Question:

Why does my UPS fail to support my PC when gaming, but not when idle or watching videos? >
> I have an AWP Wise Aide 1000VA/600W UPS that I bought two weeks ago. I expected it to give me enough time to safely shut off my PC in case of a power outage. However, I noticed that whenever I play a game, both my PC and UPS shut down immediately, even if I unplug the UPS first. This does not happen when my PC is idle or watching videos. My PC specs are: >
> – CPU: Ryzen 5 5600 > – Motherboard: ASRock B550M Pro4 > – RAM: PNY 16GB (8×2) 3200mhz CL16 > – GPU: Gigabyte RTX 4060 Gaming OC > – PSU: Corsair CV550 >
> Is there something wrong with my UPS or my PC? How can I fix this issue?

Answer:

Why does my UPS fail to support my PC when gaming, but not when idle or watching videos?

A UPS (uninterruptible power supply) is a device that provides backup power to your PC in case of a power outage. It is supposed to give you enough time to safely shut off your PC and prevent data loss or damage. However, some users have reported that their UPS fails to support their PC when gaming, but not when idle or watching videos. What causes this problem and how can you fix it?

There are several possible causes for this problem, but the most likely one is that your UPS is not powerful enough to handle the power consumption of your PC when gaming. Gaming is a very demanding activity that requires a lot of resources from your PC, especially from your CPU and GPU. These components draw more power when they are under heavy load, and this can exceed the capacity of your UPS.

To understand this better, you need to know two terms: VA (volt-ampere) and W (watt). VA is the apparent power that your UPS can deliver, while W is the real power that your PC consumes. The ratio between these two is called the power factor, and it depends on the efficiency of your PC components. The higher the power factor, the closer the VA and W values are. The lower the power factor, the more VA you need to provide the same W.

For example, if your PC consumes 600W and has a power factor of 0.8, then you need a UPS that can deliver at least 750VA (600W / 0.8). If your PC consumes 600W and has a power factor of 0.6, then you need a UPS that can deliver at least 1000VA (600W / 0.6).

Now, let’s look at your PC specs and your UPS. You have an AWP Wise Aide 1000VA/600W UPS, which means that it can deliver 1000VA of apparent power and 600W of real power. Your PC has a Ryzen 5 5600 CPU, which has a TDP (thermal design power) of 65W, and a Gigabyte RTX 4060 Gaming OC GPU, which has a TDP of 170W. These are the maximum power consumption values of your components, and they can vary depending on the workload and the settings. However, for simplicity, let’s assume that they are constant.

If we add up the TDP of your CPU and GPU, we get 235W. This is the power consumption of your PC when gaming, without considering the other components such as the motherboard, the RAM, the fans, the drives, etc. These components can add another 100W or more to the total power consumption, depending on the model and the usage. Therefore, your PC can consume up to 335W or more when gaming.

Now, let’s compare this with the real power that your UPS can provide, which is 600W. This seems to be enough to support your PC when gaming, right? Well, not exactly. Remember that your PC also has a power factor, which can be lower than 1. This means that your PC needs more VA than W to run. How much more? That depends on the efficiency of your PSU (power supply unit), which converts the AC power from the wall outlet or the UPS to the DC power that your PC components use.

Your PSU is a Corsair CV550, which is a 80 Plus Bronze certified model. This means that it has an efficiency of at least 82% at 20% load, 85% at 50% load, and 82% at 100% load. The efficiency of your PSU affects the power factor of your PC, as the lower the efficiency, the lower the power factor. For example, if your PC consumes 600W and your PSU has an efficiency of 85%, then your PC has a power factor of 0.85 (600W / 705VA). If your PC consumes 600W and your PSU has an efficiency of 75%, then your PC has a power factor of 0.75 (600W / 800VA).

Let’s assume that your PSU has an average efficiency of 80%, which is a reasonable estimate. This means that your PC has a power factor of 0.8. Therefore, your PC needs 419VA (335W / 0.8) to run when gaming. This is still lower than the apparent power that your UPS can provide, which is 1000VA. So, what’s the problem?

The problem is that your UPS also has a power factor, which can be lower than 1. This means that your UPS needs more W than VA to run. How much more? That depends on the quality and the design of your UPS. Some UPS models have a power factor of 1, which means that they can deliver the same W as VA. However, some UPS models have a power factor of 0.6, which means that they can only deliver 60% of the VA as W. For example, a 1000VA/600W UPS has a power factor of 0.6 (600W / 1000VA).

Unfortunately, your UPS is one of those models that has a power factor of 0.6. This means that your UPS can only provide 600W of real power, even though it can deliver 1000VA of apparent power. This is why your UPS fails to support your PC when gaming, but not when idle or watching videos. When your PC is idle or watching videos, it consumes less power, and your UPS can handle it. However, when your PC is gaming, it consumes more power, and your UPS cannot handle it. Therefore, both your PC and UPS shut down immediately.

The possible solutions

There are two possible solutions for this problem:

• Upgrade your UPS: The simplest and most effective solution is to buy a new UPS that has a higher VA and W rating, and a higher power factor. For example, you can buy a 1500VA/900W UPS that has a power factor of 0.9. This UPS can provide 1350W of real power, which is more than enough to support your PC when gaming. You can also look for a UPS that has a power factor of 1, which means that it can deliver the same W as VA. For example, you can buy a 1000VA/1000W UPS that has a power factor of 1. This UPS can provide 1000W of real power, which is also enough to support your PC when gaming.
• Lower your PC power consumption: The alternative solution is to lower the power consumption of your PC when gaming. You can do this by adjusting the settings of your games, such as lowering the resolution, the graphics quality, the frame rate, etc. This will reduce the load on your CPU and GPU, and therefore the power consumption. However, this will also affect the performance and the visual quality of your games, which may not be desirable. You can also try to undervolt or underclock your CPU and GPU, which means to reduce the voltage and the frequency of these components. This will also reduce the power consumption, but it may also affect the stability and the performance of your PC. You need to be careful and test your PC thoroughly before applying these changes, as they can cause crashes, freezes, or errors.

The conclusion

In

conclusion, the reason why your UPS fails to support your PC when gaming, but not when idle or watching videos, is that your UPS is not powerful enough to handle the power consumption of your PC when gaming. This is because your UPS has a low power factor, which means that it can only deliver a fraction of the VA as W. To fix this issue, you can either upgrade your UPS to a more powerful and efficient model, or lower your PC power consumption by adjusting the settings of your games or your components. We hope that this article has helped you understand and solve your problem. Thank you for reading.