When I was accumulating the parts for my computer as directed by other members, mention was made for the necessity of a power back up for when the power in your neighborhood goes out. Yesterday for my birthday, my daughters bought me an additiona 6 gig of ramm (so now I have 12 GB ramm running, and an APC Battery back-up XS 1500. The box states that it will provide up to 164 minutes of runtime. It states 1500 VA, 865 Watts, 10 outlets.
My question is, when our power goes out in a severe storm, it is seldom out for more than 2 hours, so does this mean that when the power goes out, I can still work on the computer, OR is this just a safety feature that will allow me to log off and shut down to avoid damage. They paid $199.00 for it but if it is just to give me time to shut down, (assuming I'm home when the power goes out) they had small cheaper versions offering less time than 164 minutes.

Is this like a battery powered back-up sump pump that will run while then power is out?

Just trying to decide whether to keep or return.

Thanks in advance for your guidance,

Cowboy622