When the word power comes to mind, most enthusiast think of overclocked multi-core processors and dual GPU set-ups. Not much thought is given to the quality of power that comes through the wall outlet—until a surge, spike or blackout causes a loss of data—or worse. That’s where the Uninterruptable Power Supply or UPS, comes in—and why we’ll be taking a look at the APC Back-UPS RS 1300VA LCD.

Browse online or in the aisles of your favorite computer/electronics superstore, or take a tour of server rooms and wiring cabinets from mid-sized to Fortune 500 and 1000 companies, and you’re bound to see the familiar red APC logo on products designed to protect everything from the latest digital lifestyle gear in the home, to multi-million dollar networks where the cost of power-related downtime can be extremely high. APC’s reputation for high-quality and reliable power protection for the consumer and business market is legendary.

About APC (American Power Conversion)

In today's "always on, always available" world where businesses can't stop and downtime is measured in dollars, American Power Conversion (APC) provides protection against some of the leading causes of downtime, data loss and hardware damage: power problems and temperature. As a global leader in network-critical physical infrastructure (NCPI) solutions, APC sets the standard in its industry for quality, innovation and support. Its comprehensive solutions, which are designed for both home and corporate environments, improve the manageability, availability and performance of sensitive electronic, network, communications and industrial equipment of all sizes.

Over the years, APC has developed a global, end-to-end, product offering targeted at four strategic application areas: Home/Small Office; Business Networks; Access Providers and Data Centers & Facilities. Internal product development has been augmented with strategic acquisitions to form an industry leading product portfolio. Throughout the world, the APC brand has become synonymous with quality power back-up and management solutions.

Today, APC is a leader in its industry, employing over 5,000 people worldwide, and is listed among the prestigious Fortune 1000, Forbes 500, Nasdaq 100 and S&P 500 rankings.

Power Protection: Why You Need It

In a perfect world, power companies would have the ability to provide an endless stream of clean and reliable power to every home and business. With that wonderful little fantasy aside, the majority of power delivered through our wall outlets most of the time is anything but clean or reliable:

Perhaps more than any other electrical device, the PC and its peripherals are the most sensitive and vulnerable to all these nasty, transient power conditions that can trash hardware and banish data into a digital Bermuda Triangle in the blink of an eye. It is often erroneously assumed that a high-performance power supply is more than capable of handling potentially damaging power conditions without any additional help from surge suppressors or a UPS, but nothing could be further from the truth. A power supply’s primary function is to provide the required amount of clean power to all of the PC’s components—something it can’t do if it’s not getting the right amount of power or “dirty” power from the wall outlet to begin with. Although a high-quality, high-performance power supply can resist the negative effects of dirty and/or erratic power much better than a cheap underpowered one—the odds are it won’t be able to do so for long without some help between it and the wall socket. That’s where surge suppressors come in.

Surge suppressors are designed to combat power conditions—or as APC calls them—events—that can weaken and damage PC components. They should not be confused with power strips, which merely provide additional power outlets without any protection. In a worst-case scenario like a lightning strike, a high-quality surge suppressor will “sacrifice” itself and take the hit that would otherwise destroy components in an unprotected PC. The quality of the surge suppressor plays as much of a role in protecting your system as much as its VA (Volt-Ampere) rating which determines the total wattage of the components it can support (which in real-world usage usually works out to be about 1/2 to 2/3 of the VA rating). I would be reluctant to trust any of those cheap, budget suppressors to protect my valuable PC hardware. When it comes to power protection, you do get what you pay for.

While a high-quality surge suppressor can protect your system from most power problems, the one thing it can’t do is protect you from a blackout. One particularly nasty side-effect a blackout can have on your PC, is if it occurs while you are updating or “flashing” your motherboard’s BIOS. Suddenly, that brand-new, state-of-the-art motherboard has just become an expensive, aerodynamically incorrect Frisbee. In addition to providing a more robust level of protection against all the usual power gremlins than a surge suppressor a UPS can provide battery power to your PC and peripherals long enough for you to save your work, or finish flashing that BIOS, then safely shut your system down. If the battery power runs out before AC power is restored, software provided with the UPS can provide a more graceful system shutdown that will either save your system in its present state and retrieve it when you power back on—or at the very least provide a much more graceful shutdown than just killing the power (no pun intended). Note that because this software works under Windows, this does not apply when you are flashing a BIOS outside the OS from a DOS boot disk or CD—a compelling reason to make sure that your UPS battery is fully and properly charged and provides you with more than enough time to complete the flash before the battery runs out.

This review actually came about as a result of my needing a replacement for my APC SmartUPS 1000 UPS—a unit that I’ve had for well over ten years, that has served me well through many power outages and other power-related problems that are common out here on the East Coast—especially during the summer months. While working late one night a week ago, I suddenly heard a shrill beeping noise under my desk, and saw that the “Replace Battery” LED on the SmartUPS 1000 was glowing red. While I could have easily ordered a replacement battery for it, the question was whether or not it was actually cost-effective for me to do so in the long run. For a little more that the cost of battery I could upgrade to a newer model with a full warranty and a higher VA rating and longer battery runtime.

