CyberPower CP1000PFCLCD UPS 1000VA / 600W PFC compatible Pure sine wave

Pros: Well, the biggest Pro is, of course, it will keep my new power supply up and running if I lose power. I wasn't aware that PFC equipped PSU's couldn't be used on a standard UPS, so I was a bit worried when during a short power failure my new 750W PSU made a lot of weird sounds and then just shut down. I figured my current UPS was bad or needed a new battery. Then while researching new UPS's, I needed a bigger one anyway, I found out that a PFC equipped PSU needs an UPS that will at least approximate a Pure Sine Wave. Oh well, live and learn. I got this in, got it fully charged and then tested it. It works fine and keeps my PC up and running long enough to let me shut it down safely. That's all I really needed.

Cons: The complaint I have with this unit is the outlet placement. Yes, I knew from the reviews that the outlets are closely spaced and that plugging in a brick transformer would cover adjacent outlets, but in my case, the polarity plug forces the transformer for my Epson scanner, which is plugged in to a "surge protection only" outlet, to go across the back of the UPS and cover three of the "battery and surge protection" outlets. Bummer. I've ordered some pigtails to solve this problem. I don't know how common this problem will be for people who use this UPS, but you might want to have a few pigtails on hand, just in case.

Other Thoughts: I wish they made a model of the PFC compatible UPS that didn't have the screen readout and that cost a little less. In my application, the only way I'll be able to use the screen is if I want to climb up under my desk to read it. And that ain't gonna happen. While the screen provides a lot of useful info, it's really quite unnecessary for most folks and just adds to potential problems and the cost of the unit.

Pros: Good layout with outlets on the back and controls on the front. Quiet and attractive. The display gives the user plenty of information.

Cons: I recieved the first unit, pluged it in, let it charge overnight. It would not turn on. Returned it to Newegg and recieved a second unit a week later. Same results. I went into trouble-shooting mode and found that the male plug on the power chord was defective. I replaced it and the unit is working. I would suggest to Newegg to return all such units in their Edison warehouse. The fact that I got 2 defective units would indicate a supply chain problem. I would suggest to CyberPower to initiate a thorough quality control program.

Manufacturer Response:

Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback regarding the CyberPower CP1000PFCLCD. We have not heard from any other customers that experienced the issue you described. We will make note of the problem you described and have our engineers spot check the units to determine if there are any issues that need addressing.

CyberPower offers an industry leading 3-Year Warranty on all of our UPS products, which is backed by our U.S., based Technical Support. We are disappointed that any customer experiences anything less than 100% satisfaction. Please know that CyberPower is constantly evaluating our products and procedures in an effort to provide the industry’s highest quality in UPS solutions. If any other customers experience any problems please immediately contact us at 877-297-6937 M-F 8-5 CST, or priority1@CPSww.com, so that we can act to completely address your issue and ensure your total satisfaction.

Pros: Alternative brand ruined 3 PCs before I figured out it was the UPS. CyberPower techs helped me get the right unit, that being this one. I just bought another one for a friend. This unit is top notch. Pure sine is essential for many of today's computer power supplies. Without out it, components can randomly fail during power fluctuations or outages. If in doubt just call their techs with the PC make or model or the power supply info, and they will tell you the type of UPS that you need.

Cons: None except the price, and no other brand is less for the same power/features

Other Thoughts: Software is not needed unless you want it for timed emergency shutdown.

Pros: I bought this unit to replace an older CyberPower 600w unit I had bought from Newegg in July of 2010 to protect my TV and other equipment (computer is on another unit). The primary reason I did was because the old one, which was a nasty square wave unit, would cause my components to emit a "buzz", and I do believe that it damaged some of my equipment (which the manufacturer replaced, not CyberPower). Anyway these units were not out then and the only solution was an expensive APC or TrippLite unit. But fast forward to now and CyberPower has these "Pure Sine Wave" (actually Adaptive Sine Wave, a sawtooth or triangle waveform, not sine) for a good price, so I decided now was a good time to replace both units (see my CyberPower 810w Pure Sine Wave UPS review later in the week). First thing I did was plug in my radio and DVR, both of which on my old CP unit would emit a bad buzz and the front displays would slowly pulse bright and dim, and run it on battery power. No buzz, no pulsing display. Battery run time seems to be about right, ~30 minutes on a 90w load (tested, ~75w load which is my TV at 0% backlight and satellite receiver, simulating a power outage during a thunderstorm so I can watch the weather). The display is also much improved on this version, a nice white on black as opposed to a blue on blue, much more readable. Also it has the ability to always have the LCD display on (using a P3 Kill-A-Watt using the LCD display uses 1w of power).

Cons: Not a "true" pure sine wave, but it's also not a $400 APC. For the short amount of time electronics will be running on the battery (even when "off" electronics still draw a trickle unless they are mechanically switched off, if possible, or unplugged) a triangle/sawtooth "adaptive" sine wave is sufficient and is a huge improvement over "square" or "modified sine wave" units (which should be banned from being sold in the USA in my opinion). Yes it will still cause some excess stress on electronics, but far less than a "square/modified/stepped sine wave" and if it DOES damage equipment not covered under manufacturers warranty, CyberPower is supposed to have a $325,000 guarantee .

