ 500 VA, Max configurable power is 300 watts/ 500 VA, nominal output voltage is 230V and output frequency is 50/60 Hz. The reviews of this UPS are quite good and it is widely used. It is consider as the best option for home computers.

You can choose any of the above mentioned UPS for your home. These are widely used UPS all over the world. A wisely chosen UPS will make your computing experience smooth and good. Along with these, some other popular and widely used UPS for home are iBall nirantar UPS- 621, Microtek UPS 600VA, iBall Nirantar 1080, Numeric UPS digital 600 plus, APC UPS 650 VA, Intex platinum 600 VA and many more.

Choosing the correct UPS may not be as intimidating task as you may think. The very first thing to be considered is the type of protection you want. Do you want to guard your equipment from spikes and surges?  Are you looking for a more sophisticated protection from occurrences like blackouts and brownouts? When you are wondering how to choose a good UPS, you can take help of the account below. You can use it as a wide-ranging reference when trying to pick the accurate power protection equipment.

Choosing a Good UPS

Select the best UPS according to your requirements with the help of the following guidelines-

1. Surge Suppressors: Surge suppressors are the most common defense from surges and spikes. Receptive electronic devices like faxes and printers are the characteristic usage for a surge suppressor.  Go for surge suppressors having qualities like lightning protection feature, fast response time but less than 10ns, indicators like LED lights to demonstrate protection status and surge rating of minimum 700 Joules and the like.

2. Protection against Blackouts and Brownouts: For this protection, consider an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS). The two chief types of UPS systems are-

• Standby: Offers surge-protected power to the apparatus.


• Line Interactive: Provides better power protection with Automatic Voltage Regulation (AVR).
  

3. Considerations to be made while Buying a UPS:

• Capacity: Ensure that the unit can handle all the paraphernalia that it will be defending. Make sure that the UPS has a safety capacity. If the equipment is measured in Amps, multiply it by the number of volts it needs (generally 110/ 120V in the U.S.) and that will bring the VA rating.


• Runtime: This is the measure of manufacturer regarding how long their UPS unit can carry on to provide power to the safeguarded equipment during absolute power failure. Runtime at Full load means the quantity of time the UPS will continue supplying power when it has to give full power (i.e. power supply for 1000VA with a 1000VA UPS). Runtime at Half load is exactly the same but when the UPS is only defending needing half its protection rating it means power supply for 500VA with a 1000VA UPS). If you need a better runtime, consider a UPS that can understand additional batteries to be installed.


• Insurance: Consider paying for a UPS which is backed by an insurance guarantee and provides complete protection to your equipment from lightning damage and surge.
  
  A number of factors are there to consider and guiding you about how to choose a good UPS for your needs. Though, the above factors bring you the first-rate guidelines to start. Other features seem to be just extras, like retractable cords, RJ45 protection, software shutdown, etc. These features are likely to add to the cost of the UPS unit and may not be essential for most users. On the other hand have a look at these added features because some of them may appeal to your requirements and desires.

ATX (Advanced Technology Extended) is a motherboard form factor specification which is manufactured by Intel in 1995 in order to advance an earlier defacto standards such as the AT form factor. The ATX design requires the power supply to produce three main outputs - +3.3V, +5V and +12V. Low power supplies such as 12 V and 5V_SB are also required. An ATX power supply offers several peripheral power connectors and in modern systems it offers two connectors for the motherboard- 4 pin auxiliary connector that provides additional power to the CPU and 24 pin power supply connector.

ATX power supply is manufactured to switch on and off using a signal from the motherboard. This power supply offers support for modern function such as the standby mode which is available in most of the computers. The dimensions of ATX power supply are 150 mm width, 86 mm height and 140 mm depth. However the dimension depth of ATX power supply differs from brand to brand. The ATX power supply allows different configuration of chassis and power supplies.

Difference between AT and ATX:

The two main differences between AT and ATX power supplies are the connectors that provide power to the motherboard and the soft switch. On AT power supplies, the power on switch wire which is located in front of the computer is connected straight to the power supply whereas on ATX power supplies, the power switch which is located in front of the computer is connected to the motherboard over a connector or labelled somewhat PS ON, SW Power, and Power SW etc.  ATX power supply permits other hardware or software to switch on and off the system.

ATX power supply was originally manufactured to cut the cost of producing a system.  However it has many benefits that the user might not notice. The whole design of the system with ATX power supply allows the better airflow around the main system components. Moreover the fan which is located in the ATX power supply is directed in such a way so that it blows directly over CPU. The more airflow over the CPU sand whole system helps to keep the system cooler and also prevents the system from overheating problems and can even give a slight performance increase.

