The Bottom Line
The ECO750UPS uninterruptible power supply from Tripp Lite is an excellent battery backup for a standard mid-range PC. The energy saving features and reasonable price tag make the ECO750UPS a great choice for most home PCs.
Tripp Lite has been making power products since the 1920's. In fact, they released the first ever UPS designed specifically for PCs so they know a thing or two about this business. If you've never heard of Tripp Lite, I assure you it's a brand you can trust.
If you're an average home computer user looking for an easy to use, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly UPS, then you've found it.
Pros
- Features a whopping 12 outlets, 6 of which are connected to the battery
- 4 energy savings outlets turn power off to devices not being used
- 450W capacity offers great support for most standard computers
- Ready right out of box - no battery connecting required
- Weighs under 9 lbs - very manageable considering the capacity
Cons
- Low-profile design takes up more floor real estate than comparable tower models
- Battery is not user replaceable
Description
- Maximum capacity on the ECO750UPS is 450 Watts / 750 VA, ideal support for standard desktop computer systems.
- Six outlets provide battery backup plus surge protection and six additional outlets provide surge protection only.
- Four of the six surge protection outlets double as "ECO" outlets that can help save energy when your PC is off.
- Empty-to-full battery charge could take 20 hours but the UPS may be almost fully charged when you purchase it.
- The battery in the ECO750UPS does not require a manual connection after purchase, making it very easy to setup.
- UPS weighs 9 lbs which, considering the battery capacity and weight of some other similar UPS devices, is lightweight.
- A USB cable is included with the ECO750UPS to help manage the battery backup from your PC.
Guide Review - Tripp Lite ECO750UPS
Overall I really liked Tripp Lite's ECO750UPS UPS. I was especially impressed with the battery runtime for such an inexpensive UPS.
The highlight of the ECO750UPS is the ECO energy saving feature. Four of the six surge-protection-only outlets double as "ECO outlets" which completely disconnect the power to the plugged in devices when the computer goes to sleep or turns off.
Don't see the benefit? Take a look at your computer system when you turn your PC off. Your monitor, printer, scanner, speakers, and other devices are still on, consuming power but doing nothing. Plugging these devices into the outlets labeled ECO on the ECO750UPS allows the UPS to disconnect these devices when it senses that the PC is no longer in use, saving you up to $50 a year on your energy bill.
The ECO feature can be enabled and disabled via an small button on the ECO750UPS. When disabled, these outlets function like regular surge protection outlets. There are no ECO outlets that also supply battery backup power.
With a 450W maximum capacity, the ECO750UPS is perfect for your average PC. I tested this UPS on my higher-end desktop computer and according to my calculations, I can expect around 35 minutes of runtime when on battery power. According to the flier that accompanied my ECO750UPS, a "basic" desktop computer with a 15" LCD monitor should run for around 45 minutes.
Unpacking and connecting the ECO750UPS to my PC hardware was as easy as you'd expect. I plugged my PC into the battery backup outlet and my printer, scanner, and two monitors into the ECO outlets. I also plugged in the USB management cable into my PC and Windows 7 automatically installed the drivers.
The thing I most disliked about the ECO750UPS was its footprint, which wasn't unexpected. Most UPS devices in this price range are "low-profile" meaning they sit flat on the ground and the outlets face up. Battery backups in a tower cabinet are best because they take up less space and managing the power cables is easier. The ECO750UPS can be wall mounted or set on its side which would save on space but most users probably won't want to do this.
Another thing I should mention is that the PowerAlert UPS management software was not included in the box. If you want to use PowerAlert, you'll have to download it (for free) from Tripp Lite's website. Personally, I consider that a move in the right direction - it saves resources and just makes sense considering the ubiquity of the Internet and the regular updates software programs receive today.
Tripp Lite's ECO750UPS battery backup is an excellent choice for mid-range computer users, especially if you're looking for a more environmentally friendly UPS.
