I've seen a post about this before but can't seem to find it.

Anyway, my question is "What's the best UPS to buy ?"

I currently have a Leonics Explorer paid about 2000 Bht I think around 2 yrs ago. My PC is plugged into it and it's always plugged into the mains so should be fully charged.

We just had a power cut and it didn't even last long enough to shut the computer down in an orderly manner !!

Any suggestions would be most welcome.

It sounds like it needs a new battery. Take it to a computer shop and ask them to install a new battery for you. Batteries are not too expensive.

If you do buy a new one make sure it has the capabilities to also attach via USB to your PC,using the software provided you can set it to power down your PC if the power goes out whilst your not home (assuming you leave your PC on 24/7 like I do).

Agree with both the above posts. If you are definitely in the market for a bew UPS then APC is a good international brand

I replaced the battery in my UPS a year ago with a sealed battery I bought locally. It was bigger and was a bit of a squeeze to fit in but the extra capacity (Amp/hours) gives me longer to shut down.

Geek forum seems to prefer APC. Do some reading.

If you battery lasted 2 years, you're a lucky customer. Many report battery last only 1-1,5 year.

Also recommend APC. Have about 50 of them at the laboratory and a couple at home with no problems. Our battery life seems to average around 3-4 years. The USB port feature and software is handy and tells the status of the battery, power outages date and time, power usage and controlled shutdown of the PC.

They are more expensive but I consider it well worth it.

I just ordered a new UPS and extended battery. About 17,000 baht for both.

APC "BR1500I" Back-UPS RS Series 1500VA 865W

External Battery Available (BR24BP)

Using this unit and the external battery will give me 3,000VA. That should keep me up and running until the electric comes back on.

I now use a small Socomet that gives me about five minutes to shut down. Usually by the time I safely shut down the electric comes back on.

I just ordered a new UPS and extended battery. About 17,000 baht for both.

APC "BR1500I" Back-UPS RS Series 1500VA 865W

External Battery Available (BR24BP)

Using this unit and the external battery will give me 3,000VA. That should keep me up and running until the electric comes back on.

I now use a small Socomet that gives me about five minutes to shut down. Usually by the time I safely shut down the electric comes back on.

VA doesn't mean anything Gary, especially when the inverter says "1500VA / 865 W. give us the AH (amp hours) of the external battery.

Here's the chart;

Thanks for all your replies folks. That's given me a lot of food for thought.

Am in Pattaya. Haven't seen anything even approaching 17K Bht. Seem to have a lot less choice here. Went into Tukcom, but there was a district wide power-cut so most of the shops inside were closed. I just got back & while I was away there was another power-cut and yet another scandisk on reboot. C'est la vie !!

Maybe tomorrow..........

APC is quite good.

Comes in different ranges from desktop to Servers.

Like Gary A says, your Leonics just needs a new battery. I have a 500 VA Leonics I've been using for nearly 10 years and a 750 VA I've been using for 6. I just change the batteries when they don't provide enough up time. Generally the batteries will last 2 or 3 years before they start to significantly weaken. When I lived in Pattaya I found the batteries at Wattana and Amorn. Wattana will change it for you if you take it in but the batteries are cheaper at Amorn and it's really easy to do yourself.

Like Gary A says, your Leonics just needs a new battery. I have a 500 VA Leonics I've been using for nearly 10 years and a 750 VA I've been using for 6. I just change the batteries when they don't provide enough up time. Generally the batteries will last 2 or 3 years before they start to significantly weaken. When I lived in Pattaya I found the batteries at Wattana and Amorn. Wattana will change it for you if you take it in but the batteries are cheaper at Amorn and it's really easy to do yourself.

Thanks for that. I never thought about Amorn. Will go have a look.

APC looks pretty solid.

Those models with USB are definitely recommended. I think I made a mistake in buying the APC "BE500R-AS" Back-UPS ES Series 500VA 300W UPS, which doesn't seem to have USB. Very unfortunate, was kinda counting on it to be able to turn off the beeper. I use is only for the DSL modem, my computer is a laptop and lasts 6 hours on battery.

Anyway, if you are going to spend 17,000 on a UPS, I'd definitely think about a laptop first. Unless you really need a desktop for some reason.

I have a good laptop but much prefer my desktop. The big UPS is also backup power for a couple of lights and maybe a small desk fan. I wanted a much bigger UPS than this but the 200,000 baht price was way too high.

I have a small 2000W generator for longer outages... cost 14k baht.

Solved my UPS beeper problem with a screwdriver and a Swiss army knife