Cooler Master Elite Gold 850 Review
Summary: The Cooler Master Elite Gold 850 provides both performance and affordability
4.5
Affordable power
If you’re looking for an affordably priced PSU for your system at just #139AUD (Jan 2026), the Cooler Master Elite Gold 850 is hard to overlook. It feels like a carefully designed, well‑built unit, and right out of the box it presents a clean, understated aesthetic that reinforces that sense of quality. Despite delivering 850 watts of power, the unit is surprisingly lightweight, and its compact 140 mm length allows it to fit comfortably in mid‑towers and tighter ATX layouts where space can be limited.
Unboxing
As you can see from the above images, the build quality is one of the Elite Gold 850’s strongest points. Its fully modular layout keeps installation tidy and the included cables feel noticeably more premium than the flat ribbon styles often found at this price. Their embossed finish gives them a durable high quality feel and they’re surprisingly pliable which makes routing and positioning them behind the motherboard tray far easier than with stiffer cable sets. The inclusion of a native PCIe 5.1 16‑pin cable along with full ATX 3.1 support means the PSU is ready for current and next generation GPUs without adapters.
The compact housing also hides a solid internal feature set. The unit carries an 80 Plus Gold efficiency rating which helps reduce wasted power and heat output during typical use. It also includes the full suite of standard protections such as UVP, OVP, OPP, OTP and SCP which gives some added peace of mind when running high demand hardware. Cooler Master rates the Elite Gold 850 for more than 100,000 hours of operation at 25°C which is in line with expectations for a PSU in this class.
In everyday use, the PSU performs reliably and quietly. The rifle bearing 120 mm fan stays unobtrusive even under load and the unit maintains stable output without coil whine or voltage fluctuations. Cooler Master rates the unit for stable operation up to 40°C and in practice it handles gaming sessions and stress testing without any signs of thermal strain or instability.
An 850 watt power supply is a practical choice for modern gaming and productivity systems especially those running mid range to high end GPUs like the RTX 4070, 4070 Ti or even 4080 class cards. It provides enough headroom for power spikes which is particularly important with newer GPUs while also supporting future upgrades without forcing a PSU replacement. For builders who want a reliable quiet and modern unit without stepping into enthusiast tier pricing this wattage hits a very comfortable sweet spot.
What ultimately defines the Elite Gold 850 is its balance of modern features, solid performance and accessible pricing. It delivers clean stable power suitable for mainstream and mid range gaming systems with enough overhead to support more demanding hardware. The five year warranty adds welcome reassurance and rounds out the overall value.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the Cooler Master Elite Gold 850 is a compact quiet and capable power supply that feels thoughtfully built for real world gaming systems. Its quality cabling, modern standards and strong performance make it an appealing option for anyone building or upgrading a PC without overspending.
| Cooler Master Elite Gold 850 | Specifications |
|---|---|
| Product Name | ELITE GOLD 850 |
| Product Number | MPX-8505-AFAG-BAU |
| ATX Version | ATX 12V Ver. 3.1 |
| PFC | Active PFC |
| Input Voltage | 100-240V |
| Input Current | 6 ~ 12A |
| Input Frequency | 50-60Hz |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 140 x 150 x 86 mm |
| Fan Size | 120mm |
| Fan Bearing | Rifle bearing |
| Efficiency | ≥90% @ Typical Load |
| 80 PLUS Rating | 80 PLUS Gold |
| ErP 2014 Lot 3 | Yes |
| Operating Temperature | 0-40°C |
| Power Good Signal | 100 – 150 ms |
| Hold Up Time | ≥ 11ms @ 100% Load |
| MTBF | >100,000 hours @ 25℃ ambient |
| Protections | UVP / OVP / OPP / OTP / SCP |
| Regulatory | cTUV us, CB, CE, FCC, BSMI, CCC, RCM, UKCA, BIS, RoHS2.0 |
| ATX 24 Pin Connectors | x1 = 1 (550mm) |
| EPS 4+4 Pin Connectors | x1 = 1 (600mm) |
| EPS 8 Pin Connector | x1 = 1 (600mm) |
| SATA & Peripheral 4 Pin Connectors | X4(s) + x2(p) = 2 [400(s)+120(s)+120(p) mm] |
| PCI-e 6+2 Pin Connectors | x3 = 1 (500+120mm), 1 (500mm) |
| 12+4 Pin Connectors | x1 = 1 (650mm) |
| Series | Elite Series |
| Form Factor | ATX |
| Watts | 850W |
| Modular | Fully Modular |
| 80 Plus Efficiency | Gold |
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