APC BX1500M Back-UPS Pro 1500 VA 900 Watts 10 Outlets Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)

Pros: After 7 years on a previous APC unit it was time for an upgrade. I essentially purchased this one as it was the same design but with updated components (i.e. the LCD screen). The number of plus on the back are able to power and protect two 24" monitors, a laser printer, 5.1 speakers, router, cable modem, VoIP adapter, cordless phones, and a beefy desktop (pushing a 990x oc'ed, 2x gtx580's, 6 hd's, 2 optical drives, 2-loop water cooling). During gaming I can push the unit to near 85% load it still manages with no issues. My previous APC unit protected my stuff for over 7 years against several brown outs and black outs and I expect the quality of this unit to do the same for another 7+ years.

Cons: none

Overall Review: Always used APC UPS and have always been satisfied. I'm a loyal customer to this quality brand and trust it to protect over 4K in hardware.

Pros: - Fairly small, especially for 10 outlets. Yes, you can buy smaller UPS units for less but they do not offer the same protection or battery time. I have a competing product with 8 outlets that is much bigger. - Works as advertised. I have a very good gaming PC and I have had the power shut off once and flicker twice while testing this UPS. I was notified about the events and that was it. No interruption to my PC time at all. Power conditioning is great, battery run time is fantastic.

Cons: - Slightly noisy. My PC sits right next to my desk at head height and you have to strain to hear the fans. It was built to be super quiet. When my house is quiet I can actually hear this UPS above my PC. I will probably switch this to my entertainment center as my PS4 Pro gets much louder and will drown this out. My competing UPS is dead quiet.

Overall Review: If you are looking for a UPS, this is a great buy. If you don't have a UPS, you should. People do not realize how many errors and hardware failures are caused by power fluctuations and outages. Why pay top dollar for the best video card and then plug your PC directly into a wall outlet? It's like running a sports car on the lowest octane. Can you do it? Sure. Will you regret it in the future? Undoubtedly.

Pros: Downloadable software for enhanced experience. 3 year warranty (excluding battery) Minimal footprint High capacity for residential use cases. User replaceable battery Easy to understand front panel controls Plug and play & Advanced setups Easy to understand labeling on back of unit

Cons: High pitched whine when recharging battery

Overall Review: Most people have a hard time justifying a UPS into their budget (myself included), but it really is a underrated piece of equipment that should seriously be considered. Even outside of DATA protection, these units can protect your hardware & devices in ways simple "surge protectors" just can't. For the past few years I have lived on a street that has frequent power drop outs basically anytime there is a heavy rain storm. Sometimes they last a few hours, sometimes they last less than a second. Just as much as the next guy I know this is horrible for anything remotely voltage sensitive like computers. So I would just always stop using my PC and or HTPCs when we would get a good amount of rain coming our way and unplug the entire surge protector from the wall. Well, now I don't have to and the freedom feels amazing! Not only does this unit provide battery power for when the power goes completely out, it also regulates the voltage going out to your equipment via the outlets on the back so you don't have to worry about surges or dips on your power grid. As said before this goes way farther than what a typical surge protector can do. This UPS uses the battery to supplement power for voltage drops so your PC power supply sees a constant 115-120VAC and absorbs the spikes when the voltage coming out of your wall outlet is higher than that. So not only are you getting the ability to protect your data with extra time to properly shutdown your Operating system, but you get much more stable voltage going into your electronics which in theory should make them last longer due to not having the to deal with voltage regulation them selves. Now the calculations needed to figure out what unit you should get depending on what load you are running and how long you need the power to last are a bit intimidating. But there are many calculators on the web and APC's website ( http://www.apc.com/us/en/tools/ups_selector/ ). It does not hurt to have too much (except for price) but it does hurt if you have too little, However! A very nice feature is these units will actually tell you If your attached load is more than the battery can handle when the power goes out Via Audible alert, which is a very nice addition. So if you do add items later down the road you can try to allocate what is needed and what is not by removing devices and adding them through trial and error. As far as ease of use it doesn't get much better than this. You can keep it simple and just plug & play with basically doing nothing but making sure you plug the stuff you need to have surge protection and the stuff you need to have power in the event of a power failure in the correct outlets that are clearly labeled on the back of the unit. It even tells you how much time you will have after the power goes out until the battery will dies right on the front of the unit. But if you want more control and automatic shutdown software, Etc for home servers or always on PCs, you have the option to download the PowerChute software. The software lets you set up events and schedules according to certain variables and is controlled by your PC when you connect the included USB cable. Oh and when the battery reaches the end of its usable life you can buy replacement right on APC's site. the actual battery swap takes 5 seconds and requires no tools! This is really a no-brainer purchase if you have the budget.

