[X4U] APC power backup units for a 27.5 iMac

[Randy B. Singer]

On Jun 1, 2014, at 7:45 PM, john dach wrote:

> I am trying to figure out which APC unit I should get for a 27 in iMAC, 2.7 GHz Intel Core i5 and an Airport 3 TB unit.  I cheated out their site and now I am REALLY confused.  I was at Office Max and they "sold me" a APC NS 1080 but I don't think this is an appropriate unit for a MAC.  

Why not?  APC's selector site is here:
http://www.apc.com/tools/ups_selector/US/en/home/device
and it looks to me as if you got yourself a UPS with plenty of headroom.

You seem to have made a good choice in both capacity and in that the UPS you chose includes AVR (which I consider to be a necessity, and which many APC units leave out).  So...you did good.

I used to (many years ago) exclusively use and recommend APC UPS's.  Since then their quality and company integrity has fallen precipitously, while at the same time their prices have risen compared to the competition. However, looking at the specs for the model that you got:
<https://www.apc.com/products/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=BN1080G&tab=features>
it appears that, as long as you didn't pay over $100 for it (in which case you were robbed, they are going for $85 on Amazon), you got a good deal.

> There is no Powerchute downloads for Apple on the APC site. 

You don't need Powerchute software.  Automated UPS software is built-into OS X, and it will show up in System Preferences/Energy Saver when you attach your UPS.  There is also a "Show battery status in the menu bar" option in System Preferences/Energy Saver.
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH14086

___________________________________________
Randy B. Singer
Co-author of The Macintosh Bible (4th, 5th, and 6th editions)

Macintosh OS X Routine Maintenance
http://www.macattorney.com/ts.html
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