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Customer Reviews for Geek Squad® 1285VA UPS/Battery Back-Up System
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Geek Squad® 1285VA UPS/Battery Back-Up System
Model: GS-1285U
SKU: 7383985
UPC: 600603104749
Agent 50 personally recommends this uninterruptible power supply to combat abrupt electric discharges from clouds that try to attack your computer. — Agent 50, Mission Control
Average Customer Rating:
4.2
out of 5
(27 Reviews) 27
Rating Snapshot 27 reviews
5 stars
16
4 stars
5
3 stars
2
2 stars
3
1 star
1
81% of reviewers would recommend this product to a friend
(
22 out of
27)
Customer Reviews for Geek Squad® 1285VA UPS/Battery Back-Up System
Review 1 for Geek Squad® 1285VA UPS/Battery Back-Up System
Piece of junk (An almost insult to proper junk!)
Customer Rating
2.0
Posted by: DeusExCalamus
from Broussard, Louisiana
on 08/19/2009
Value for Price
2.0
Features
3.0
Reliability
1.0
Protection
2.0
What's great about it: It actually worked somewhat as advertised
What's not so great: Battery wont charge past ~60% after one outage
Honestly, this is a piece of junk. I haven't had a chance to test it's surge-arresting abilities, only the battery backup, drawing ~175w, I got about 25min of power out of it, then I shut my computer down, leaving my router and cable modem plugged in....upon restoration of power, unit indicated ~60% battery life remaining....and has indicated such for the past few hours, leading me to believe that it is not charging. I will bite the bullet and replace it with a proper (Read: APC) unit.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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Review 2 for Geek Squad® 1285VA UPS/Battery Back-Up System
Excellent Buy
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: RingoKid
on 08/10/2009
Value for Price
5.0
Features
5.0
Reliability
5.0
Protection
5.0
What's great about it: UPS Works Well -- Included Software Works Well
I purchased this unit to replace my TrippLite 1000VA UPS that died this weekend. In my testing I found I had about 20 minutes of runtime with my system idling at 175W. When I fired up Prime95 so my cores were at 100% and power usage increased by 45W, time dropped down to 12-14 minutes. This is to be expected for a unit in this price range. The included software performed flawlessly hybernating my computer 5 minutes before the UPS ran out of power. Note: battery capacity and the associated charging circuit determines runtime of an UPS; not the VA rating. My $1200 TrippLite with a lower VA rating had 3 times the runtime because it had three large batteries similar to those found on mobility carts. Be sure to test everything before hand and periodically test every couple of months. Runtime is also directly related to the condition of the batteries and in my experience, the batteries start showing their age in about two years although the charging circuits have improved and that should extend the battery life. Replacing batteries on an UPS is as normal as replacing a battery on a car.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 3 for Geek Squad® 1285VA UPS/Battery Back-Up System
Good Battery Back for the Price
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: donmarjon78616
from Maxwell TX
on 05/16/2009
Value for Price
5.0
Features
5.0
Reliability
4.0
Protection
5.0
What's great about it: Display
What's not so great: Cannot use all eight plugins
Good battery backup for the price. The pluging configuration make it impossible to use them all because they are so close together. This display on the front is usefull.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 4 for Geek Squad® 1285VA UPS/Battery Back-Up System
Great product!
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: elektriCutie
from San Jose, CA
on 04/15/2009
Value for Price
5.0
Features
5.0
Reliability
5.0
Protection
5.0
What's great about it: Pretty much everything
What's not so great: Doesn't seem to last 90 minutes (but oh well)
I have a 40" LCD TV, ATT Uverse Gateway, PS3, & DVD player hooked up to this thing and it's saved me on quite a few times (including this morning) from power outage/ surges. I have a friend down the street who's 60" TV just crapped out because of the power outage.. SO GLAD I have this. It allows a good amount of time for me to power everything off during an outage. Awesome product!
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 5 for Geek Squad® 1285VA UPS/Battery Back-Up System
Power, protection, stylish, poor plug arrangement
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: ChuckBBY
from Holmen, WI
on 04/08/2009
Value for Price
4.0
Features
4.0
Reliability
5.0
Protection
4.0
Images for this Review
(click to see full-size image)
What's great about it: Nice style, great features in one device
What's not so great: Bad plug set-up - can't use all eight!
I have a small office in my house, and as such I do have lots of devices running on one circuit. Desktop (sometimes two), 20" monitor, cable modem, wireless router, VOiP, cordless phone, color laser printer, color all in one....on top of that my house has one circuit for this room and the bedroom. So on occassion the circuit breaker trips. VERY annoying when I'm working!
I am not pleased with how the plugs are spaced. I only have room to plug in my computer, monitor, and cable modem. The cable modem has a rather transformer, which takes up two spaces on the battery backup side, as well as two on the surge only. I cannot plug in the wireless router, external hard drive or VOiP as they also have transformers.
