Well thats true, I cant remember if it even has cut out since I moved down here, Ive only had one tripped switch I think. But the threat is always there, just like that threat of data corruption/HDD failure. "It wont happen to me" you think, as you neglect backing up your data...

How long do these consumer level UPSs last for? I always thought they didnt last much longer than 30 secs to a minute, though I guess Im thinking back to college when someone was looking at them, must have improved since then!

Generally speaking its the battery that goes first.  Ive seen the occasional control board go on them.  They come with 1 year warranties as the batteries tend to last 1-2 years.

A 500VA is more than enough for a desktop and monitor.

I meant when the power goes out, how long will the battery/ups keep the computer running for before it runs out of juice?

Quote from: SamNo I dont think the money is an issue. I just wonder when, really, the last time your power cut out and you lost all your work was.

Mine cuts out once or twice a year, enough for it to be worth making the investment in a small business to keep the server running 24/7. Other areas have much more frequent issues, although usually very short in duration.

Depends on how much you value your time and effort though. I dont bother because what Im doing isnt that important.

Quote from: zpyderI meant when the power goes out, how long will the battery/ups keep the computer running for before it runs out of juice?

You have to work that out from the load and the capacity of the UPS which you will get an overview from the LED display anyway.

A UPS 1500 on half load would last around 20 minutes.  Half load being 2-3 standard 1U Tower 1 Socket servers.

Quote from: SamNo I dont think the money is an issue. I just wonder when, really, the last time your power cut out and you lost all your work was.

the street I was on in Cam had very dodgy electrics, we lost power ~ 1-2 times per week.

My housemates cursed and swore every time it happened, while I was mildly annoyed by the beeping sound of my UPS on backup power. My rather overpowered 900VA Compaq UPS could run my PC, monitor, backup server and desk lamp for 15+ minutes (never ran it all the way flat so not sure how long exactly). Longer than most power cuts and more than enough time to save everything and shut down gracefully.