Hey everyone! I'm building a gaming PC that's going to draw around 650W, and I'll be using a Corsair RM850X (2024) PSU. I'm looking for a UPS to give me enough time to save my work and shut down my PC safely during a power outage. According to Corsair, both pure and simulated sine wave UPS options are okay, as long as they're from a reputable brand. However, I've read that pure sine wave is generally better. Is it really necessary for my setup?
I've found an APC Back UPS BX - BX1600MI-GR for €180, which is a good brand, but the cheapest pure sine wave option is about €240 from PowerWalker, and better brands like APC or CyberPower go beyond €280. Since I'm already going over budget with this purchase, I'm hoping to stick to €250 if I can. What do you all think? Here are my components:
- **CPU:** Intel Core Ultra 7 265K 3.9 GHz 20-Core Processor
- **Motherboard:** Gigabyte Z890 AORUS ELITE WIFI7 ATX LGA1851
- **RAM:** Crucial Pro Overclocking 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL36
- **SSD:** Samsung 990 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 NVME
- **GPU:** Gigabyte WINDFORCE OC SFF GeForce RTX 5070 12 GB
- **PSU:** Corsair RM850x (2024) 850 W Fully Modular ATX
- **Monitor:** 1440p 27" 180Hz+ (not bought yet)
- **Cooler:** likely be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 5 (not bought yet)
3 Answers
Honestly, if you're just looking for enough time to save your work and shut everything down, the BX1600 should serve you well. It's a solid brand, and most users find that it meets their needs perfectly without breaking the bank. Just make sure your PSU is fully compatible with it for peace of mind!
For your build, if keeping costs down is a priority, go with the BX1600. Pure sine wave is better for peace of mind, especially if you plan any upgrades later that might draw more power, but for now, you should be fine with the simulated sine wave as long as you're getting a reliable model.
The brand of your UPS matters more than just the sine wave type. For most setups like yours, a simulated sine wave is adequate; the BX1600 should do just fine for normal use. A lot of the pure sine recommendations came from concerns about older, cheaper models that produced square waves, which can mess up sensitive devices. Unless you're powering high-end audio gear, your PC and monitor won't have issues with a good quality simulated sine wave UPS.
You might want to check how your PSU handles simulated sine wave. Some power supplies with Active-PFC—like yours—could behave unexpectedly with those. It might work fine now, but for full reliability under different loads, a pure sine wave UPS would be the safest bet.