Earlier this year, To be exact, it promises premium power protection for powerful gaming PCs and current-gen gaming consoles, protecting them from power surges and outages.
Aside from offering power protection, the Back-UPS also has an auto shutdown feature for Windows PCs, further protecting a computer from outages and other power-related issues. Of course, given that it promises to power gaming machines in the event of a power interruption, it’s a big UPS with a premium price tag to boot, especially when compared with other APC models.
So, is this premium UPS worth a splurge for gamers looking to protect their rigs? Here’s what we think in our APC Back-UPS Pro Gaming review.
Design and Connectivity
To start, let’s take a look at its design. The Back-UPS Pro Gaming looks like a mid-size PC tower, meaning you’ll need quite a bit of space if you want to set this beside your gaming setup.
Aside from being big, the Back-UPS Pro Gaming is also quite heavy as it weighs 25.4 pounds (or 11.5 kilograms). This means you’ll need a sturdy table if you want to set it beside your desktop. Better yet, you’d want to put it on the floor given how big and hefty it is.
For a better idea of its size, here’s the UPS beside a base model PS5:
Also, the PS5 weighs 9.9 pounds (4.5 kilograms), meaning the Back-UPS Pro Gaming is over twice the weight of the console. The size and weight make sense though given that it’s expected to run powerful gaming rigs on battery power.
Moving on from its size and weight, the Back-UPS has a nice design that doesn’t really stand out, meaning it should blend in easily with most gaming rigs. It helps that it comes in a black and a white colorway along with lights on the screen and the back which have 12 color options.
Speaking of its screen, the display can be set to show various information, including load watt, load percentage, battery runtime, output voltage, and more. You can scroll through these display options by pressing the Information button on the left.
The other controls include an LED color button on the middle which you can use to cycle through the 12 color options on the screen and back lights. At the right is a mute button which you can use to shut off the beeping function. In normal operation, beeps are used as reminders, though I can see why they can be annoying to some, so it’s nice to have a mute option. Finally, there’s a power button at the top.
When it comes to the user experience, the UPS is fairly straightforward to use. The display is also clear and shows pretty much all the information that you’ll need to know (including battery status and load).
The lights are also a nice touch as the circular light on the display is used to show the battery level while charging or when on battery power. That is when the display is set to runtime (which we recommend).
For instance, if it’s powering devices on battery power, the circle is fully green when it’s still full charge. The circle then becomes smaller, and at the halfway point, it turns orange. Then it turns red when the battery is low. This is also the case when charging but in reverse.
Finally, we have the outputs. This model of the Back-UPS Pro Gaming comes with four battery backup power outlets with surge protection: two universal outlets and two IEC 60320 C13 outlets. Then, there’s one universal outlet and one C13 outlet which offer surge protection only. At the top is a data port and surge-protected Ethernet input and output ports. Then, the front has two USB Type-A ports and a Type-C port for charging.
While only four of the outlets provide backup power, this should be enough for most users as you can connect a gaming PC, a console, and a monitor, with one more outlet to spare. We would’ve liked one of the C13 outlets to be universal instead, though this shouldn’t be an issue for those with gaming PCs.
Software and Operation
The Back-UPS is a plug-and-play device, meaning you don’t have to connect it to a PC to run, though we suggest you do so you can configure its settings more easily and take advantage of the PowerChute Serial Shutdown (PCSS) software.
To do this, you’ll need to download the PCSS software (which runs on your PC’s browser) and connect the UPS to your PC via the ethernet to USB cable included in the box. There, you can set the automatic shutdown function that also smartly saves open files. Then, when the power is back on, the PC will be restarted. Note that this is only available on Windows PCs.
Aside from this feature, you can use PCSS to tweak various settings, including unit sensitivity so the UPS knows when to use battery power. You can set it to Generator Sensitivity which changes only when input voltage is extremely low or high. For most users with gaming PCs and consoles, the default Medium sensitivity is recommended.
After tweaking these settings, you should be good to go, though you can also change the sensitivity without going to PCSS. This is not the best experience though as you’ll need to press the Information button for six seconds to pull up the menu.
Still, it’s nice that the Back-UPS Pro Gaming doesn’t require users to use the software. This is great for users who simply want to use the UPS for their gaming console setup.
Battery Performance
According to Schneider Electric, the Back-UPS Pro Gaming can run the following equipment on battery power for this long:
- Nintendo Switch (180W) w/55-inch LED TV – 35 mins
- Xbox Series X (325W) w/55-inch LED TV – 15 mins
- PlayStation 5 (380W) w/55-inch LED TV – 11 mins
- Gaming Laptop (275W) w/27-inch monitor – 20 mins
- Gaming PC (475W) w/27-inch monitor – 10 mins
Based on these results, the UPS should give users enough time to save their game progress and turn off their equipment in the event of a power outage. Of course, we had to test the UPS out for ourselves.
Our first test was playing Elden Ring on a PS5 with a smaller 43-inch TV connected to the UPS on battery power. As our test was on a smaller TV, we expected the Back-UPS to last for a bit longer. This was indeed the case as the UPS was able to last for 19 minutes before reaching a low battery level (when the lights are red on the Runtime display option).
Given this, the UPS should give you more than enough time to save at a safe point, or even finish your multiplayer match in case an outage happens.
Next, we played Hitman 3 on a gaming laptop with an Intel Core i7-12650H and an RTX 3060 105W GPU. As we tested the laptop only without an external display, we were easily able to play for more than 20 minutes without draining the Back-UPS Pro Gaming’s battery.
Of course, your mileage may vary as we expect a top-of-the-line gaming PC to quickly eat through the Back-UPS Pro’s charge. Still, the results are quite impressive. That’s not even counting its automatic voltage regulation capabilities.
Finally, the fact that the UPS includes sine wave means it will help maximize the lifespan of your equipment. Plus, this is recommended for high-end gaming rigs and Macs which may be more sensitive.
APC Back-UPS Pro Gaming Final Verdict
After trying out this new APC UPS, we can confirm that the device delivers on its promise as it meets the promised battery power capabilities for gaming. On top of this, the Back-UPS Pro Gaming is also easy to set up, with the PCSS software also being a nice option to further protect your PC. Finally, surge protection is no doubt a plus for those living in areas where the power isn’t as reliable.
But is it worth the PHP 25,500 price tag? After all, that’s almost the price of a PS5. Well, that depends on your needs. If you simply need a UPS for your console, the Back-UPS Pro Gaming may be a bit much.
On the flip side, if you live in an area where power fluctuations happen, this may be a worthy investment. Especially so if you’re a gamer with a powerful gaming machine, or if you’re a content creator/streamer given how important it is to protect equipment from power surges and outages.