The APC Trade-UPS program allows you to upgrade your existing UPS regardless of brand for a new APC unit with the latest features; up to two times the VA capacity of your old UPS, and a full 3-year warranty at discounts up to 35% off the suggested retail price. In some instances, taking advantage of Trade-UPS is more cost-efficient that purchasing a replacement battery for an older UPS—which could cost almost as much a newer model. At the time of ordering your new UPS through the Trade-UPS page, you’ll be given the opportunity to print out a pre-paid label to send your old UPS back to APC via UPS (a link for printing out the label will also be provided in your order confirmation E-Mail), once you’ve received your new replacement. After filling out the appropriate information on the APC Trade-UPS program website, less than a week later, the Back-UPS 1300 showed up at my doorstep.

The Package

The box arrived with a few surface scuffs here and there, but no major damage or signs of abuse. Though not particularly large, at close to 30 lbs. the APC Back-UPS 1300 isn’t back-breaking heavy—but it’s not light, either. The battery accounts for a good portion of the weight of the unit.

APC’s has always used a simple, utilitarian design for their UPS packaging that presents a clear and concise view of the features and advantages of their products without flash or verbal gimmickry—and does a first-class job of protecting the contents. So it is with the Back-UPS 1300. Simple but sturdy brown cardboard with red and black two-color printing. Even while viewing the drawing of the unit, although the Back-UPS 1300 is a good-looking—for a UPS—its primary task is to regulate and clean-up the power coming out of the wall and into your PC and provide emergency backup power when needed. Not the kind of job that inspires the usual bragging rights as other PC gear, but one that is certainly no less important—and one that certainly doesn’t need the usual blingy and gimmicky boxes as most products marketed towards gamers and enthusiasts.

After perusing the impressive specs and features, the closest things to being true eye-grabbers, are the “136 Minutes Runtime While The Power Is Out,” and “$150,000 Lifetime Equipment Protection!” emblazoned on the front of the box. You can’t help but feel a tiny bit of cynicism kick in over these claims and start thinking “I knew the hype had to start sooner or later!” After all, how many other companies make similar too-good-to-be-true claims about their products that somehow never seem to pan out once you’ve plunked down your money and taken the goods home to use in the real world?

A quick look at the top flap of the box reveals a chart of more down-to-earth runtimes for the Back-UPS 1300 based on specific—though somewhat dated system configurations. With technology evolving as quickly as it does these days—faster than the majority of vendors can update their existing inventories of packaging—you can’t really blame APC for that. You are reminded underneath the chart that to choose the right UPS for your specific configuration and needs, to use the UPS Sizing Tool on APC’s website—which should be your first order of business before breaking out the plastic and buying an APC UPS. The link has changed from what is shown on the box, so I’m giving you the updated one here. The sizing tool is easy to use—you don’t need to be a certified computer expert to understand or use it. A good rule of thumb I would recommend is to leave yourself some leeway and extra power for any future upgrades/replacement components that may use a bit more power that what you are currently running—or any new peripherals you may want to connect to the UPS to protect.

The information on the $150,000 Lifetime Equipment Protection was scuffed off the box during shipping. However you can get all the details on the policy here. APC’s Lifetime Equipment Protection has been in effect nearly as long as APC has been in business. In all the years I have personally used APC Surge Protectors and UPS units, they’ve never failed in protecting my computers and other equipment under the worst power conditions out here on the East Coast. As a result, I’ve never had to try and collect on that policy, and you know what? I’m glad (though I’ve no doubt that APC would hold up their end of the bargain if it came down to it). APC’s even offers data recovery services from Ontrack, one of the largest and best data recovery service providers in the country, to recover any data lost on your system protected by an APC UPS.

Everything is well-packed and protected. Inside you’ll find the APC Back-UPS 1300 with a User’s Manual, Troubleshooting Guide Sheet, Product Registration Form, a Brochure of Data Recovery and Backup Solutions; and a postage-paid card for ordering a PowerChute disc and for legacy Windows operating systems—namely Windows 95, 98, NT and 2000—along with a Serial Interface Cable for the UPS (free of charge, of course). Also included are Coax, RJ-11 and the USB/UPS Interface cables, plus some nifty APC-branded Velcro Cable Ties.

The APC Back-UPS RS 1300VA LCD 120V

The Back-UPS 1300 is part of APC’s RS line of high-performance UPS products for business computers, which are available in the 500 – 1500 VA range, making them more than suitable for the home office or the enthusiast with a maxed-out gaming rig. Here’s what APC has to say about their RS lineup:

“The Back-UPS RS offers high performance protection for your business and office computer systems. It provides abundant battery backup power, allowing you to work through medium and extended length power outages. It also safeguards your equipment from damaging surges and spikes that travel along utility, phone and network lines. A distinguishing feature of the Back-UPS RS is automatic voltage regulation (AVR). AVR instantly adjusts both low and high voltages to safe levels, so you can work indefinitely during brownouts and overvoltage situations, saving the battery for power outages when you need it most. Award-winning shutdown software automatically powers down your computer system in the event of an extended power outage. Additional features like audible alarms, LED status indicators, user replaceable battery, push-button circuit breakers and plentiful outlets (including transformer-block spaced outlets) make the Back-UPS RS the perfect unit to protect your business' productivity from the constant threat of power problems and lost data.”

