CyberPower Home/Office CP685AVR UPS

Comment:
I bought this UPS for a basic system (24 LED screen + 450w p/s). It works fine. I haven't tried the software (and I won't).

Comment:
I bought this a few months ago, works really well and has a substantial about of power for the price. I have a 19 inch CRT and a tower with 2 hard drives hooked up and it lasts around 10 minutes. You also don't need to use the software that comes with it, Windows XP detects it just fine.

Comment:
Note: I bought CPS625AVR which is only rated for 325W, and no longer available here.I bought this on the cheap because it was an open box item that wasn't eligible for exchange. I wouldn't recommend looking for open box items unless you care little about having accessories that are otherwise included (USB to serial adapter missing). I got the CPS625AVR for my stereo to clean up the power and to protect it from electrical damage. The AVR (3 of 6 sockets) and surge protection (all sockets), respectively, fill those jobs. I also know that my old computer fits under the 325W coverage on that unit so the puny batteries in this thing aren't a problem. I'm afraid I can't tell you how it performs when it is hooked up to a computer and interfaced to the pc serial port for diagnostics, but I can tell you that it made the front end of my stereo sound better. This unit is noiseless, and now features beefier batteries (for 65 more Watts in the CP685AVR). It even beeps when the power goes out to alert you if you're sleeping or blind to the fact that the power just went out. For the audio nerds:This unit didn't seem happy in my system except when feeding digital sources. The grungy quality goes away but the sound goes flat - this may be due to the low power rating of the AVR. On digital, the flatness is not apparent so for less than 80 dollars, I got good sound, peace of mind from electrical whammies!, and a nice alarm clock when the power goes out.For everyone:I wouldn't use this to entirely power the latest computers until the thermal ratings come down a bit. I would use the comparison of the UPS wattage rating against your pc rating to guage how much time you get from power out to battery drain. The advertised runtime on batteries is ~20 mins, so if you only need a minute to save work and then safely turn off the pc, it won't kill you to stretch the power limit here within reason.Conclusion:For the money, this is a great solution for AVR needs. Performance I'd give a 4, but value = 5.