MSI MAG A850GL 80 Plus Gold Power Supply Review

How Much Does it Cost?

The MSI MAG A850GL 80 Plus Gold Power Supply is available now from Amazon with an MSRP of just £119.99. However, at the time of writing it was only £109.99, so keep an eye out for deals, as £10 could easily go on something useful like Pizza or beer, maybe both if you’re frugal enough. Alas, that’s a good price for this level of power, all the latest features, and a unit with a 12VHPWR connector.

Overview

MSI has built a rather fantastic power supply with the MAG A850GL, and while it’s not the most powerful unit ever at “just” 850W, I suspect that’ll be more than enough power for the majority of high-end PC users. It’s enough power for high-end consumer processors from AMD or Intel, as well as something up to an RTX 4080 or 7900 XTX. However, those pushing towards the most high-end processors or the RTX 4090 would do well to step up to at least a 1000W power supply.

At 80 Plus Gold, the A850GL is reasonably efficient, but in my testing, it was punching above its weight, hitting the 80 Plus Platinum requirements throughout much of its wattage range, and on the high side of the 80 Plus Gold requirements at around 50% load. That’s impressive and just goes to show, that not all 80 Plus Gold PSUs are to be regarded as equally efficient.

The build quality is very good on the exterior, with this unit retaining a very compact form factor for this level of power. There’s a bit of weird adhesive smushed around on the interior, but not in any way that’s concerning to a consumer. Plus, I like the little details, like the good quality cables, and the yellow pins on the 12VHPWR connector so that you can visually identify if it’s inserted properly and not at risk of becoming a bit melty.

Honestly, there’s not a lot more I need to say about this PSU, I’ve certainly no issues with it and nothing to be overly critical about. The cables are modular and flat (except the 12VHPWR), so cable routing is going to be easy. At 850W it’s plenty powerful, and in my testing, it can exceed that significantly for short bursts, and its efficiency, ripple and overall power management are some of the best I’ve seen!

Should I Buy One?

If you’re looking for a good quality power supply from a well-known brand name that is going to be powerful enough for a high-end gaming PC, durable and reliable enough to ensure system stability, and that comes with all the latest protection technologies, good efficiency, and latest standards (ATX 3.0 and PCIe 5.0), then at a little over £100, you’ll struggle to find better for less. Highly recommended.