CONCLUSION

   By using a long established company like CWT for their MEG series of PCIe 5.0 & ATX 3.0 ready power supply units MSI currently has a solid competitor in the global market. Once again, my test rig may not have been power hungry enough to max out the output of the AI1300P but at least at just over 1000W under load the unit produced rock solid rails with less noise compared to other similar models (needless to say, at full load noise levels will be higher). On top of that add the size of the MEG AI1300P which is considerably more compact compared to other units and there’s simply no way you can go wrong with it. Now if I had to nitpick (as l always do) I’d have to point out the lack of a zero-fan mode switch/button at the rear of the unit which was a surprise to me (every other unit sporting that feature to arrive in the lab to date has it). Yes, this is not a big deal honestly but since i happen to always have that feature disabled (not taking any chances with temperatures) it’s safe to assume that others do too and so having to download and use MSI center to get around that (and not completely since you have to manual set the RPM) is certainly not ideal. As for the MSI center software even though it didn’t work well it wasn’t something unexpected, not for a test rig which is roughly 13 years old. What does matter is what that software offers and switching between single and multi-rail (not to mention adjusting fan speed) is not something we see in the PSU market almost at all.

   Currently retailing for USD319.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 306.34Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) the MEG AI1300P PCIE5 power supply unit is priced right around what I was expecting for the top model by MSI. Overall, the MEG AI1300P PCIE5 by MSI is a great power supply unit, not only does it produce rock solid rails with less noise compared to similar models, it’s also more compact and has features which can be controlled via MSI’s Center software (multi-rail, fan speed) so the Platinum Award is definitely in order.

PROS

- Very Good Build Quality
- Solid Rail Stability
- ATX 3.0 & PCIe 5.0
- 80 Plus Platinum Certified
- 1300W Output (+12VHPWR 600W Connector)
- Electrical Protections (OCP/OVP/SCP/OPP/UVP/OTP)
- Noise Levels
- Multi & Single Rail Mode (Via MSI Center)
- Zero Fan Mode
- MSI Center Software
- 10 Year Limited Warranty

CONS

- Fixed Zero Fan Mode (No Rear Switch)