Pros: First lets remember that we are not reviewing something extremely attractive like a GPU but instead, something that is utilitarian that can serve a very important/critical function. I did not get to do any longevity testing but this was one of the nicest UPS’ I have ever used. I really appreciated the front LCD display that is perfect for displaying the data that is relevant to the device and is very easily read, from any angle or even from some distance (as long as your eyesight is good enough). I also appreciated the aesthetic design and appearance of this device since it is difficult to hide I am glad that it is neutral and tries to fade into the darkness easily. I like having the availability of all of the ports on the back because it allows for a pretty centralized routing method for all the cables that get plugged into the back but do have some concerns (more on that later). The device did not make any annoying sounds/noises the entire time I was using it which is nice since I have used some annoying ones that have terrible coil whine that drove me insane but not my wife (or my hearing has just gotten less sensitive). The device also makes it easy to swap out the battery and has some very user-friendly software that gave me a lot more information than I ever thought it could. The last pro I can think of is that it conditions the power and is a battery back up but I guess that is part of being a UPS, isn’t it?

Cons: Obviously, I gave this device 5 eggs because it really was an awesome UPS but when being particularly nitpicky I found that the software conditions the battery as opposed to a hardware solution and I wish it had a couple more outlets, even if they were just surge. I have a 3 monitor work station so just for the desktop and monitors I’m using 4 plugs, if I have my accessories plugged in to this I am out of outlets in no time! I guess you could use a small squid to get the router/modem/any other low power devices but that gets very messy very fast.

Overall Review: Overall I think this is an awesome UPS, I have not used a lot of them and this thing was easy to setup and use even for someone like me! I do have a good technological understanding but UPS’ have never really been something I look into too much. Without doing a proper power supply test suite, I am impressed with this product due to the functionality and ease of use, which is why I would highly recommend it.

Pros: + Very compact and lightweight for it's capacity + Easy to read LCD with all the relevant info you need, and it's visible (and readable!) from pretty much any angle + Absolutely new whine or noise whatsoever during regular operation + 10 total outlets, 5 with battery backup, 5 with surge + Great software that has some pretty interesting information about your machine (total CO2 produced, cost to operate, etc.) + Power conditioning built in, as well as surge protection which is extremely useful + Extremely easy battery replacement and a phenomenal 3 year warranty from APC + $250,000 in damage coverage from APC

Cons: - Would have been nice to have an outlet or two on the front of the unit, even if just for surge - Battery conditioning via software rather than hardware, but not a huge issue there

Overall Review: Overall, this is probably the best battery backup under $200. According to PowerChute, my system has between 20-22 minutes of backup time. For a home, home office, or even a gaming PC (which is what I'm using this on) this is pretty much a must-have. With so many people running SSD's and RAID on their home machines, being able to gracefully power down a system is absolutely essential. Connecting this BBU to your PC will allow PowerChute to shut your system down once the battery has exhausted, preventing any damage to the PC and it's components. Bottom line here is that an BBU is as important an accessory as your keyboard or mouse - you really shouldn't run a PC these days, especially a high-end system, without having a high-end power conditioner and battery backup connected to it. The BX1500M from APC is most definitely the best choice out there. I rarely give 5 Eggs out, but the BX1500M absolutely earned every one of them. System Specs: Intel Core i7 4820K 32GB DDR3 memory EVGA GTX 1080 4x SSD 3x HDD Corsair AX860i PSU 27" 4k monitor + (2) 24" 1080p monitors (all on BBU)

