Looking for the best deal on an ATI 4890

electrical surge took it out kinda sucks to it was a beast.

always invest in power suppression units... lesson learned. you may end up losing the power suppressor, but your computer will survive so it's a small price to pay imo. i recommend the ultra units, some of them support up to 1200+ watts.

Hi EX,
okay wanna learn me something ?LOL seriously, what should I look for in a power suppression unit? i have read that unless you get one that is up to a certain standard, you might as well not have one at all.

well you don't want to skimp that's for sure, a little 8-plug surge protector isn't going to cut it if there's a big power spike. you'll want something with at least a built-in breaker and maybe battery backup. there are some units that will power the computer for at least 30min so you can finish up what you are doing without it cutting out on you. of course there are premium solutions that include power monitoring, dual breakers, and all kinds of protection, but you might not need that. there are also certain wattage ratings and suppression ratings, so you'll need to find one that will cover your setup.

@EXCellR8, are you referring to a UPS?

yea i couldn't remember the letters... guess i should have just made the obvious connection to the parcel service :haha:

I knew he was talking about an uninterrupted power supply Moiz lol, i just dont know a good one from a hole in the ground

yeah a ups wasnt in my budget i had it on a $ surge protector but lightning hit the house and took it out so kinda sucks also i think the psu had something to do with it.

Surge protector strips are virtually useless; a UPS provides true surge protection. APC is one of the best in the business.

.....they are not!.....they make good power strips! :haha:

The UPS unit I have now, an APC brand, is ok but the battery is nowhere close to being able to power my computer when the power is lost. This is lousy but it still protects the computer from being damaged during a power surge, so I'm grateful to have it. You can hear the breaker when there is a spike, and then it resets after the power levels return to normal. While it does this, nothing happens with the computer even if it's running.

The power ratings should be chosen carefully; some PSUs have current input needs that are higher than what most UPSs can provide. Most people look at the wattage (i.e. real power) only; the apparent power ratings also need to be taken into account IMO.

In order for my computer to be fully covered, I would probably need to invest in one of the high-end Ultra solutions. My PSU is 1000w but I'm not sure what the current input requirements are. Where can I find out? It's an Ultra X3 1000w modular. I would love to have a UPS capable of running my computer when the power goes down (happens a lot up here) but the premium solutions are in the $200 range.

The input current requirement for your PSU is 8A RMS, which translates to about 11.3A peak.

You can see it here.

For choosing a suitable UPS, you would need to know the peak power draw of your PSU, and choose a UPS with the appropriate current output and wattage ratings.

Alright thanks, I'm gonna do a little shopping a bit later and see what I can come up with.

i think when i build my new computer im going to try for one of these can anyone suggest one that would be a good all around performer?

so is something like this any good?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16842101129

wow $430 thats kinda steep

That is an excellent unit, but overkill for a PC. It is meant for running motors; true sine-wave output and a high apparent power output are needed for these.

rage can you recommend a good unit for me?