Do We Need a "Gaming" UPS? APC Gaming Pure Sine Wave UPS review

Buy one on Amazon: lon.tv/69j58 (compensated affiliate link) - APC's pure sine wave "gaming" UPS comes at a more premium price vs. their non-gaming version. Beyond an extra USB port and an RGB light I can't find much to justify the added price. See the non gaming version here: amzn.to/3b6jqyO and subscribe! lon.tv/s
VIDEO INDEX:
00:00 - Intro
01:00 - Price
01:24 - Power
02:52 - Lighting
03:26 - USB Ports
04:09 - Power Plugs
04:51 - Coax & Ethernet surge protection
05:16 - Data port for APC software
06:20 - Early defects
06:49 - Battery Type & Replacement
07:33 - On board display & Battery Life
09:33 - Real World Test - Cutting Power to an Xbox
10:49 - Do you need a "gaming UPS?"
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[@MysteryMii]

You gotta love companies throwing around buzzwords to try to justify charging a premium for their products.

[@Bombichote1]

Exactly what I was looking for, appreciate this video. The only thing missing was your recomendations of a same ups.

[@Bussin_ddn]

Sir plz tell me that pure sine wave inverter enough for ps5 cause I have power cut issues in my area...

[@brianschwarm8267]

Will this prevent my computer from shutting down from voltage dips? My computer randomly shuts down sometimes, and since it’s not overclocked, I figure it’s a sensitive PSU.

[@NinjaKittyBonks]

Hello, Lon TV... I have a question and you are talking about my direct concern :) I have done a LOT of diagnosing and found that when I play higher-graphically demanding PC games, my UPS "green" light turns "yellow" and the high pitched low-volume "beeeeeeeeep" sounds. I have tested and this is 100% conclusive of excessive wattage demand by my PC and considering purchase of the APC UPS VA1500 (rated 900 watts). My current is American Power Conversion and rated at 330 watts, while my PC power supply is rated at 600 watts. My question is this... UPS always seem to advertise how LONG your equip will run on battery, to allow saving of files and such. I can literally have 1 min and is plenty to end whatever I am doing, so duration is not a consideration. My concern is the ability to constantly sustain 600+ watts during every day (some PC games demand high power), normal use while power supply to my building is fine, so that this issue never happens again. Am I to understand that the 900 watt ratting is specifically for wattage DEMAND, as I am thinking? . Thanks, in advance... The Lil' Ninja :)

[@bobbyworld]

Can you do some more on these category of devices?

[@joshmcgootermier2301]

I’ve frequently watched your Videos Nd enjoy your personality. Enjoyed seeing you on the MJR video today and made me realize that I’m subscribed to a lot bigger goofballs so I at least owe you a sub. Thanks for the work you do.

[@broscplayer1049]

Yo recommend this ups por an oled tv 55”?

[@typerightseesight]

interesting enough you've plugged the monitor in on the 6th power receptacle port? I have the non gaming version of this.

[@creatorvoss]

Hi, one question to you or everyone, does the m1 mac mini has ACTIVE PFC power supply out circuit. If yes what UPS should i use, a pure sine wave or modified sine wave. Thanks

[@DigitalIP]

UPS's in general are useful during outages for more than giving you time to turn your PC off. Cheaper UPS's for example can simply be used to power low wattage lights such as USB LEDs/Strips during an outage for a number of hours. Naturally, USB power banks can also come in handy for that as well.

[@tormagabor9542]

What about a noise? The user's manual contains 45 dBA noise level. When the fan runs, only on battery mode or always? It depends on the load?

[@MartinPaoloni]

I was about to joke about the fact that it doesn't have RGB... BUT IT DOES! 🤣 This will pair nicely with my gaming chair, gaming desk and gaming mousepad.

[@Zosu22]

Can’t wait for gaming outlet covers lol.

[@madmax2069]

Wot

[@daveschmarder-1950]

I have power failures about once a month or so. Most are short 1 or 2 second glitches, enough to dump my computer. I have a UPS and it is great. I'm not in the third world, but in western New York State. I'm glad that you never have problems with your power company, Lon.

[@LonSeidman]

I have a ton of problems with my power company. We have huge week long outages every year after storms.

[@daveschmarder-1950]

@@LonSeidman Yeah, I've been following your sorrows, Lon. I'm sure you'll let us know if something develops with them vs. the govt.

