What is the difference between a PDU and a power strip (both 120V, 15A)?

Question

I just chatted with an APC rep about upgrading the UPSes at our office. She recommended a single higher-capacity 6-outlet Smart-UPS to replace the four Back-UPS units we currently have. When I asked how she recommended plugging in all the current devices, she recommended using a APC's AP9567 PDU, but said not to use a power strip. At first she said I had to use an APC brand PDU, but after I inquired about using a Tripp-Lite PDU, she said any brand PDU would be fine.

The APC PDU previously referenced looks like a standard 120V power strip with overload protection but no surge protection. Other than overload protection (which seems redundant if plugging into the UPS), is there something else I'm missing, or should any power strip (without surge protection) be fine?

Edit: I didn't mention it earlier, but we don't have a proper rack--though I did still plan to mount the PDU or power strip to something. I guess I'm wondering if there's any special reason I should pay as much as $180 for the low-end APC PDU (which just looks like a power strip to me) vs. $20-$30 for a workbench power strip.

Answer 1

In addition to amcnabb's answer, higher-end PDUs (though not the one you linked to) will also give you the possibility of not only monitoring (over the network) the current draw for each socket, but also cutting and restoring power to certain sockets remotely.

Answer 2

A PDU will mount nicely to a rack, while a power strip is likely to get pushed around. It's mostly a matter of convenience, but in theory a power strip wiggling around could make a safety or reliability issue.

Answer 3

I found this from APC's FAQs: Using surge strips with APC's Back-UPS and Smart-UPS products. Looks like a PDU is a bit different than a regular power strip.

Surge protectors filter the power for surges and offer EMI/RFI filtering but do not efficiently distribute the power, meaning that some equipment may be deprived of the necessary amperage it requires to run properly causing your attached equipment (computer, monitor, etc) to shutdown or reboot. If you need to supply additional receptacles on the output of your UPS, we recommend using Power Distribution Units (PDU's). PDUs evenly distribute the amperage among the outlets, while the UPS will filter the power and provide surge protection. PDUs use and distribute the available amperage more efficiently, allowing your equipment to receive the best available power to maintain operation.