Pros: -10 outlets (5 surge = 5 battery back up) -Easy to read display -Ease of use and read on screen features -Protects from spikes (which happens a bit in my case) -Easy swap batteries -Automatic Voltage Regulation. Improves unit efficiency saving electricity -Unit runtime range from 16 minutes to 164 minutes -Lifetime $150K equipment protection policy (site says $250K) -3 year warranty on the unit -Network and Coax protection included So many features, UPS units are so underrated in the electronics (home theater +more) arena, as most of the time people opt for units that equal in value but not the features an UPS offers. And for my personal system (home theater and computer equipment), I once wen for regular surge protectors but using this UPS system has convinced me that I previously made the wrong choice, paying twice as much also. I had been remodeling my house recently and changed several outlets, being that I forgot that I had my PC on and connected to the UPS, many times I had to hit the whole house power switch, no more than 30 minutes at a time and ever two-three hours I would check for new e-mails and no lost of data or programs shutting down. Incredible, it feels great to know that your expensive equipment is connected to a unit that is definitely better than most power surge protectors and don't come with a battery back up, unit always worked as it should. In two occasions I purposely disconnected the unit from the wall receptacle, while playing video games in my console, come to find out the description says 16 min for a LCD TV and XBOX 360, but it lasted more on a LED 55", as LED uses less power. Unfortunately I no longer have a LCD TV and my monitor is LED as well, which still, uses less electricity. I have now swapped my old $100 surge protector from my home theater unit which I happen to use more often, for the UPS unit, there's plenty of space to hide it and the weight tells me there's great quality components inside that unit, the APC UPS is the McIntosh of all surge protectors.

Cons: It could be big and bulky in small tight places but it's definitely cool to look at. I had on my desk, no issues or problems having it there. Other than that? No issues.

Overall Review: An UPS unit/system is the way to go, for all electronics in your house that are so valuable, home theaters are perfect for this type of protection and there's plenty of outlets to cover all equipment that requires power. I am definitely recommending this unit to all my friends and family, and this is one of those occasions that I am so glad I reviewed a unit that has all the features and build quality and reliability a company can offer for such a low price considering the plethora of choices out there and easily most people are making the mistake of getting a low quality product, for perhaps the same cost? Highly consider this unit, it will give you that peace and security your equipment is guarded by a reliable unit. Thanks APC for designing and making such great products.

Pros: High capacity Easy to read, informative LCD display APC PowerChute software, a separate download, provides additional monitoring tools Battery should be easy to replace

Cons: This unit is massive. I've been using APC UPS's for about 7 years and this is by far the largest unit I have ever utilized. You definitely need to account for its size when setting up your workstation. As other reviewers have mentioned, it needs more outlets. I personally run dual monitors, a Win10 workstation, a FreeNAS workstation, and my laptop when I'm working from home. That by itself is 5 outlets. This doesn't take into consideration additional peripherals like a printer, 2.1+ audio system, or even simple things that easily get overlooked, like your phone charger, Internet modem, or wireless router. In order to run all my devices I would actually need 2 of these, which isn't good.

Overall Review: I've had this UPS for a little over 2 weeks. I hooked up all the essential devices and let it run for about 10 days under normal use. Basically I was hoping for some storms to come through and knock out the power since its that time of year where I live. Unfortunately that didn't happen. So instead i threw the breaker to my office to test how long it would be able to run my Win10 workstation, FreeNAS workstation, and dual monitors. I had to relocate my Internet modem and router to the living room since there just wasn't enough outlets to connect those as well, not without disconnecting one of the monitors. I then did some streaming from my FreeNAS using Plex. While I was streaming I had my kids watch YouTube videos on the Win10 workstation. I was able to get right around an hour before the battery was drained. All things considered I was impressed and it at least confirmed that if a power outage did occur, I would have plenty of time to save any work and shutdown both workstations with the fear of losing data. The other added benefit, of course, is the inherit line conditioning and surge protection. While I've never lost hardware due to power spikes, it is an added piece of mind knowing I won't have to worry about whether or not my surge protector will actually protect me from a power surge. The only reason I removed 1 egg, despite it being clear in the specifications, is the number of outlets. I feel like this product is geared more towards either enthusiasts at home who typically run dual monitors, a 2.1 or higher sound system, and other peripherals. I can also see it being marketed to the business units, where again you will typically see dual monitors, a workstation or docking station, and very often a desk phone. While larger companies typically have generators, this will prevent the loss of data until the generators can kick on. And while 5 slots on batter backup should be enough for most business configurations, I still feel like they could have easily added 2 more.