[@LonSeidman]

@@daveschmarder-1950 They just got hit with a $30 million fine for poor performance! Progress!

[@daveschmarder-1950]

@@LonSeidman Good. That's a beginning. I'm sure there are some remedies there too.

[@WallaceRoseVincent]

Lon, You have a playlist called Reviews of ChromeOS devices with 59 videos. The first one in that list is showing that it was deleted. Is that Google censoring something you said or did you take the video down? I no longer trust Google as a platform and just wanted to know if you were being censored for something.

[@LonSeidman]

No it's not deleted I had a video that was completed but not published and unlisted. When a video is scheduled for publishing it goes private and the playlist lists it as deleted. It'll be back tonight at 6:45 p.m. eastern when it goes live.

[@jeyendeoso]

this will go nicely with my Puma 100$ gaming socks, thanks for the tip, Lon! (/sarcasm) all joking aside, thanks for the review, as always.

[@rev.lazarus906]

have you seen the reviews of this unit exploding left and right? why did you recommend this?

[@krishnansrinivasan830]

Awesome & Thanks :)

[@hypyryon]

I think Windows already has drivers for many common UPSs. Your desktop will basically work like a laptop. You'll even see the battery icon on your desktop PC.

[@pootispiker2866]

Even Windows 2000 will know what to do with this UPS out of the box. EDIT: I should point out that windows will try to shutdown immediately afgter losing AC power. Installing the UPS software will help you fine tune your shutdown time.

[@damienl8995]

So does anyone know how to turn off the Annoyingly bright APC logo LED without using black electrical tape? I know eventually that light will just burn out if on 24 hours a day. Thanks.

[@vgamesx1]

3:02 Ok credit where it's due, that's actually a really nice feature since it can be difficult to see the outlets when it's say hiding under a desk, other than that why a "gaming" UPS?

[@Sheepy007]

Add glowing led lighting, add the gaming moniker, add 20 % markup. Lets be clear hear, many gamers are idiots

[@Toliman.]

True Sine vs Pure Sine, depends how many steps are used in the inverter circuit and if it can support Active PFC used in PSUs over the last 10+ years, necessary to actually back up a computer made in the last decade. For $250+, it should have USB-C 40w or Ethernet, or some other function versus ... a $20 RGB strip controller. No wonder why Cyberpower is basically obliterating APC in retail and SOHO, and also 2-5kVA 2RU units.

[@lcarliner]

Cyber power has a sine wave UPC for $200 that has been regarded as superior to that of APC offerings.

[@brandonbinder5572]

Their QC is horrible.

[@discodraugr5233]

Research the conductive glue they use 😢

[@minhajuddin4638]

So i will get the pure sine wave current when the ups is on Battery?pls reply if you can

[@karcomixworld8236]

@@minhajuddin4638 exacto

[@vegitoblue4390]

how much Watts your Xbox and Monitor both were using at that time ? it should've been using at least 300W together, why did it say 144 ??

[@LonSeidman]

They only draw what they need. The power supplies have a total amount they can draw but the actual usage varies

[@vegitoblue4390]

@@LonSeidman got it, I got a breaker tripping, there were two TVs 48" each, PS5 and a 12K BTU Air conditioner, it all seems were pulling ~1600W outta the 1800W available, strange they were all using all the power, now I don't play PS5 if AC is on just to be safe.

[@hulkhatepunybanner]

*I just saved myself some dollars. Thanks.*

[@INJOONKIM]

Costco sells Cyberpower 1500VA 810W unit for $99.99. The Gaming tag on the top brand is ridiculously expensive LOL.

[@madmax2069]

Yeah, but that's also not a pure sign wave UPS either which won't work with PCs that have a Active PFC PSU.

[@cheycheyc]

Don't the APC gaming ups have issues of blowing up. Remember reading alot of Amazon reviews about that issue. Don't know if it's the same one unless they have other gaming ups models.

[@madmax2069]

They pretty much all do here lately, APC, cyber power, Amazon basics.

[@mikedw6748]

UPS or FedEx

[@gudenau]

The sign wave on the diagram doesn't look right. The positive half is wider than the negative half. Also I'd love to see a scope hooked up to this thing. What's the Linux support on these like?

