I'm looking to get me a battery backup for my system, but would like to get some input. So far from what i'm hearing/reading I need a minimum of 800 watts since my PSU is a 1kw (1000 watt) kingwin power supply. Read some reports and saw that they APC 1500A might do nicely however some are saying that after 18 months this svcker fails hard. I rather not...flush money down the toilet *putting it nicely* for an 18month possible protection.

Can anyone recommend me a good power supply unit? I can spend about $300 can go to $350 if necessary however that would be the limit.

18 months to 3 years is very common for UPS battery replacements. The batteries in them don't last forever.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16842102070, as I too am considering a UPS (though not for a while).

Note that you do NOT have to match your PSU rated wattage, you just have to match your usage (with comfortable overhead). get a Kill-a-Watt to monitor your usage to get an idea of what you really need.

I often think about getting a UPS, but the price often puts me off; and that's before I'd even considered that the batteries will need replacing. Our car eats enough of them without having to feed another contraption too. I sometimes think it'd be easier to just get a small generator should the need arise...

I've got an APC myself, although it's a few years old and been discontinued--the http://www.apc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=BR1500LCD. The recommended replacement for it is http://www.apc.com/products/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=BR1500G--is that the one you're saying fails after 18 months?

FWIW, APC is probably the best in the UPS business. My current one is still going strong after ~2 years (although it and its replacement may not work as well for you--my PSU is only 750W), no issues. My dad uses a lot of APCs around the house, and he's had one or two just up and die/fail catastrophically. The majority of them are fine, though, aside from needing the occasional battery replacement. (Edit: When you say that they "fail" after 18 months, is that the battery, or the unit as a whole? If the unit itself fails after that time, that's bad. If it's the battery...that's pretty typical.)

Really, the best thing a UPS is for is regulating power surges, or having enough battery backup to keep your computer online long enough for you to shut it down safely in the event of a power failure. You may not need as big a UPS as you think.

Lately i've had a few power surges and i'm concerned for the components in my system. Need to break down and get me an external HD that I can clone my regular HD to in the case of a failure.

I'd go for a cyberpower that is compatible with pfc.

UPS is definitely no substitute for a backup strategy.

This. UPS is protection for your electronics, nothing more. A power surge or failure isn't the only thing that can wipe out a hard drive.

Getting a UPS is a good idea; so is getting a back-up drive. The two aren't mutually exclusive.

I've had that exact model for nearly two years now and have been extremely happy with it (with my computer running off it pretty much 24/7). My power has a tendency to blink out for a few minutes whenever it gets pretty windy around here, so the thing's definitely got a fair number of workouts and has performed perfectly every time. It also provides my (midrange) system with about 30 minutes of power during longer blackouts. Definitely a product I'd recommend.