September 5, 2011

U. P. aSked (You people asked): Most Important Specs

Hello,
I visited your site and am overwhelmed on what type of UPS to choose.  My IT adviser recommended me getting an APC SUA3000RM2U, but there seems to many other choices that look better?   Why is so special about the SUA3000RM2U unit?
-RW

Rich,
I am glad to help demystify choosing a UPS.  Essentially your IT tech is recommending a 3kva line interactive UPS. The SUA3000RM2U (302b) is very popular unit, but has some drawbacks. 
  1. The SUA unit does NOT offer extended runtimes.  If you want more than 15mins of backup time in the future, this unit is not for you.  You will need to upgrade to the SUA3000RMXL3U (313b) to have this feature.
  2. The SUA is over $500, but the older 3U version SU3000RM3U (303) is about $100 less and offers more runtime.
  3. The SUA does not include a Network management card.  You'll need to spend another $75 for your IT tech to control the unit.   Consider the Liebert 3000va 2U (lp312) unit which has the network card included.  Look at my blog for a good in depth comparison.
Sincerely,
Bob