Other Thoughts: If you absolutely positively have to have a pure sine wave output, such as if you are protecting a few thousand dollars worth of electronics (such as a large expensive television with surround sound), then you need to look at a higher end APC or TrippLite unit. But if you are an average person, for a unit this size will be a mid range computer or an entertainment system such as a 42 inch LCD TV and sound, the stress a triangle wave will put on it is nothing compared to if the power flicks on and off 3 times or surges/undervolts.

Pros: 1. (ostensibly Pure) sine wave output when on battery.

This is important for power supplies that use active PFC. If you try with square wave (cheapo), PSU won't turn on, and that includes moniters. Modulated sine wave (stepped) works, but will burn out psu after several minutes of runtime, as it is stressful on the solid state switching components.

2. Features work as advertised.

LCD works great, package was shipped in good condition, program shuts down computer when power goes out, etc. Also has good voltage regulation.

3. Price
At minimum, if you want a UPS for any modern PC equipment, you need to have stepped or modulated sine wave output. This works for a few minutes before the chips in your PSU overheat and burn out (you will also hear a buzz from the parts vibrating at various frequencies as your PSU tries to deal with it.)
The price of these modulated sign wave UPS are generall 150 to 200 and above.
Yet Cyberpower, if their marketing and UL certification is to be believed, has come up with pure sign waves at a lower price. Pretty good deal if I say so myself.

Cons: 1. The thing is bulky and heavy. Put it somewhere it won't fall, because if it does, it's taking the plugs and whatever is connected with it. You might break a toe too.

2. Runtime on battery is much shorter than the 15 min estimate. I get around 3 minutes of runtime with a reported wattage of 200.

3. Plugs are kind of crowded so if you plug a transformer in, you will likely use up 2 slots.

4. I have no idea how you are supposed to get replacement or larger capacity batteries, or if you can even do it yourself.

Other Thoughts: When you first use it, it has the new plastic smell. First time you put it under load and the vent fan works, the (now really hot and musky) new plastic smell just fills your room. Some people like it, I found it strange.

Otherwise great deal.

Do note that modulated or stepped sine wave power is safe to use without worry for several minutes on battery power. It might be plausible to buy one if not for the fact that this pure sine wave ups is cheaper than most stepped sine wave ups's.

Pros: Good, stable power with no fuss.

Cons: Pricey, but it is a pure sine-form UPS.

Pros: Neat display of power, etc. used and expected run-time. Unit is smaller than expected.

Cons: Outlets are very closed spaced. You loose a multiple outlets if you have no-cord power bricks to plug in. Note how the pictures on the product page do not show the back of unit, where the outlets are. There are no master controlled, switchable non-UPSed outlets, only constant-on non-UPSed outlets.

Pros: Plugged it in and it works, have not bothered with the software yet so I can't comment on that. The info display works well and is pretty intuitive. Have not really had to read the instructions yet, +10 points for that. Lots of outlets.

Cons: Could always be bigger, better, and cheaper. But can't think of any major flaws.

Pros: trouble free so far (4 months), and has worked during a power outage or two.
Looks nice, and has some readouts like power consumption and stuff.
Displays approx minutes of power left when the power goes out.
I haven't noticed any weird noises coming from it.

Cons: haven't run into any yet.

Other Thoughts: I don't know if the battery is replaceable or not?

Manufacturer Response:

Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback on CyberPower's CP1000PFCLCD. CyberPower’s Active PFC Adaptive Sinewave technology is the first to solve the critical compatibility issues of non-Sinewave UPS products working with computing systems using Active PFC power supplies (ENERGY STAR 5.0). CyberPower’s innovative Adaptive Sinewave UPS technology is an affordable solution that ensures equipment utilizing Active PFC power supplies do not unexpectedly shutdown or experience harmful stress when switching from AC power to UPS battery power.

In regards to your question about the battery - yes, it is user replaceable. The CyberPower web site (www.cpsww.com) has instructions on how to replace the battery. CyberPower Customer Support can also walk you thru the steps to replace the battery. FYI - CyberPower has an industry leading 3 Year Warranty and it includes the battery.

CyberPower Customer Support can be reached at 877-297-6937, Monday thru Friday, 8 am to 5 pm (CST).

Pros: Best part of this UPS is the LCD display. It has a pocketful of vitals that it can display. I leave it set to Output (in wattage) to keep an eye on my power usage. It has a nice back light that can be seen day or night.

Cons: None yet.

Other Thoughts: I have not had a power outage yet to test the battery life. Maybe I'll throw the breaker switch and give it a test. Supposedly I have an estimated 18-19 minutes of battery backup when my system is at idle (170W power consumption).

The LCD display will time-out and sleep after a few seconds. To have it stay on press and hold the display button until you hear a beep. Again, and it will revert back to sleep mode.

The UPS powers a gamer PC rig with the following specs and devices:

Core i5 2500k @ 4.5GHz
(2) 4GB PC312800 1333MHz DDR3
ASRock Z68 Extreme 3
(1) MSi N460GTX Hawk @ 850MHz, 1GB DDR5
WD 1TB Caviar Black 7200RPM
(5) 120mm fans + Cooler Master V8
Thermaltake Black Widow 850W
Tt eSports Challenger Ultimate
(1) Samsung 23" B2330 LCD
(1) Viewsonic 19" VA703B LCD
Logitech X540 5.1