The main benefit of ATX power supplies is easy access to end users.  The CPU is located at a distance from the expansion slots and allows full size expansion cards in every slot.   Moreover the memory sockets of the system are easy to get to. They are located at a distance form he expansion slots so that the expansion cards don’t get in the way.  This also reduces the amount of cables within the case which helps the access to the memory card.

Power Supply Unit is designed to supply power to a computer. This device converts AC current to DC current. You won’t believe but this part of computer is one of the most important among the rest because without it your computer system is nothing more than a box of metal and plastic. After discussing the role of power supply of computer we will discuss how does power supply in computers work?

You can find PSU inside one square box at the back of CPU. It has got large number of cables that are attached to other components of computer. Basically most of the failures in power supply unit occur because of overheating. Never compromise with the quality of power supply unit for you system. Better quality helps you in keeping your system up and running. Power supply is essential as it makes your computer system to work. Also capacity of power supply tells what all stuffs your computer can do like for example playing games need a lot of memory of computer.

As soon as power comes in from electric switch to power supply unit, the power supply’s job is to send that input energy into a form that your system can use and distribute among rest of the components of your computer. As soon as you press/push down the button of your computer, you are a kind of signal to power supply unit to start flow of power to components of the computer. Earlier there used to be a large switch whose work was to block flow of power into CPU but now you can find CPU’s that has got small amount of voltage inside it that can at least make button work.

One of the important parts of Power Supply Unit is Switcher. It basically converts AC current flowing in your house electric line to DC power that your computer can use. Earlier switches used to be quite heavy and bulky but now they come in perfect shape and design. One of the best thing about switcher is that it draws only required amount of power from electric line thus preventing overload of power in your computer. There are several types of power supply available in the market and all of them works almost same. Yes but they differ in the amount of power that has to be provided to each of them and also they differ in number of components to which they are connected inside computer. Certain power supply units like one in laptops control the amount of power used by the laptop that results in increase in efficiency and battery life.

How Does Power Supply in Computers Work?

Sometime situations arises where one has to change power supply themselves then in that case you have to remove cabinet of CPU then find the location of power supply unit and then remove it. Now when you go to get one new power supply unit for your system make sure that the new power supply unit has got same rating as the one your computer has otherwise it would create a lot of problem later on . Always remember that it is very important that your computer system power supply unit is compatible with your system mother board. Computer with old motherboard uses 20-pin ATX connector, and new one uses 24 pin ATX. You can use 24 pin power supply with 20 pin but not vice versa.

PSU better known as Power Supply Unit is one of the most important parts of computer. This part needs most attention as compared to others. PSU powers everything, right from USB ports, wireless modem to motherboard, graphics card, hard disk, and all such parts of computers. If you left your PSU unchecked, it can damage either one or all the parts of your components. If your computer takes a long time to turn on after pressing ‘on’ switch, it means you have fault in power supply. Also if your computer gets off automatically, it may be due to result in power supply unit.

You can replace your power supply unit very easily. Make sure that your PSU is unplugged. Once checked you can unscrew your PSU, remove old PSU and can place new one. As soon as your new PSU is installed next you have to do is replace your lithium battery from motherboard and put it back again. Now turning on your computer again make sure that all wires are connected to motherboard. Once checked, set proper voltage of your system and then turn on the power of your system and enjoy newly improved PC.

There are 2 scenarios where people consider replacing their PSU:

1. When you want to upgrade your CPU. Earlier you were having mid-range processor, CD ROM, RAM and all they need is 350 watt power supply. Now in order to upgrade your CPU you should have PSU that can supply power of 450 watt. All the components of computer are power hungry. Even fastest processor can consume up to 100 watts from Power Supply Unit.

2. Other case is when suddenly your PSU dies in the middle of your work. This may be due to failure in fan resulting in damaging of CPU. In case fan gets off automatically, save your data first and turn off your computer immediately. If you turn it off on time may be you can succeed in saving your computer system. If fan stops working, never replace fan itself, try to replace the whole unit.

One thing that every beginner thinks while replacing Power Supply Unit is “Will I be able to fix all the wires?” Always keep this in mind that all four wire plugs are interchangeable. There is no danger of fixing wrong plugs. You can plug in wire into hard drive as wires are keyed to fit in one way only. If we talk about power plug to motherboard, it is unlike any other, big rectangular box having bunch of wires attached to it. Earlier mother board use to have two power plugs attached to them marked as P8 and P9.

In short replacing Power Supply Unit is quite an easy task. All you have to do is unhook wires from motherboard and drives take out screws and easily remove Power Supply Unit by holding it from the back. Put new power supply, fix all screws at their places and hook up wires to all the peripherals of computer, that’s it.

Once the wires are unhooked from the drives and motherboard, take out the four screws that hold the power supply to the back of the case, and ease it out. Put the new supply in, tighten up the screws, and hook up the wires.