Solid Value; Run Times Greatly Exaggerated.

I recently upgraded my primary home computer with an ATi X1900XT. Everything was great until I had a minor power interruption while gaming. Then I discovered that my two year old Belkin 1100 VA (660W) UPS could not handle my computer at all.

I have a Kil-a-watt, so I can monitor power consumption. The UPS itself consumes about 14W all by itself. My computer system, 19" CRT monitor, router, modem and other various accessories combined for a total load of about 345W with both CPU cores at 100% (Dual Folding at Home clients). If I were gaming, the total load was about 415W (50% loading).

I decided to upgrade to this Belkin 1500VA unit. 345W equates to about a 41% load as indicated by the Belkin Bulldog software that is included with the UPS. 100% load comes out to 830W. If you want to know the watt load on this particular UPS, simply multiply the percent load by 830W. I would not recommend loading this UPS to more than 50% to ensure you have enough run time reserve to safely shutdown any attached computers. Run time decreases at a greater than linear rate as UPS loading increases. Therefore, if a 200W load has a run time of 10 minutes, a 400W load will have a run time of much less than 5 minutes. It is a shame that most UPS manufacturers do not provide a run time vs. UPS load curve. So much for truth in advertising.

I have the software setup to shutdown Windows after one minute and then switch off power to all loads after three minutes. I tested the UPS by running a deep cycle test with the Bulldog software. This UPS could only run my computer for about 10 minutes before turning off. I therefore feel the run time claimed by Belkin is greatly exaggerated. If you are expecting to load this unit up to 50% and get 120 minutes of run time, you will be disappointed in a big way. I only need about 5 minutes of run time to perform a safe shutdown, so it is not a big deal to me, but it may be to you.

The Belkin features USB and serial port connections to allow you to utilize the included Bulldog software. You can only use one of these connections at a time. The latest version is available for download from Belkin's support website. This software runs in the background and allows a fair degree of control for the UPS. I found the software defaults to be sufficient. The software may be a bit kludgy; but it is robust and does not consume copious amounts of system resources. It creates a service under Windows XP called upsd.exe. This service eats up less than 3MB of system RAM.

Bulldog software features:

• Graceful operating system shutdown
• Scheduled tests, shutdown/restarts of the UPS
• Flexible events
• Notification: Pager, email and audible alarm, network broadcasting
• Real-time values of voltage, frequency and loading
• Historical data and graph
• Multi-computer shutdown/restart
• Optional SNMP capability via add in card


This UPS features AVR (Automatic Voltage Regulation), although it is not a true line-interactive type. It only kicks in if input voltage drops below 88 to 105 Vac. It will then boost the output by 12%. RJ11 and RJ45 surge protection is also provided to protect phone lines and network cables. Voltage sensitivity is not user adjustable, but transfer voltages are. You can adjust the low transfer voltage from 84 to 88 Vac and the high transfer voltage from 140 to 144 Vac in 1 Vac increments. A circuit breaker guards the UPS from excessive current draw.

The UPS housing is also not magnetically shielded, so keep it several feet from any CRTs. My CRT screen would waver if this unit was within 2 feet of it. The UPS is pretty bulky as well; I could not lie it on it's side on top of my computer hutch due to the magnetic distortion it caused on my monitor. It now sits under my desk, taking up valuable room.

Overall, I feel this Belkin 1500VA is a solid unit, but the run time claims are far fetched to say the least.

Belkin Tech Data (from User's Manual):

Capacity: 1500VA / 830W
Input Voltage Range: 88 - 140 Vac
Input Frequency: 60Hz (+/-3Hz)
Output Voltage: Simulated Sine Wave, 120Vac (+/-10Hz)
Output Frequency: 60Hz +/-1Hz (On Battery)
Backup Time:
Up to 120 Minutes claimed
Typical Recharge Time: < 12 hours recover 85% capacity
Ambient Operation: 0 to 85% humidity, non-condensing, 0 to 40C
Safety: UL/c-UL, FCC Class B
Surge: IEEE C62.41 Category A standard
Dimensions: 3.46" x 14.96" x 13.13"
Net Weight: 23.54lbs


From Belkin's website:

• Multiple communications options (SNMP, USB and serial)
• $200,000 connected equipment warranty
• 8 battery protected outlets
• 1000 joules of surge suppression capability
• Dual form factor (horizontal/vertical)
• Compatible with most Windows and MAC operating systems
• 3 year product warranty
• Automatic Voltage Regulation
• Quieter operation (no fan)
• More VA for the dollar