I am tempted to run a small extension cord to allow me to have those devices protected as well, although the warranty states this would negate it. As it is, I have to have the router, VOiP modem, and external hard drive on a seperate surge protector. <sigh>
With more spacing between the plugs, this would be an excellent product! I tested this by unplugging the UPS, and it didn't miss a beat providing power to my computer, monitor, and modem. It estimated 25 minutes of power. It's rare a power outage (due to circuit breaker) lasts for more than five minutes. Enough for me!
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 6 for Geek Squad® 1285VA UPS/Battery Back-Up System
Pretty good product- wish it lasted longer
Customer Rating
3.0
Posted by: GKreamer
from Bumpass, VA
on 01/19/2009
Value for Price
4.0
Features
5.0
Reliability
4.0
Protection
3.0
What's great about it: Has saved me during a power outage or two!
What's not so great: Does not seem to last 90 minutes
I've owned this for about 7 months and it has been a lifesaver when working from home and having a power outage. I have had this happen 4 or 5 times. I only have 2 items plugged in: my cable modem/router and my DVR. When a power outage occurs I make sure the DVR is off, I only plug it in because if you lose power it takes between 5-10 minutes for it to power back up and get all the DirecTV info before you can watch TV again. I use the router during the power outage and it only lasts maybe an hour, I think it should last longer.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
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Review 7 for Geek Squad® 1285VA UPS/Battery Back-Up System
i like it
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: BakederThinU
from Estacada
on 01/01/2009
Value for Price
4.0
Features
4.0
Reliability
5.0
Protection
4.0
What's great about it: it does what it says
What's not so great: not sure
Where I live it seems like i loose power at least once every couple days and im on the comp. in chat or downloading something and in flash of an eye everything is rebooting then my router gets reset and it takes 10min to get back online but ive had this for 24hrs now and its kept me online once last night when i was asleep and once this morning i was in chat and all the lights went out but i kept chattin and my torrents kept downloading so I am pleased
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 8 for Geek Squad® 1285VA UPS/Battery Back-Up System
Functional, but backup time not near 90 minutes.
Customer Rating
3.0
Posted by: TheAlien
from Pittsburgh
on 01/01/2009
Value for Price
2.0
Features
5.0
Reliability
2.0
Protection
2.0
What's great about it: Software is easy to use and unit has lots of features in the LCD display.
What's not so great: At full charge with only 232 watts draw, 14 minute backup time, 8 min actual.
Living in an area with serious power outage problems, I needed to upgrade my current APC backup. It was just worn out. The salesman was not very informative but tried his best. After telling him about my system, 650 watt power supply, 2 flat panel monitors and two routers, he suggested this model as being the best for the price. I plugged it in, let it charge for 24 hours, and then hooked it up. At full charge, I only have an estimated backup time of 14 minutes with a draw of 232 watts (barely a dent in it's specs). After disconnecting it from the wall to simulate a power outage, it worked well, but only gave me 8 minutes before it died, and that was not due to the software automatic shutdown. Summation: It worked, but not as advertised. Not really worth the price, but I'll keep it. 4 backed-up outlets that are adapter spaced and 4 with just surge supression is a good thing, and the software is acceptable.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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Review 9 for Geek Squad® 1285VA UPS/Battery Back-Up System
Excellent Product
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: Anonymous
from Burlington, VT
on 10/29/2008
Value for Price
5.0
Features
4.0
Reliability
5.0
Protection
5.0
What's great about it: Easy to setup, Works like a charm with Mac OS X 10.5
What's not so great: No Macintosh Control Panel
The UPS is a great reliable way to power off your computer when the power goes down. Works great with OS X Leopard (10.5) with settings in the Energy Saver section of the System Preferences. Easily configurable and it will shut your computer off for you if you're not home when the power goes out.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 10 for Geek Squad® 1285VA UPS/Battery Back-Up System
Great UPS
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: twisted1
from Romeoville, IL
on 10/23/2008
What's great about it: Works like a charm
What's not so great: It's a UPS
I have owned this UPS for almost a year and had no problems. It seems to be able to handle my cpu, monitor, router, and dsl modem on the "battery" side just fine. Just so you know, I am a gamer, so my cpu does not have one of those "low" wattage power supplies. The front display is a nice feature, as is the back light. It has just enough plug outputs for battery and also for "surge" protection (no battery). I liked it so much, I bought a 2nd one for my wife when her smaller ups died. I don't use the software, so I can't comment on that.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 11 for Geek Squad® 1285VA UPS/Battery Back-Up System
Great BUY
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: Storm44
from Asheville
on 08/24/2008
What's great about it: Price, Batter life, LCD Display
What's not so great: none
This is a great buy for the price. I have no problems with the software. It comes with. I have several APC products. But this is good for a small budget.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 12 for Geek Squad® 1285VA UPS/Battery Back-Up System
What a deal
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: donde
from Vero Fl
on 07/28/2008
What's great about it: Works great all around
What's not so great: None I could find
Bought one and was so good bought a second at $ 119
Now waiting for another sale and will get a third.
