UPS Thoughts

UPS Thoughts

According to the information that is available from Microsoft online, the different Xbox 360 versions have the following power requirements:

Xbox 360 Slim (Valhalla) -- Idle 71 Watts / Full-Tilt 100 Watts*
Xbox 360 Late 2008 - 2010 (Jasper) -- Idle 94 Watts / Full-Tilt 110 Watts
Xbox 360 Late 2007 - 2008 (Falcon) -- Idle 102 Watts / Full-Tilt 125 Watts
Xbox 360 2005 - 2007 (Xenon) -- Idle 156 Watts / Full-Tilt 180 Watts

* The full tilt number is based upon the peak draw playing a game.

Using those numbers, and depending upon the model you own, your needs for uninterrupted power should not be greater than a conservative 200 Watts for the console.  Adding your TV to the equation even for a monster-sized flat-screen should not add more than 300 Watts to the equation -- but you want to check the numbers for YOUR TV before you decide on the UPS to get -- mine had a peak number of 240 Watts, which added to my Slim meant I needed 340 Watts but I called it 400 Watts for a little insurance.

The total that you get when adding the console wattage to the TV's is the load that you need to cover when selecting your UPS.  You could just get one for your console but that only helps you when the power goes out and then comes back on, not if it actually goes out and stays out for an extended period of time, since you are going to want to gracefully exit the game you are playing and shut down the console, right?  I mean that is the whole point of this!

So, now that we have the target number, let's look at the economics of this invisible layer of insurance that you will be adding to your game gear...

-- APC Back-UPS ES 750 UPS - 450 Watt (RRP: $108 can be had on sale as low as $75)
-- CyberPower CP825LCD UPS - 450 Watt (RRP: $95 can be had on sale as low as $77)
-- Tripp Lite ECO Series ECO750UPS UPS - 450 Watt (RRP: $90 can be had on sale as low as $70)

Now, bearing in mind that you can get better sale prices online, when you add the shipping costs -- these things contain lead acid batteries and are HEAVY -- rarely does that end up being a deal, so I recommend going to a local store like Staples or Wallmart. 

There are actually more than a dozen companies that make UPS's in this power range -- I listed the three above who happen to be industry standard manufacturers whose products I have used extensively in the past and so I know can be trusted and are of high quality and reliability.

In addition to providing you with uninterrupted power, these also serve as surge protecting devices -- the point being that they will give up their life to protect your game gear more reliably than the so-called surge protector power strip you probably have your systems plugged into now.  Let me tell you about those power strips -- they will not prevent your console from getting hurt from a lightning strike on the power line, they only protect from the regular surges that are present in standard residential power lines. 

It may seem like an extreme preventative measure to go to, spending around $100 to protect your game save, but that is not really what this is about.  Adding one of these low-profile devices as part of your gaming kit will indeed keep you from losing your save to a power outage, but their true value is that they will keep you from losing your console and TV from a lightning strike or when some drunk takes out the pole down the street sending a massive surge through the lines!

When you factor in the month it takes to get your console replaced or serviced (assuming it is under warranty) that $100 is a bargain.  I am just saying...