Epilogue
MSI’s new A-GLS line successfully addresses the central issue of the A-GL line, which was the increased noise output due to aggressive fan speed profiles. At the same time, MSI attempted to lower production costs by not using expensive branded parts to offer the A-GLS units at affordable prices. Although I don’t have any price information yet, I am confident that MSI will adopt a highly aggressive pricing strategy to drive high sales of these new PSUs. The overall performance is high enough, but the protection features require improvement to protect better the PSU and the system it powers. More specifically, MSI and CWT need to tune the OCP triggering points on the major rails and also adjust the over power protection’s triggering points under normal and high operating temperatures, which are not at the same level. As operating temperatures increase, so does the stress on the PSU; therefore, the allowed over-power overhead must decrease.
Similar to the A1000GLS PCIE5, the A850GLS is a decent product. Unfortunately, I don’t have a street price at the time of the review to accurately judge its performance-to-price ratio. However, MSI is likely to offer it at a highly competitive price to compete with Corsair’s RM850e, which is currently one of the best-selling models in this category. The A850GLS has 1.5-2% higher overall performance, depending on voltage input, than Corsair’s RM850e. Regarding noise output, both models have relaxed fan speed profiles. Still, the MSI model is among the quietest in the 850W category, achieving an average noise output that is nearly 5 dBA lower than the already quiet RM850e.
Before investing in a new power supply, read my Best ATX v3.x PSUs article to check all alternative PSU offerings. You help me a lot by using my affiliate links, which don’t increase the price of the product. I receive a commission from Amazon every time you do it, which can make a significant difference for me, especially now that I am working independently, exclusively for my media, rather than for someone else.
- Delivered full power at 46°C
- ATX v3.1 and PCIe CEM 5.1 compliant
- Good soldering quality
- Silent operation
- Efficient platform
- Within 1% load regulation on the primary rails
- Good ripple suppression on the minor rails
- Good transient response at 12V (normal loads)
- Higher than 18ms hold-up time
- Efficient 5VSB rail
- Low vampire power
- Low inrush currents
- Alternative Low Power Mode (ALPM) compatible
- 12+4-pin PCIe connector set at 600W
- OCP on all rails and OPP need adjustments
- Mediocre 12V transient performance at high loads (ATX v3.1)
- Mediocre transient response on the minor rails (normal loads)
- APFC needs tuning for higher PF readings
- No fan failure protection