Now waiting for another sale and will get a third.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 13 for Geek Squad® 1285VA UPS/Battery Back-Up System
A must have for DLP HDTV
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: MrGunny
from Salt Lake City, UT
on 07/20/2008
What's great about it: Easy setup, works as promised
What's not so great: Nominal battery back up time
I purchased this model to replace a Monster surge protector that had our JVC 61" DLP HDTV, Dish Network receiver and Kenwood system hooked up to it. The lamp inside the JVC HDTV *MUST* be allowed to properly cool down when the TV unit is turned off or the life of the lamp greatly decreases. My first lamp lasted approx 12 1/2 months. At about $200 a lamp, purchasing this UPS at $119 is a great investment. Most of our brown-outs only last a few minutes, and even though the Geek Squad UPS unit shows approx 18 minutes of back-up time (w/JVC and Dish receiver plugged into back-up outlets), that is plenty of time to turn off the TV and allow the lamp to cool, thus extending the lamp life. A must have for people who own a HDTV, let alone a DLP model. The automatic power conditioner which ensures a constant "in" voltage/wattage along with plenty of outlets is also a plus!
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
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Review 14 for Geek Squad® 1285VA UPS/Battery Back-Up System
Mr. Fusion Home Energy Reactor
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: TampaJeff
from Tampa, FL
on 07/07/2008
What's great about it: Works, cheap, cool LED display
What's not so great: Geek Squad logo, orange badges/LEDs
Replacing APC 500 CS so upped power (!) and got a cool LED display. Great price on sale, no shipping bought local since price was right.
The unit is backing up:
Intel Dual Core / GeForce 7900 / 4 HDDs PC
27" Dell flat screen
Vonage modem
Wireless router
5 port switch
Cordless phone
Intel Dual Core / GeForce 7900 / 4 HDDs PC
27" Dell flat screen
Vonage modem
Wireless router
5 port switch
Cordless phone
The above draws around 24% capacity, pulled the plug and it said 18 minutes run time but did not test full time estimate ;-)
Setup was plug and play on XP. Downloaded CyberPower's software (Personal Edition v1.2.1) it's a rebadged CyberPower unit. Someone mentioned software is a memory hog the CP software uses the same RAM as other background processes didn't notice any issues. Did not load Geek Squad software so can't comment on it.
So far so good I've owned several different UPS over the years this one is slick.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
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Review 15 for Geek Squad® 1285VA UPS/Battery Back-Up System
Good purchase
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: Cyberpower
from Florida
on 06/30/2008
What's great about it: Nice Display
What's not so great: Geek Squad logo
It's a re-packaged Cyberpower UPS as another reviewer stated and it works extremely well. I can't stand the "Geek Squad" logo but that's OK. I downloaded the software from Cyberpower to at least get rig of the logo in the software.
I live in Florida, lightning capital of the USA. This replaced a 500 VA APC that had a dead battery. I could of replaced the battery for $25 but had a $100 Best Buy gift card and got this 1285 VA for $119 on sale.
I live in Florida, lightning capital of the USA. This replaced a 500 VA APC that had a dead battery. I could of replaced the battery for $25 but had a $100 Best Buy gift card and got this 1285 VA for $119 on sale.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
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Review 16 for Geek Squad® 1285VA UPS/Battery Back-Up System
Excellent product
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: star1one
from Orlando, FL
on 04/20/2008
What's great about it: very reliable
What's not so great: Display does not remain illuminated for more than a minute
This is a very well designed quality product. I bought it because I needed one to protect my home network, and this UPS exceeded my expectations.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 17 for Geek Squad® 1285VA UPS/Battery Back-Up System
Nice Unit
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: nostradamus
on 01/02/2008
This unit probably saved my computer more than once. It has a decent battery life after the power goes out
I would recommend this to a friend!
-1point
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Review 18 for Geek Squad® 1285VA UPS/Battery Back-Up System
No linux support :(
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: cryogenic
on 10/07/2007
What's great about it: easy to setup, LCD display, nice looking
What's not so great: no linux support
I have no complaints about this so far. Frankly, I haven't had a power outage yet so I don't know if it lives up to its advertised runtime but it does provide a nice peace of mind. It's basically a re-badged cyberpower UPS with a different LCD. I love having the LCD for a quick glance at how much power my components are drawing and the estimated runtime on battery. I'd recommend it for sure.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 19 for Geek Squad® 1285VA UPS/Battery Back-Up System
Solid product
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: Cloakedgod
from eau claire, wi
on 09/14/2007
its a solid product, software worked fine for me, if your having problems with it, its probubly your hardware or a virus/malware. the AVR kicks in quickly, and the battery backup works flawlessly and instantly. i had problems when purchasing this unit, it was used and labeled as new. but thats about it.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 20 for Geek Squad® 1285VA UPS/Battery Back-Up System
Everything you need
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: jkantor
from St. Petersburg, FL
on 09/11/2007
Lots of power. Very good price (even when not on sale). Nice front-panel display and rear-panel connections. And the software works great on my XP machine and does everything you need it to.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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