Have you heard the saying that there are really only two kinds of computer users? The kind who have had a total system failure, and the kind who will.

There are any number of reasons why your computer might crash, from a failed hard drive to your child spraying Windex into the cdrom (no kidding). So why add the possibility of a crash due to power failure, or even worse, "dirty power"?

APC makes a great product line for preventing this. And the RS 1500 is perfect for home use or in your office. For a rack mounted server, I suppose if you were desperate, it would be better than nothing, and they can be rack mounted taking up 2U.

The APC unit is sized well. Measuring 14.6 x 3.4 x 13.1 inches, and weighing 23 pounds, it will fit well under any desk. I haven't ever noticed any heat from an APC unit either.

From fully drained, it will take the unit approximately 8 hours to fully recharge. It comes with a 6 foot power cord for convenience, and a 2 year warranty that covers all parts and labor INCLUDING the battery, so that is nice.

There are six outlets on the battery backup, and two more for just surge suppression. It has a built in, automatic Voltage regulator, to smooth out any voltage spikes or dirty power coming from your utility district. It has adjustable sensitivity, and a set of software that is controlled via a USB cable connected directly to the unit. The software is compatible with all iMacs and G3s running Mac OS X as well as Microsoft windows XP, 2000, and ME. Although it does not specifically mention this on the box, I have also successfully used the software on Windows 7.

The unit will sound a beeping alarm when it is engaged, and a rather annoying unstoppable beeping when the battery needs replacing. You can expect to reasonably get about 25 minutes of actual run time for a PC connected with a 21 inch monitor. Substantially longer if your monitor is turned off, close to 90 minutes.

I have seen the batteries in these units overheat, and swell to the point that they are very, very difficult to remove from the case, but I have never heard of one leaking or exploding. They seem to perform well under a load, and are very responsive to mini blackouts and brownouts.

Recommended: Yes