Pros: + APC quality - first and foremost. I've been relying on APC surge protectors at home for over 20 years, and we've been using surge protectors and APC UPS' for more than 10 years at work with our workstations and servers - in all cases, I've never had any issues with any of their products. APC is definitely a trusted and reliable name as far as I'm concerned. All of the systems protected behind APC products have continued to work and be protected with very little hassle. + 3 years repair or replacement warranty, $250,000 lifetime warranty on any equipment connected to the UPS, as well as a lifetime data recovery warranty to provide professional data recovery services if data is lost due to failure of the UPS. That's huge! Not only will they repair or replace the unit for 3 years, but for the life of the unit if it ever fails and you lose your physical equipment, they're going to cover the cost of it AND they're going to help you recover your lost data. + The free APC PowerChute application itself is put together very well. It is a separate piece of the puzzle, and is not absolutely necessary to use - simply from a hardware standpoint, your APC UPS unit will function without the software. However, the software has definite benefits, including more monitoring capability, and will hibernate any equipment connected to the UPS when the battery power is being used and it hits your specified threshhold, in an attempt to minimize data loss. You can grab the download from http://www.apc.com/shop/us/en/products/PowerChute-Personal-Edition-V3-0-2-for-Windows-10-8-7-Vista-XP-Home-Server-Multi-Language-/P-SFPCPE302 and don't forget to hook the USB cable up from the UPS to your PC otherwise the app won't install! + The LCD of the BX1500M is very easy to read, from any angle. I do have another UPS at home, by a rival company, and the LCD is really only readable from straight-on, and not from above, below, or from the sides. The LCD of the BX1500M is excellent. In this regard, if you put the BX1500M under your desk, you can still glance down at the LCD while seated and check its health and load. + Also, the LCD shows quite a few different stats. Aside from the static icons displaying whether you're on AC or battery power, a load graph and a battery life indicator, every time you press the Display button, it cycles through the health shown below the icons. You will see Input voltage, # of power loss/battery events, estimated run time in minutes (based on the equipment connected to the battery protection), Load (of that equipment) in both wattage and percentage, and finally, Output voltage and frequency (in Hz). + The battery itself in the unit is ridiculously easy to replace, and just slides in and out and requires no other connections or terminals. In that regard, they are correct when they claim the battery is "hot swappable" (although you'd still have to lay the UPS on its side to get to the compartment, obviously). Replacement battery is the APC APCRBC124 which is currently $59.72 here at NewEgg. + Aside from battery protection, obviously you have surge protection and the UPS is going to protect your equipment from voltage drops or spikes. You can also connect coax and ethernet cords to protect your WAN or LAN connections with the UPS as well.

Cons: - I wish there was an extra outlet or 2 on both sides (battery powered and surge protected). I have dual monitors at home, and hooking those up with my PC itself take up 3 of the 5 slots available for battery backup protection. - The routine automatic battery testing is done by the PowerChute Personal Edition application itself, and not something that the UPS does by itself (except when it's initially powered on). In that regard, the software is necessary if you want to fully monitor the UPS' health outside of the information that the LCD screen gives you.

Overall Review: * According to the UPS, my system would have a 20 minute runtime on battery power while loaded, which is more than enough time to shut down my machine gracefully. i7 4790K @ 4.4, 1.15 Vcc 4 x 8GB DDR3 GTX 980 @ 1291/1380/7668 1 OCZ Radeon R7 480GB SSD 2 7,200 RPM SATA drives (4TB SSHD, 2TB HDD) 1 27" monitor, 1 24" monitor