How to Choose the Right UPS: A Complete Guide for Home, Office, and Gaming

Tech - by Joe Weber - updated on 12/19/2025

In today's tech-filled world, your electronics are an essential part of your life. From the computer in your home office and your router that keeps you connected, to your new gaming PC, all of it is vulnerable to a sudden power outage or a damaging voltage spike. A simple power flicker can corrupt a file, while a major surge can permanently fry expensive hardware.

An Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) is the essential, all-in-one solution that provides both battery backup and power filtering. But finding the right one can be confusing. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know.

What is a UPS and How Does It Work?

An Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) has become a standard piece of equipment for businesses, home offices, and even gaming setups. They offer two primary benefits:

1. Backup Power: In the event of a total power loss, a UPS provides a source of battery backup power.
2. Power Filtering: Unlike simple battery backups, a UPS system actively filters the power coming into your devices. This protects your sensitive electronics from flickering power, brownouts, and damaging power surges.

Having a UPS backup allows you to use your computer, router, and phone systems during a power outage. For a business, this maintains communication with clients and team members. For a home user, it gives you crucial minutes to save your work and shut down your computer properly, preventing data loss or file corruption.

How Do You Find the Best UPS Unit For Home or Business?

To determine the uninterruptible power supply system you need, start with a few basic questions:

1. What equipment do you want to protect? For home use, this is typically a computer, monitor, and router. For businesses, it could be an entire server room or data center. For gamers, it's the PC/console, monitor, and internet modem/router. Make a list of every device.
2. How long do you need backup power? Do you just need 5 minutes to save your work and shut down safely? Or do you need 30 minutes to ride out a brief outage? The more runtime you require, the larger the UPS unit you will need.
3. How many outlets do you need? Count the plugs of all the equipment you want to protect. Be sure to note if you need outlets that are only surge-protected (for items like printers) and outlets that are both battery-backup and surge-protected (for critical items like your PC and monitor).

What Does a UPS Unit's VA Rating Measure?

A UPS system's Volt-Ampere (VA) rating denotes the size of the unit and the total load it can handle. The higher the VA rating, the more battery current output and greater runtime the system has.

To find what size unit you need, you must know the power requirements of your equipment (measured in watts). The VA rating will always be higher than the watt rating. As a general rule:

• Laptops & Modems: A laptop, router, and monitor use significantly less power. A system with a rating of 450VA to 600VA will likely provide an adequate amount of backup power.
• Desktop Computers: A standard home office desktop computer with a monitor will draw more power and likely requires a system rated 900VA or above.
• Gaming PCs: These are high-performance machines. We'll cover this next.

How Much Surge Protection Do You Need?

Surge protection is measured in joules. This rating indicates how much harmful energy the UPS can absorb and dissipate before it fails. The higher the joule rating, the better and longer-lasting the protection.

• Modest Needs (500 Joules): Adequate for simple electronics like a lamp, fan, or USB charger.
• Home Office (900-1800 Joules): A reasonable average for protecting a desktop computer and monitor.
• Home Theater & Gaming (1800+ Joules): For expensive, "mission-critical" equipment like a gaming PC, console, or high-end TV, you want a higher joule rating to provide the best protection.

Can a UPS Protect My Gaming Setup During a Power Outage?

Absolutely! In fact, a gaming UPS is one of the smartest investments you can make to protect your high-performance rig.

Think about it: college kids home for winter break finally have time to dive into their favorite games. They've brought their expensive gaming PCs or consoles home, but winter storms and holiday decorations can put a strain on the power grid. A sudden power flicker or brownout—common in older dorms and family homes—can be disastrous.

Here's what a UPS for your gaming PC prevents:

• Losing a Match: Nothing is worse than being in the final circle or in the middle of a raid and having the power cut out. A UPS gives you time to finish the match or at least exit gracefully.
• Corrupted Save Files: A sudden shutdown during a save operation can corrupt your game data, wiping out hours of progress.
• Hardware Damage: Your PC's power supply unit (PSU), graphics card (GPU), and motherboard are all highly sensitive to voltage irregularities. A UPS "cleans" this power, protecting your expensive components from long-term damage.

When choosing a UPS for gaming, look for one with a high VA and Watt rating to handle the significant power draw of a gaming PC and monitor. Many high-end UPS units even offer LCD screens that show you the power load in real-time.

How Often Should I Check My UPS Battery?

UPS units run on Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) batteries, which wear out over time—typically every 3-5 years. You must regularly monitor your unit's battery to make sure it is functioning properly. Otherwise, it could fail right when you need it most.

Many UPS systems come with an "automatic self-test" function or an alert light that will tell you when it's time to change the batteries. Even so, it's a good idea to manually test the battery every six months (many have a test button) just to be sure.

When it's time for a replacement UPS battery, we suggest using high-rate batteries, like Duracell Ultra High-Rate SLA batteries. These are specifically engineered to provide fast, reliable power for backup applications.

Still Not Sure Which UPS You Need?

Choosing the right UPS doesn't have to be complicated. By understanding your power needs and the value of your equipment, you can easily protect your technology from unexpected outages and damaging surges.

If you're still not sure which system is right for you, or if it's time to replace your old UPS battery, our experts are here to help. Stop by your local Batteries Plus store, and we'll gladly answer your questions and help you find the perfect power solution for your home or business.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Will a UPS keep my internet on during a power outage?

A: Yes! If you plug your internet modem and wireless router into the battery-backup side of your UPS, you can maintain your Wi-Fi connection even when the lights go out. This is perfect for staying updated on a laptop or mobile device.

Q: I heard my UPS "click." Is it broken?

A: No, that "click" is usually a good sign! It's the sound of the UPS switching to battery power or engaging its internal power-filtering to correct a minor voltage issue (like a brownout). It means the UPS is actively protecting your equipment.

Q: Can I plug a power strip or surge protector into my UPS?

A: You should never plug a standard power strip or another surge protector into the battery backup outlets of your UPS. This can overload the unit and may void its warranty. If you need more outlets, get a larger UPS.

Q: My UPS is beeping. What does that mean?

A: Beeping is the UPS's way of communicating. A constant beep usually means the power is out and you're running on battery. A periodic chirp often means the battery is low or needs to be replaced. Check your user manual to be sure.