Best Overall
CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD
Key details
- Capacity
- 1500VA / 1000W
- Warranty
- 3 years, battery included
- Battery Outlets
- 6 of 12
- Output Waveform
- Pure sine wave
A modern desktop power supply expects a smooth sine wave, and an active-PFC unit — which is what you get in any recent gaming or workstation build — can balk at anything less. The CP1500PFCLCD hands over a true sine wave, and it does it with 1,000 watts, the highest wattage rating in this set. That pairing is why it is the unit we point to first for a real desktop.
Six of its twelve outlets sit on battery, which covers a tower, two monitors, the router, and a desk lamp without any negotiation. Automatic voltage regulation handles the small stuff: brownouts and sags get corrected without draining the pack, so the battery is still full when the power actually goes. AVR is the feature nobody shops for and everybody notices.
CyberPower got the small things right too. The input plug is offset 45 degrees so the cord lies flat against the wall instead of jutting out behind the desk, and there are five feet of cord to reach an outlet. The warranty runs three years and covers the battery rather than just the electronics, and the connected-equipment guarantee is the largest of any unit here.
The front panel is the part we kept returning to: live load, estimated runtime, and input voltage on one screen. That turns how long have I got into a number you can read, which is worth more than any of the marketing on the box.
Pros
- True sine wave for active-PFC power supplies
- 1,000 watts, the highest capacity here
- Six battery-backed outlets out of twelve
- Three-year warranty that includes the battery
Cons
- Largest footprint here at 14 inches deep
- Costs more than any other unit here
If you have one UPS-sized budget, this is the one: pure sine wave, 1,000 watts, and six backed-up outlets cover a real desktop without a second thought.