CONCLUSION

   There are two aspects about the MAG A850GL PCIE5 power supply unit by MSI i feel i need to speak of, performance and of course build quality. Performance is good across the board, yes, rail stability may not be superb but it’s still solid and just what I was expecting from such a model. In terms of noise levels again, 120mm fans are never inaudible but around 46dBA at 85% stress load is not great (should easily surpass 50dBA at 100% load however, not that you’d get a PSU to use it at 100%) and even though it shouldn’t be a game breaker I do expect some potential buyers to look elsewhere. Build quality may also be good overall (CWT is among the top OEMs after all) but Taiwanese capacitors are nowhere near as popular and established as Japanese ones, even by well-known manufacturers like CapXon. That’s not to say they are easy to fail but let’s face it, even from just a marketing standpoint these things do matter and that’s why companies always point that feature out (and to be completely honest yes, I’d be more confident with a model using capacitors by Nippon Chemi-Con or Rubycon instead of by Elite and/or CapXon - Still it's worth pointing out that the MAG is MSI's "mid-end" line so using Japanese capacitors would be a slight stretch). Finally, being ATX 3.0 and PCIe 5.0 compliant means you’ll probably be using the MAG A850GL for many years to come so no problems here.

   Currently retailing for USD139.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 130.15Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) the MAG A850GL PCIE5 power supply unit by MSI lands right between several units from the competition. At the end of the day the MSI MAG A850GL PCIE5 may not be the best power supply money can buy today but it’s quite affordable, performs well, is covered by a 7 year warranty and packs quite a few standards and features which is why I highly recommend giving it a chance if you’re in the market for a new 850W unit.

PROS

- Overall Build Quality
- Good Rail Stability
- ATX 3.0 & PCIe 5.0
- 80 PLUS Gold Certified
- 12VHPWR Connector (Yellow Color)
- Electrical Protections (OCP/OVP/UVP/SCP/OPP/OTP)
- 7 Year Limited Warranty
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Noise Levels
- Taiwanese Capacitors (For Some)