[@pootispiker2866]

Linux should support pretty much any UPS that's connected to USB much like Windows does. As for the picture, I'm sure it's just marketing crap. I think vwestlife or uxwbill hooked a cheap scope up to it and it looked no different than you'd expect.

[@aubreypachoud3203]

Why not buy a jackery or renogy power station that will give you hours of PC use not just 5 minutes or so?

[@vgamesx1]

You mean using it as a UPS? Because the entire point is to prevent your PC from losing power, ya know to prevent data loss/corruption, not to play games on it... Well that and surge protection, also any decent unit does power filtering too. I've looked a few of those power stations and at a similar price they definitely are NOT able to run a PC for hours, they have maybe an extra 50% capacity over a similar UPS, if you want to run a gaming device for several hours you're looking at something more like a $1,000 power station.

[@terryrodbourn2793]

I tend to think today a Gaming CPU a UPS might be good today with recent aging Electric infrastructure it might be good investment for your computer! At price point it would be better getting a power station instead and pay attention to lights going out!

[@cyberwasp461]

One day I'll put an oscilloscope on my apc 1500 sinewave just to see how clean it really is!!

[@rogerf3622]

It’s interesting that APC still uses that old proprietary RJ45-USB cable. If you lose the cable its gonna cost $25US. And no USB-C with adequate power on the front? It sure looks like innovation has slowed at APC in favor of higher profits by repackaging old technology.

[@SB-qm5wg]

The pure sine wave UPSes cost extra even without the 'gaming' title

[@gpthree]

the link to the non gaming one is more expensive

[@ganeryhyperion8386]

that ups look like from their APC Br.... series without the rgb thing

[@sbacon92]

yes it's needed. I pull so much power it trips the circuit breaker.

[@sbacon92]

There is no such thing as lightning protection. If lightning strikes your home, everything will burn.

[@TheTruthDragonNJ09]

@@sbacon92 - Lightning rods.

[@andyjack2368]

you change battery used deep cycle battery 12 volt 100A I have ups 350 I change battery get much longer hours on it

[@ctk4949]

I dont understand the point of the RGB lights and USB ports. My UPS is hidden behind my desk. Just get a normal pure sine wave UPS.

[@madmax2069]

The USB ports for charging things if your PC doesn't have available USB ports for charging your device, and keeps the outlets free for other things instead of being loaded down with wallwart chargers. Plus if the power goes out and your phone runs low you can plug it in on the front and recharge (which is a lot easier on the UPS batteries because it doesn't have to convert to AC like with a wallwart charger plugged into the unit)

[@ctk4949]

​@@madmax2069 I understand what the USB ports are for, lol. I was just saying, I think most people hide their UPS behind a desk. Its not like you keep it on top of your desk?? Do people actually use their PC to charge their devices?? I would hate having all those cables everywhere. lol

[@madmax2069]

@@ctk4949 it wouldn't really matter. when the power shuts off and you need to charge a phone you're either going to connect it regardless, or pull it out to use it I know I would. but if I had it behind something, I'd be smart enough to hook a USB extension up to it for ease of access.

[@unibrowser1]

Would be cool to see the data port work with game consoles. Then I would be comfortable calling it "gaming".

[@Datacorrupter234]

those lights are gona have to be solved by some duct tape XD

[@ralphmcmahan2139]

Gaming? Needs more RGB cowbells.

[@davkas19]

You should have specified if you were running the new firmware or if you were running the old one.

[@BB-qp5xo]

Maybe say thanks and then give some advice? :)

[@whatsupdog1761]

Too bad it's 900W max. And also why are they all still using lead acid?

[@CaptainScorpio24]

companies love using cheap things

[@TranceFan05]

I read an article about it. I forget what units where being used but lead acid costs 10 bucks per unit and lithium ion about 100. A lithium ion battery the size needed to have the same storage capacity would be a smaller unit but would make a fire that burned at a significantly higher temperature. This would evaporate the spray of standard fire exquishers before reaching the base of the fire. The government requires more safety features for lithium ion battery's as a result increasing cost and increasing shipping costs/regulations. The lead acid is unfortunately the correct choice both due to price and ( intelligent) government regulations.

