Why Every Guy Should Buy a Battery Backup for a Computer

March 24, 2011, By 13 comments

Why Every Guy Should Buy a Battery Backup for a Computer

I used to think that all a computer needed was a good power surge protector and it'd be basically fine; after all, as long as you've got surge protection covered, a power outage will simply turn your computer off. That can't be so bad, right?

Enter the winter storm of 2006, which annihilated my computer hard drive in about three seconds while I was waiting for my microwave burrito to finish cooking. You see, suddenly shutting off power to a computer also shuts off power to the hard drive, and this can make the hard drive's heads crash into its platters. I'll skip the nerd talk, but this means instant and total data destruction.

Fortunately, I worked for a data recovery company at the time, so rather than paying thousands of dollars to get my data back, I only had to endure the ridicule of my colleagues. However, you won't be so lucky. Here's a guide to setting up a battery backup that will keep your computer protected.

Power Surge Protection vs. Battery Backup

Many guys (including myself) have used the words "power surge" and "battery backup" interchangeably, but these terms are very, very different. Power surge protection protects your computer and all attached hardware from minor fluctuations in the amount of power coming in. This is most useful during big electrical storms or winter storms, where these fluctuations can really mess with your electronics.

A battery backup allows your computer to stay on for several minutes after a brownout or blackout. They cost about $50-100.

When you go to buy a battery backup (and you should do so right away), you simply need a UPS battery backup system that offers about 900 VA of power. This will keep even a big computer running for a few short minutes.

A few things to keep in mind: your battery backup should be brand new, not used, and you should have one for each computer that you own that doesn't have a battery backup already (laptops and netbooks simply need surge protection, since they, you know, have batteries in them). Check to make sure that the APC also offers surge protection and be prepared to replace it every few years, as the battery will start to degrade over time.

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Comments (13):

