Quick Answer

For engineering-simulation workstations, a UPS is about clean shutdown during the rare outage and surge protection, not extended runtime. Start with a 1000VA/600W line-interactive unit (around R1,500-R2,500 at Evetech) sized to ride out a brief dip and shut down safely mid-solve, then step up to pure-sine 1500VA+ for higher-draw rigs.

Starter: protect the solve in progress

The real risk to a simulation workstation is losing a long unattended ANSYS or COMSOL run to a power blip and corrupting hours of work. A starter 1000VA/600W line-interactive UPS gives a few minutes of runtime - enough for the machine to detect the loss and trigger a clean shutdown via USB. Size VA to your real draw: add up the PC (often 300-500W under solver load) plus monitor, and leave headroom.

Serious: pure-sine and longer hold-up

A high-end workstation with a strong GPU and 12-16 core CPU can pull 500-700W under full simulation load, so step up to a pure-sine-wave 1500VA+ unit. Pure-sine output keeps active-PFC power supplies stable, which cheaper stepped-approximation UPS units can struggle with. Match VA/W to your PSU rating - a 750W PSU rig wants a UPS rated comfortably above its sustained draw. With outages now rare in SA, the priority is surge protection and graceful shutdown, not hours of battery.

FAQ

What size UPS do I need for a simulation workstation?

Size it to your real draw plus headroom - a 1000VA/600W unit suits a modest rig, while a high-draw GPU workstation pulling 500-700W wants 1500VA+. The goal is a safe shutdown mid-solve, not long runtime.

Do I need a pure-sine-wave UPS for a workstation?

For a high-end PC with an active-PFC power supply, yes - pure-sine output keeps the PSU stable, whereas stepped-approximation units can cause it to drop out. Entry rigs tolerate line-interactive units fine.

Can a UPS auto-shutdown my PC during an outage?

Yes - connect the UPS via USB and use its software (or Windows power settings) to trigger a clean shutdown when the battery runs low. This is what protects a long unattended solver run from corruption.

Protect the run, not the marathon - pair a pure-sine UPS from Evetech sized above your PC's sustained draw with USB auto-shutdown for safe simulation overnight.