APC Smart-UPS 2880VA 2700W Tower Line-Interactive UPS 120V SMT3000C

Key Features

• Line-interactive design rated 2880 VA and 2700 W, correcting sags and swells from mains without dropping to battery for every wobble.
• Rated capacity is 2880 VA on APC's data sheet, not the 3000 the model name implies, so size against the sheet.
• Sine wave output at 120 V, which is what active power-factor-corrected server supplies need to see.
• 10 receptacles on the output: 8 x NEMA 5-15R and 2 x NEMA 5-20R.
• Input on NEMA L5-30P.
• Tower chassis rather than rack-mount, weighing 116 lb (52.73 kg).
• Maintenance-free sealed lead-acid with suspended electrolyte battery, recharging in about 3 hours from flat.
• Surge energy rating of 530 joules on the input stage.
• Quoted at 45 dBA, quiet enough for an occupied office or a consulting room.
• Rated for 32-104 F (0-40 C) operating temperature.
• Backed by 3 years repair or replace on the unit, excluding the battery, plus 2 years on the battery.

Key Specifications

• Rated capacity: 2880 VA / 2700 W (power factor 0.94)
• Topology: Line-interactive
• Output voltage: 120 V
• Output connections: 8 x NEMA 5-15R; 2 x NEMA 5-20R
• Input voltage: 120 V
• Input connection: NEMA L5-30P
• Battery: Maintenance-free sealed lead-acid with suspended electrolyte
• Form factor: Tower
• Dimensions: 17.0 in (432 mm) H x 7.7 in (196 mm) W x 21.42 in (544 mm) D
• Net weight: 116 lb (52.73 kg)
• Surge protection: 530 joules
• Warranty: 3 years repair or replace on the unit, excluding the battery, plus 2 years on the battery

What this unit is

The APC Smart-UPS SMT3000C is a line-interactive uninterruptible power supply rated at 2880 VA and 2700 W. Output is sine wave at 120 V, which is what active power-factor-corrected server and network supplies expect to see. APC's model name carries the number 3000, but the rated figure on the data sheet is 2880 VA. Size the load against the rated figure, not the name. The power factor works out at 0.94, so the watt rating rather than the VA rating is the number that runs out first on a modern IT load.

Power and outlets

Input is 120 V through a NEMA L5-30P connection. The output panel carries 10 receptacles: 8 x NEMA 5-15R and 2 x NEMA 5-20R. Input frequency is 50/60 Hz +/- 3 Hz (auto sensing). Match the receptacles to the equipment before ordering rather than after. A UPS with the right wattage and the wrong sockets is a shopping trip for adapters, and adapters on a rack power path are exactly what an audit picks up. If the outlet mix is close but not exact, a rack PDU downstream of the UPS is usually the cleaner answer than a handful of pigtails, and we stock those too.

Battery and runtime

The battery is maintenance-free sealed lead-acid with suspended electrolyte, internal to the unit. APC quotes a typical recharge time of 3 hours from a full discharge, which is the figure that matters when outages arrive in pairs rather than singly. Sealed lead-acid batteries are consumables, not permanent parts. Expect to replace them somewhere in the three-to-five-year range depending on how warm the room runs, and treat that as planned maintenance rather than a fault.

Form factor and size

This is the tower build rather than a rack-mount one. Dimensions are 17.0 in (432 mm) H x 7.7 in (196 mm) W x 21.42 in (544 mm) D. Net weight is 116 lb (52.73 kg). It is heavy enough that two people and a rack lift are the sensible way to install it, and heavy enough that the rack's own load rating is worth checking first. Check the depth against the rack before ordering. A UPS that fits the rails but not the cabinet is the most common surprise on an install, and rear cable service space has to come out of the same measurement.

Management and monitoring

The data sheet records 1 free SmartSlot, which is where an accessory card goes if you add one later. The sheet records the interface ports as a SmartSlot, USB. A network management card matters more than it sounds. Without one the unit reports only to whatever is plugged into its USB or serial port, which means one machine sees the alarms and everything else finds out when it loses power. With network management in place the unit gets its own address, its own alert rules and its own log, and it can trigger graceful shutdowns across several servers rather than just the one holding the cable.

Environment and noise

Operating temperature is 32-104 F (0-40 C). Acoustic noise is quoted at 45 dBA at one metre. Surge energy rating is 530 joules. Acoustics decide where a unit like this can live. Anything at or below the mid forties is quiet enough for an occupied office or a consulting room; above about fifty it belongs behind a door, because the fans do not stop when the load is light. The surge rating covers the everyday transients that arrive down the mains, not a direct strike. Take it as a measure of how much abuse the input stage will absorb before it stops protecting the load.

In the box

APC lists the following in the carton for this part number: CD with software, Documentation CD, Smart UPS signalling RS-232 cable and USB cable. Warranty is 3 years repair or replace on the unit, excluding the battery, plus 2 years on the battery. Carton contents on APC part numbers move between data sheet revisions more than you would expect, and rail kits in particular come and go. The list above is what the current sheet for this exact part number prints, and we would rather quote that than a tidier list assembled from a sibling model.

If you are protecting a rack, a closet or a plant-room load and need 2880 VA of line-interactive backup with the outlet set described above, the APC Smart-UPS SMT3000C is a sound choice, and we hold it in stock. Contact us to learn more or secure this solution for your business today.