Beez B. Elizabeth H. is missing the entire tongue-in-cheek point of the article and Doug's response. The web site is Man Of The House - which if you actually read it, incorporates this preconceived notion into the humor here. The premise of THIS article is "Hey, guy, you think you're so macho, but you haven't even done THIS?" Anyone who gets misogyny out of this article and responses is someone with a chip on their shoulder - ESPECIALLY when they come to a site with this name IN THE FIRST PLACE. (Why don't instead go find a Jewish web site and proclaim Christianity for a while?) - 08/10/2011
Elizabeth H. To Doug H. pc's aren't "secret guy things". Hey, we use pc's just as much as you do. In fact, have several female friends and aquaintances IT specialists and programmers. You needn't define your manhood by whether or not you fix things, etc. I have always been the one who fixes everything around the house, I open my own jars :-) and do the car maintenance and I'm quite feminine! My guy doesn't have to do all that to "define" his manhood. He has his own way of expressing his maleness. He loves me this way. I'm among millions of women who are not helpless and still hot for their husbands. Please don't define everyone else's gender by your own personal standards. Thank you. - 06/29/2011
Jt G. The LEAST valuable things a UPS can do are: 1. Protect the computer from power "surges". 2. (With it's software and USB cable)Shut the computer down safely in the event of a power outage. And these are two things that would make a UPS more than valuable enough to buy one all by themselves! The topic of "why and when and how a UPS?", is too lengthy and too important for a short article or even shorter "comments". READ UP!!! It will be some of the most valuable "computer/electronic widget" reading you will ever do! And it's really pretty simple. The shortest I can do: Get thee to a store and Buy One! READ THE INSTRUCTIONS!(Sorry). Attach e-v-e-r-y-thing else to it that needs to be attached to it(Phone lines/computer speakers/cable internet lines - anything in any way attached to the AC power wall outlets, or any other current-carrying-capable "lines" AND the computer.). One line to the computer with no protection will allow the ruin of everything. Install and set-up the software that comes with it. Attach the USB cable to it and the computer. The bigger the better? Sure..! My APC XS 1500, can keep my entire multiple hard drive desktop, big monitor, large(Professional) monitor speakers and external pro audio recording gear going, during a "session" for up to 45 minutes(Longest I've bothered to test it), with no problem, during a power outage. All the longer it NEEDS to "run", is as long as it takes for the computer software to "sense" the power outage(You say how long), then run it's software to safely shut down your computer. Safe to say no more than a few minutes(I throw out the figure "10" as a good goal) needed. You DO NOT want the machine to "shut down", via the software with every power outage! Most outages last only a second or two to, say, a minute. May as well run on battery at least that long..? You'll be able to! "Set" your sofware for, say "3 minutes". After a power outage of about that, it may take longer, it may not, but - you've given it a good chance to "come back quickly". That leaves 5, 6, 7 minutes for your machine to shut down safely. The smaller UPS's will do this for a "standard" desktop. How much power does your machine use? While you're at the store, buy a "Kill-O-Watt"(Sorry if I've spelled it wrong?). About 30 dollars. Plug your "system" into it, and it into the wall, and it will tell you exactly how much power you are using - so you can do the calculation to figure out how much UPS you need. You will use the KOW everywhere, to check everything, so you should have one anyway. In fact, the UPS and the KOW may be the coolest, most valuable gadgets around. What does the UPS REALLY DO, ALL the time??? It gives your machine and everything that's plugged into it "clean" power! Converts the "dirty" wall AC, to clean DC, then inverts it to clean AC, and only then puts that power into your machine. On the way, this power constantly "runs through" the battery in the UPS, a natural "filter" all by itself - and the only reason I have one ON my machine! I live dangerously - my machine has been on 24/7 since 1998(OK, there was that "pre-UPS" fire in the RAM, in 2000, that put me down for a few days...). I don't even install the software!(Do what I say, not what I do......). Still, my current machine has lasted a long, long time(Too long! At this rate I'll never have to buy a new one - but, for my work, it still does all I need...). ALL due to the clean power it provides - as well as it's surge protection, brown-out protection(Low power can be harmful, too! A surge protector cannot help, here.) and "blowout" protection(I expect the UPS to "blow-up" before the computer- I'm good with that...). Comment on surge protection - which includes buying "used" UPS or surge protectors. Surge protectors are, essentially "variable fuses/breakers". They only do so much(Not enough for a computer in my opinion). All of these things have life spans! KNOW what you have! Designs for surge protectors and UPS's can be "different". One common form of surge protection uses "sacrificial" devices for protection. Eventually they wear out, but the power can keep on coming, the little "protected" light still "on"! You don't even know they are NOT protecting! READ-UP!!! Certainly, buy new protection for every new - pricey- device. New big screen TV - new surge protector(Or UPS!). New computer? New UPS. Some entire manufacturing plants have HUGE UPS systems for the same reasons! Date the protection you buy with a sticker or something. After a couple/few years, consider replacement. When the replaceable battery dies on your UPS, it may be a v-e-r-y good idea to send it back(Even if you could do it yourself) to the manufacturer, IF they promise to "look it over" and make sure all is well, as part of the battery replacement procedure. For desktop, laptop(Yes, it has a battery, but it does not have a UPS "system" inside - maybe yours does..?) - every "pricey" piece of electronic gear, a UPS should be a critical part of your plan - everytime. - 06/28/2011
Paulsons G. Real guys get a battery backup. A lot of guys are confused about the difference between this and the whatchamacallit surge thing--whoa, complicated. Chicks just lie around doing their nails and stuff - 06/28/2011
Sam S. Your pitch for the need for an APC is on target. However, you undermine your credibility when you refer to VA (voltamps) as power. There is a relationship between VA and power known as p.f. (power factor). (I'll leave the research to you as you may retain the info longer if you do the lookup). Additionally, you opinion that 900 VA is adequate is incomplete. Both power and VA are rates. An adequate rate for too short a time won't do the job. Exploring why your electirc bill is in KWhr and not KW will help you understand this issue; the same principle applies to requirements for an APC. - 05/26/2011
J G. I talked my wife into getting me an UPS last week as heavy storms rolled through our area cutting power several times during an intense gaming session. - 05/20/2011
Mike R. As a computer professional for the last 14 years, I would like to point out a few things this article did not mention, or are incorrect about, that are noteworthy: 1. Buying a used battery backup is perfectly acceptable as long as the battery has been replaced. More often than not, the battery, not the internal circuitry of the unit, dies. 2. Along those lines, you do not need to purchase a new UPS when the battery dies. You can find batteries online from reputable sources for a fraction of the cost of a new unit. 3. Most UPS units come with a USB cable that will automatically shutdown your pc when the power is out and the UPS is active. This allows you the freedom of leaving it without worrying about having to shut it down when the power is out. 4 You should not need to shut your computer down when you are not using it. While leaving your computer on will consume more power (<$5/month), shutting it off when you are not using it for a few hours is unnecessary. If you are not going to use it for a couple of days, then you should turn it off. Alternatively, desktops and laptops can be placed into sleep mode instead of doing a full shutdown for a short period of time. I can't stress enough how important backing your data up is. I have had to tell people that all of their pictures are gone since their drive died and they did not back them up. I did offer them the service of sending the drive for recovery, but as the article mentions, it costs thousands of dollars. You should always have 2 backups - one on site, and one off site. It does you no good to backup to an external hard drive if your house is flooded, on fire, or a tornado tears your house apart. The local backup is good in case of a drive failure, and you need to take your computer in for service. You will have quicker access to your data once the computer is operational again. -Mike - 05/07/2011
Bob R. What's the difference between a few short minutes, and a few minutes? - 04/23/2011
Gene K. Brownouts and dips are your worst enemy, and yes laptops have batteries built in, they are slow, yet portable. I will never own a laptop. Too slow, too prone to problems, they are another sad sign of a throwaway world. They contribute to landfill problems. You can have my full tower of power when you pry my cold dead fingers off my mouse. - 04/18/2011
Eric B. @Doug H. - hahahahha!! - 03/30/2011
Doug H. Karen S: you shouldn't be at this site trying to learn secret "guy" things. Soon you'll be opening your own jars, using the remote, fixing the running toilet and generally making us irrelevant. Don't go there! - 03/30/2011
Mark R. We as a move to laptops which is happening very rapidly there's no need for a UPS since the battery is already built in! Basically only heavy gamers or designers use desktops anymore. - 03/27/2011
Karen S. LOL! Thank goodness this only happens to "guys". - 03/26/2011

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