I purchased one of these items on May 10, 2008. Since I had a blackout on 6/27, I figured I could finally write a review.
First, this is my first APC, as well as my first battery backup, product. I’ve owned a number of surge protectors in the past, but since I had purchased a new computer, I wanted to try a backup device.
After a deal of research, I finally went with this one, after the value for the money, and the positive reviews APC had received.
This model offers 10 outlets, of which 5 can run off of the battery. This also offers a master, and three ’slave’ outlets. This means that if the master is off, the three outlets can optionally be shut off as well (helpful for printers, monitors, speakers, …) It’s optional, so you can shut it off (which I did).
It also offers a USB connection, so you can monitor the status of the battery using APC PowerChute Personal Edition.
Along with charge percentage, it gives the number of volts being passed into it, and the watt load on the battery, which seems to translate into a battery estimate (how long equipment can run).
PowerChute offers a couple of options, for when the power goes off – preserve the battery, or keep the computer on for as long as possible.
Having had a blackout, albeit at night, I can suggest what I had happen. First, my computer appears to have been put to sleep. When it started back up, SpeedFan began running my two fans at 100%. In short, the battery handled the blackout perfectly.