Measuring 8.75” high, 5.25” wide and 14” long, the Back-UPS 1300 will fit comfortably on or under almost any desk. But with a noise rating of 45 dBA measured at 1 meter from the surface of the unit, you’ll probably prefer to keep it tucked under your desk or somewhere far enough away from you, so that the sound won’t be noticeable. Regardless of where you put it, it will definitely compliment your workspace with its charcoal finish and red LCD. The 6-foot power cord should allow enough leeway in setting-up the Back-UPS 1300 where you want it. However, the one thing you should not do is attempt to extend the length of the UPS power cord by plugging it into an extension cord or a power strip. The UPS should always be plugged directly into a three pronged 120 VAC wall outlet. Don’t use those cheesy three-to-two prong adapters and do not cut off the large ground prong to make it fit into a two-prong outlet—unless you want to damage the UPS when you plug it in and void your warranty. If the proper outlet isn’t installed, then save yourself some grief and get it installed.

Beneath the multifunction 1.75” LCD display which provides you with power and battery status and other important diagnostic info, is the Power button which obviously lets you turn the UPS on or off, and the Display/Hold to Mute button, which allows you to step through various display modes and toggle alarms. Both are illuminated with the same red glow as the LCD to improve their visibility under any lighting conditions.

The battery panel is underneath and accessible from the right-hand side (with the front of the Back-UPS 1300 facing you). Safety regulations require that all UPS units must be shipped with the battery disconnected, so before you can put the Back-UPS 1300 to work for you, you’ll need to turn the unit on its side, slide off the cover, slide out the battery and connect the red wire to connect the battery. Slide the battery back in, replace the cover; plug in the Back-UPS 1300 and you’re ready to put your new UPS to work protecting your precious hardware. The battery should come fully charged from APC. In the event that it isn't once the Back-UPS 1300 is plugged in, it takes roughly 16 hours for the battery to fully charge.

Incidentally, when the time eventually comes when you must replace the battery (APC recommends replacing the UPS battery once every three years even if you don’t get the Replace Battery warning on the LCD or through PowerChute), you can do so without turning off the UPS or any connected peripherals, by following the same procedure—the only difference is you’ll also disconnect the single black ground wire on the opposite side of the battery (leave the two connected black wires in the middle alone). Known as “hot-swapping,” this is a convenient feature to have if you’re in the middle of something important on your PC and would rather not shut it down to swap out a dead battery. While we’re on the subject of batteries, to maintain your warranty and the reliability of the Back-UPS 1300, you should always use genuine APC batteries. My own experience with dozens of cheaper, no-name or oddball-brand replacements in companies where I have been employed over the years, has always been less than favorable in terms of reliability and in some instances, safety.

Moving around to the back of the unit, you’ll find all of the connections neatly laid out and labeled. A little cramped, perhaps; but nothing to really get bent about. Especially when you consider how good a job APC has done including a generous number of connections and features into the Back-UPS 1300 normally found in larger, higher capacity—and more expensive units. In the upper left-hand corner you’ll find a pair of Combo RJ-11/45 ports for a modem, phone or network line. The inlet jack to connect the line from a wall jack for phone, fax or broadband, is on the left, while the outlet for making the connection to the PC, phone or network device, is on the right, with a TVSS Ground connection for any additional stand-alone surge suppressors or electrical devices with an external ground cable. Directly below is the Data Port for connecting the included RJ-45 to USB cable that allows the Back-UPS 1300 to communicate with your PC via the PowerChute software. To the right of that is the Building Wiring Fault LED, which lights up red under the following conditions:

● Open or high resistance ground

● Reversed hot and ground wire polarities on the outlet

● Overloaded neutral circuit

You should avoid using the Back-UPS 1300 in any outlet that triggers the Wiring Fault LED until it has been serviced by a qualified electrician, as it could limit its protection abilities as well as being a potential shock or fire-hazard.

Moving up from the Building Wiring Fault LED, we find the Coax-In and Out connections to connect cable modems or other devices requiring a Coax connection to the Back-UPS 1300. Immediately to the right are two Surge Only outlets that provide all the enhanced protection of the Back-UPS 1300 over a garden-variety surge strip, with the exception of battery backup support. It’s these two outlets where it is recommended that you connect devices like FAX machines, printers, scanners and speakers. The outlets are spaced wide apart to support all but the most outrageously large power bricks, though you can always use Power Strip Liberators to get the job done, if needed. South and slightly to the left of the Surge Only outlets, is the Circuit Breaker Reset Button. Two exhaust fans assigned to the task of keeping the Back-UPS 1300 cool are below that, flanked by four Battery Backup outlets on the left, and two more on the right. It’s these outlets that provide power protection and will allow any peripherals plugged into them to operate on battery power in the event of a power failure. This is where your PC and display monitor will plug in, along with other essential peripherals you’ll want to keep up and running during a blackout.