APC Back-UPS Pro 1000VA UPS Battery Backup & Surge Protector (BR1000G)

This summer I encountered several power outages at my home due to heavy thunderstorms passing through and decided I need a UPS for my computer. Among the Back-UPS PRO family I chose this model providing 1000VA/600W after weighing my power needs against the physical size and weight of the UPS. I run an iMac with a couple of external hard disks, having a total power consumption of about 180-200W in typical usage (web access or text editing). The UPS tells me it provides about 25-30 minutes runtime for this load which very well meets my goals. I mounted the UPS on a single-board shelf at the foot of my computer table - a laptop style table on casters which I had already heavily customized to hold hard disk and other accessories while hiding cables in the back. The shelf needed to be rather sturdy to hold the unit's weight of 23 pounds. A pair of braced brackets and a wooden board from a hardware store were sufficient.The shipping box contained the UPS, a USB cable to the computer, and a coax bridging cable, and no accompanying software, as several users noted. That said, add-on software is not needed on the Mac since Mac OS X has very good built-in support. Upon connecting the USB cable, the OS recognizes the UPS model and presents options relevant to UPS operation in the Energy Saver preference pane (under Lion, and I believe since Leopard). Sleep times and screen dimming can be customized specifically for the scenario of running under UPS power. A shutdown can be initiated based on one or more of three criteria: time having run on UPS, time remaining on UPS, or percentage charge remaining on the UPS. I chose the latter, with a conservative setting of 25%.The model does not make any noise during regular use. On loss of input power, it starts to quietly hum a little from the internal power source. On push of a front panel button, the font panel display cycles through various characteristics such as voltages, power, and estimated runtime. Its back-light can be set such that it is turned off during normal operations and comes on for a minute after pushing one of the buttons. I wish the display were a little more data-rich to avoid the cycling. The buttons are a little mushy and wobbly but suitable for the expected infrequent use. There is a sufficiently loud beeper which can be muted. By default, it beeps after loss of input power. As others noted, the beep would be rather inconvenient at night, and the ability to switch it off is very welcome. On loss of input power the computer is notified and Mac OS immediately pops up a warning message. After reaching a configured threshold while on UPS power the computer is shut down in an orderly manner.I had this unit for a couple of weeks now and I am very happy with it.

I bought this to deal with the blackouts I had been dealing with. After three power outages that abruptly turned off my gaming PC in the middle of usage, I needed to find a way to protect my PC from further power disruption so as not to break it.This back-UPS is heavy but sturdy. It is not a plug and play machine. You actually need to physically pull out the battery and flip it over to insert the battery in the correct orientation. If you don't do that, then it probably won't work.I didn't install the software or in fact mess with any of the settings. Once I installed the battery correctly, I plugged in my PC tower and my double monitors. After some consideration, I plugged in my TV and PS4 as well because I had extra plugs. And I did use multiple extension cords to fit everything.When my first power outage happened I didn't even notice it happening. My computer didn't flicker or react in any way. I was pleasantly surprised at how smooth the transition was from power to battery. Unfortunately, with my computer on, the display said it only had 10 minutes of power left even at full battery. Which is fine for what I needed--all I wanted was the chance to properly shut down my computer on my own terms in the event of a blackout. Once my computer was off, the display changed to around 100 minutes of power, and when I turned the TV on it changed to 60 minutes. The run time isn't very long but the UPS was satisfactory for me in providing continuous power to protect my computer.I haven't used it very long so I can't attest to its longevity.As a side note I noticed when I first plugged everything in I faintly smelled burnt plastic. The smell lingered for a couple days but I didn't see any issues with the device. After a while, the smell vanished. I'm not sure what it meant but in my personal experience it did not affect its ability to do its job.

I just received this unit today. I was nervous because I read a review about it not working with "Active PFC" power supplies. I have a medium to high end custom built PC. My power supply is a Corsair AX850. I'm very happy to say that this unit works great with my system. I have a 28" Hanns-G monitor, the Corsair AX850 power supply, a GTX 670 video card, a modem and wireless router all hooked up to this thing and it works great. The battery comes charged over 75%. I pulled the plug to test it several times, last test was over 5 minutes and my system did not hiccup. Finally, I also installed the PowerChute personal edition CD that comes with it. The software will safely shut my files and pc down before the UPS turns off (after the battery is exhausted) in the event of a power failure. It connects to the APC via a USB to serial cable. (the serial side plugs into the APC). You can optionally set the display to stay on or turn off to conserve engergy. There are many power options to explore if you like. I personally like to keep my peripheral equipment on (ie router and modem) but you can set this to turn them off to conserve power when not in use. If I have any problems with this unit I will amend my review here. In fairness I haven't owned this for more than a day now but so far I like it a lot.UPDATE:I have owned this unit 3 weeks now and everything's been fine so far. The PSU can handle my PC. At maximum load I'm drawing about 375 watts.My PC has an i7 CPU, GTX 670 GPU and SSD. I also have a 28" LCD monitor, modem and router plugged into the UPS. So while my PC could in theory overpower this UPS - it would need at least another graphics card to do it.