INTRODUCTION

   Watching people spend thousands of dollars/euros on brand new PC/MAC systems and/or TV sets while 99% of the time completely leaving out a small portion of that money for a UPS (uninterrupted power supply) is one of the things that has never ceased to amaze me. Yes, i do realize that not everyone knows what a UPS is and that there are other ways to avoid having issues with the electrical grid (not that everyone makes use of them) but even so having a UPS also gives you ample time to shut down your system without having to worry about losing something you've been doing (whether that's work, game progression, skype/viber call or even something you were moments away from ordering online). Green Cell may not be one of the leading UPS brands in the market today but in just 8 years they've managed to have a loyal following in the EU and since some of you asked today, I’ll be testing their PowerProof 2000VA/1200W model.

   Green Cell is an idea created in 2013 as a response to the ever-growing demand for mobility. The team, originally founded by Paweł Ochyński wanted to create a brand, that will make our lives as easy as possible in a world dominated by mobile devices. From the very beginning, we have targeted Li-Ion technology as our specialization, and the first Green Cell branded products were laptop batteries and charges alongside with power banks.

   The PowerProof line of UPS devices by Green Cell currently includes 600/800/1000 (600/700W variants)/1500/2000VA (1200/1400W variants) capacity models (with me here i have the 2000VA/1200W model) all of which feature line-interactive AVR topology and just like both the APC and Legrand units i reviewed a while back (review here) they use the modified (or simulated) sinewave output waveform. Now as I’ve pointed out in past reviews simulated/modified sinewave models may not offer quite the clean and stable output pure sinewave models do but they are more than suitable for 99% of the electronic devices out there. At the same time however if you can afford climbing higher to a pure sinewave UPS and you have something very expensive, you'd like to protect against any electrical damage by all means do so. Inside the PowerProof 2000VA we find two 12V/9.0Ah/20HR batteries and as for available features it packs a total of 4 schuko ports, two RJ11 connectors (for modem/fax protection), USB host port (PC connection), front display and active cooling (rear 60mm exhaust fan). Moving to available electrical protections Green Cell has equipped it with short-circuit, thermal and overvoltage ones (as with most similar models operation range is set from 0 to 40 degrees Celsius). Green Cell covers the entire PowerProof unit (minus the batteries which they cover for a single year) with a 2-year limited warranty.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Green Cell uses a black and green box that has a product picture at the front right over the capacity range.

A brief product description is available on the left side in 7 languages.

Both the product specifications and a sticker on which you can see the exact model you're getting are placed on the right side.

Along with the PowerProof 2000VA inside the box you'll also find a USB host port cable, two power cables, Upsilon 2000 download instructions and serial number paper and the user manual.

THE POWERPROOF 2000VA

The 11.5Kg heavy PowerProof 2000VA housing is made out of plastic and measures 198mm in height, 158mm in width and 380mm in length.

With a length of 380mm this is a rather long UPS (just as long as the Keor SP by Legrand).

Just the on/off power button and the LCD display are placed at the front.

At the rear we find the 60mm exhaust fan, USB host port, 2 RJ11 ports, 4 schuko ports, power port and a small fuse compartment.

The front display only clearly indicates the current VAC input and output (i was hoping it could also indicate the load, not as small boxes but numbers).

Here you can see the two 12V/9.0Ah/20HR batteries which according to Green Cell should need replacement after roughly 5 years.

UPSILON 2000 SOFTWARE

For complete control over the UPS, you can download the latest (v5.4) version of the UPSilon 2000 software (instructions on the provided paper).

From within the software, you can monitor the input/output voltage and frequency of the UPS, check its current load and temperatures, check the current battery charge and of course perform various self-tests (unfortunately for reasons unknown on 2 systems i used it there could be no connection to the UPS so these images are from the demo feature this software has).

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   I decided to test all UPS models that make it here in real world scenarios so what better way to do that than to use one of my TV sets and one of my test rigs? So, to check battery life I’m using a 55-inch SONY 4K TV paired with the HD Dune Pro 4K II player (4K MVK playback) and the X79 test rig (while playing several game titles). Needless to say, power draw is not 100% fixed but I did measure the minimum and maximum numbers during all tests which don’t exceed 10W for the first and 20W for the latter (so do keep this in mind).

   To simulate real power outages, I will be turning the corresponding power switch in the lab a total of 5 times (5 for each test), 3 of which I will pushing it back on immediately and 2 which I will allow a couple of minutes to pass. If any of the UPS models I test fail to protect the connected equipment (or fail to keep it running) I will be sure to mention it at the end of the review.

   As for noise levels I’ll be using the ExTech HD600 decibel meter placed 5cm away from each UPS model (i will not however be recording beeping sounds coming from their internal speakers).

TEST RESULTS

CONCLUSION

   The PowerProof 2000VA is an entry to mid-level model and as far as I’m concerned Green Cell doesn’t try to hide this fact (enclosure quality alone proves this). Still, it did very good during the 2 weeks I tested it, not just in terms of uptime (and I expect the 1400W model to do even better) but also in terms of noise levels (although i admit it could do better). Of course, I also had no issues regardless of the how many times I pulled the power plug or turned the mains of the office off (still my equipment is not very power hungry so again for heavy use a pure sinewave model would be a better choice). Aside the software not running on my Windows 10 Pro systems (if I find out the why I will update this review) I also noticed that the front LCD display is very bright and although I have no problems with that (acted as a night light in the lab) some just might so do keep that in mind if you plan on placing it somewhere near where you sleep (and you don’t want a night light).

   Currently the PowerProof 2000VA/1200W UPS by Green Cell retails for 139.95Euros inside the EU (Green Cell / Amazon.de) a price which is extremely balanced for this model. Yes, the PowerProof 2000VA/1200W may not sport the best build quality and features in the market (especially when compared with models by APC or Cyberpower) but it does very well both in uptime and protection against electrical spikes and surges and for that it gets the Golden Award.

PROS

- Very Good Performance
- 4 Schuko Plugs
- 2000VA/1200W (2000VA/1400W Also Available)
- Front LCD Display
- Electrical Protections (Short-Circuit, Thermal and Overvoltage)
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Overall Build Quality
- UPSilon 2000 Software (Unable To Run On My Systems)