[@KRich408]

Pure sine wave is mostly hype! I have basically the same APC UPS "1500 VA" has USB A and C on the front, I have a Gigabyte aorus z390 master with a I9 32 gigs of ram, GTX1070ti Hybrid, a 4 Bay Synology NAS, Wifi 6 router, and a Mofi 4G backup modem all connected to my UPS the power has gone out a lot in the winter never had a issue, the run time with everything running is about 40 minutes just the NAS "my Plex server" the router and Mofi it runs almost a hour. The thing about Pure sine wave is if you have a good power supply the Caps inside it will smooth out the wave form they act as shock absorbers on a car. The need of Pure sine wave is not as relevet as it was 15-20 years ago, also my PC PS is a 750w EVGA from around 2011. Don't believe in marketing hype just to dig deeper into your wallet.

[@johnpoldo8817]

Ken is correct so take his advise. You don’t need a pure sine wave output. Gamers don’t need this expensive UPS. Save your money for something more useful.

[@kangsusuh4919]

You don’t need pure sine wave if you have an older power supply like Ken does here. Most newer power supplies (and ones with higher certifications) have active PFC which is good but not compatible with non-pure sine wave UPS. All depends on your setup. Research if your power supply has “active PFC” or not. Pure sine wave is not bogus and is a legitimate feature that may be beneficial for those that need it and most models are $200+. “Gaming UPS” on the other hand… I mean I guess it’s aesthetically pleasing but not sure if it’s worth the $50 mark up

[@kangsusuh4919]

@@johnpoldo8817 no, it worked out for Ken because his power supply is from 2011. Most modern power supplies have active PFC that require pure sine wave UPS, otherwise your computer will just shut down during an outage.

[@madmax2069]

"pure sine wave is mostly hype" Ahh yeah no, if you knew what you was talking about you wouldn't be saying that. Seems your older PSU isn't an active PFC PSU. So any old non pure sine wave UPS will work. A pure sine wave is required in order for a PSU with active PFC to operate. if the UPS lacks a pure sine wave on a system with a PSU that has active PFC when the power shuts off and the UPS kicks on your PC will shut off because the output of that UPS is not compatible.

[@madmax2069]

@@johnpoldo8817 actually Kens way wrong.

[@adariepennant3389]

I think Microsoft + Nintendo + Google + Sony + sega + should joint forces and make a ultimate console together it would be awesome 🤝🤝🤝🤝🤝

[@takehirolol5962]

It's quite the idea, but we really need the competition even if these times suck...it can be even worse without any competition...

[@SodaGumX]

******sees gaming ups***** * hopes these have over 1500VA * finds out it does not and does the exact same thing as the cyberpower ones i have***, *loses interest.***** **thinks it over again and likes the lights may consider it.******

[@jasonpowell7704]

First!

[@davenz000]

Gaming anything - slap some cheap janky looking LEDs on in and sell it for more money.

[@madmax2069]

That's not what's going on here, the markup is for the fact it's an APC brand, and the fact it's a pure sine wave UPS (which marks up the price significantly). A pure sine wave UPS is a must if you have a system that's equipped with a PSU with active PFC.

[@pootispiker2866]

@@madmax2069 This isn't necessarily true anymore. Back in the early days? Yes absolutely, you could blow up active PFC after just a few seconds of modified sine wave. But modern power supplies are indeed compatible with modiefied sine wave and even that horrible PWM "sine wave." Pure sine wave is still superior in that it can power inductive loads like transformers and older computers without loss of efficiency. I've also heard they're quieter but I can't confirm that.

[@FatNorthernBigot]

I think we're approaching "audiophile" levels of snake oil, here.

[@madmax2069]

Not really, why do you say that. If you're saying that because of the pure sine wave part then you'd be wrong, because it's a requirement for any systems that's equipped with a PSU with active PFC to operate. An Active PFC PSU needs a pure sine wave or it will not work when the power shuts off and the UPS kicks in, the PC will shut off as if it's not getting power.

[@Stormprobe]

APC is the worst.

[@warwagon]

Am I the only one who thinks RGB is STUPID! That being said, sometimes it's really hard to see to plug stuff in behind a UPS. So that looks cool to have a light. But Jesus, everyone just stop it with the RGB. I am proud to say The computer I have now has no RGB other than a light on the motherboard.

[@stevensgarage6451]

I feel the same way but not willing to pay extra for non rgb

[@corndog9482]

RGB is the gayest trend ever.