Due to a recent spate of frequent brownouts (and dropouts) where I live, I have no choice but to purchase an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) unit for my PC. I have quickly searched the Net for some helpful hints, and I have compiled my short-list of things to look for:

• VA rating: 500-700 VA.
• Backup time: just enough time to shutdown normally -- nothing fancy.
• In-built Automatic Voltage Regulation (AVR) feature.
• In-built surge protection.
• 2 year warranty seems to be better. Most others I have already checked out (online) offer only 1 year.
• Telephone/Modem jacks, surge-protected.
• User resettable circuit breaker, not fused.
• USB, not RS-232 serial port, for software/management.
• User-replaceable battery.
• Must be able to access battery without tools (e.g. screwdriver, pliers, chainsaw etc.)

That's my list so far... does anyone have any suggestions for anything else I should consider?

I will buy the UPS in a couple of days, or over the weekend.

That seems to be the same requirements I've found. Just a couple other things to consider.

APC offers two main types of UPS: a traditional box (looks like a small computer case) or a surge strip style. Sometimes the surge strip style offers more outlets vs. the box in case you really need a lot of connections. Otherwise it's really a space issue.

Time-wise, I've usually heard to purchase 5-10 minutes of battery life; as you said, just enough to shutdown. If you're running Windows, some UPSes come with auto-shutdown software to gracefully shutdown your computer if you're not available.

Oh yeah, makes sure the UPS acts as a line conditioner rather than a normal stand-by device. What I mean is, the battery is always online; it doesn't kick in a half second after the power cuts out. Stand-by is fine for things like lights but does bad things to electronics. Plus, since the power is coming straight from the battery vs. the power grid, your computer is not subject to noise and varying voltage levels so your PSU won't work as hard and should last longer.

I would concur with the "line conditioning" suggestion above. That should make your list quite comprehensive.