I am looking to purchase an uninterruptible power source.

I play games on line and get penalized or even disqualified if I lose my internet connection.

I am looking to hook up my computer and my internet modem.

I realize that I can still lose my internet connection through my provider, but at least

I can cut down on losing my connection through brownouts and blackouts.

I only need about 30 minutes to 45 minutes ... by then most games are over.

I see some for as little as 10 dollars and some cost much more.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

-Marc-

I am looking to purchase an uninterruptible power source.

I applaud you for your wisdom! I believe ALL computers should be on a "good" UPS with AVR - automatic voltage regulation. It is important to note that a surge and spike protector is little more than a fancy and expensive extension cord. They do absolutely nothing for sags and dips (opposite of surges and spikes) or brownouts (long duration sags). And for high voltage events (surges and spikes), they just whack off the tops ("clamps") of the sinewaves, leaving pretty "dirty" power for your power supplies and computer regulator circuits to deal with.

And note the flickers are much worse for your hardware than a sudden power outage.

I see some for as little as 10 dollars

You don't have to spend $400 to get a good UPS but going cheap would be a mistake.

While the actual batteries in the cheap and expensive models may be the same, the monitoring, switch-over, and regulation electronics is where your bread and butter comes from. Power during a complete power outage is only the icing on the cake. All UPS monitor input voltage by taking "samples" of the input voltages looking for anomalies. They then use the batteries when the input voltage drops below a certain threshold. But better UPS with AVR have a much better (faster) sample rate, can cut-over to batteries much more quickly, and provide a cleaner voltage for your equipment. Since most power outages last less than a second (flickers are good examples), and since digital computer equipment is particularly sensitive to power anomalies, good, clean stable power is essential. The best UPS typically provide regulated battery power all the time. But tend to be very expensive.

I am looking to hook up my computer and my internet modem.

For reasons I have never been able to figure out, on many products, makers only put the better features on the biggest models. The same is true for UPS. While you may only need 500VA of protection, the 1000VA and larger UPS have the better electronics - which typically means they detect anomalies sooner and react to them faster. APC is probably the best known, but Tripplite, Belkin and Cyberpower all make good UPS too.

I have a 1500VA APC that cost close to $200. A lot of money, but it protects my power hungry computer, my cable modem, wireless-N router, 1Gbit 4-Port switch, PDA hotsync/charging cradle, telephone, and TWO 22" widescreen LCD monitors and it will hold power for at least 25 minutes.

Note the purpose of an UPS is not to let you keep computing for extended periods of time. Again, most outages only last seconds, or much less. Those that last minutes often last an hour or more and are typically pretty rare. So the UPS gives you time to save your work, exit your programs, and "gracefully" shutdown the computer until power is restored. Unless you buy a HUGE, really high end, don't expect to keep on playing for 30 - 45 minutes on backup power.

The "proper" way to size up your UPS requirements is to add up the power consumption of your CPU, graphics card, RAM, motherboard, etc. A short cut is to start with the size of your computer's power supply. Then add in the power requirements for your monitor or monitors, network gear, and anything else you want protected. The wattages should be stamped on the power blocks of those devices, or the back of the device if no power block. The wattage totals for your hardware will be their maximum demands so an UPS that size or larger will do fine.

A UPS bigger than you need will not hurt anything - it generally means more battery uptime. But a bigger UPS will cost more, as will the replacement batteries (necessary about every 3 years).

Another problem is UPS makers try to confuse consumers by rating UPS in VA (voltamps). In DC circuits, no problem because Volts x Amps = Watts. So 500VA = 500W. But with AC as comes out the wall, you have to factor in the "power factor". And to make matters worse, There's no standard power factor value which makes conversion a bit difficult if the maker does not specify wattage too. For example, I have the APC 1500VA. Note it says 865W while the Cyberpower 1500VA says 900W. APC is using a PF of .5767 (1500VA x .5767 = 865.05W) and Cyberpower is using .6 (1500VA x .6 = 900W). And then the Tripplite 1500 uses .6533 (1500 x .6533 = 980W).

So, all your equipment will be in watts and you will need to convert to VA. I use .6 for PF. So the two formulas you will need are:

To convert VA to Watts: VA x .6 = W
Example: 1500VA x .6 = 900 watts.

To convert Watts to VA: W x 1.667 = VA
Example: 900W x 1.667 = 1500VA

CRT monitors and laser printers consume huge amounts of power when first powered up. Laser printers should not go on a UPS. A single CRT monitor can if the UPS is large enough. Most ink jet printers are fine. Scanners, faxes, and copiers (or multi-function printers) may be too much.

Note that power anomalies don't just come from bad weather somewhere. EVERY time a high wattage device in your home, office or apartment building cycles on and off, it sends anomalies down the line. If there is a fault, it could be an extreme anomaly, just as damaging as a lightning strike. These devices includes 1500W $15 Chinese hair dryers, microwave ovens, toasters, refrigerators, water coolers, ACs, and more.

That's a lot to digest but selecting a good UPS with AVR is an investment that must be done with some thought. Don't go looking for economy. Get a good one.

And don't hesitate to ask more questions.