FSP Dagger Pro 850W, SFX 3.3

FSP recently updated almost every platform they use in FSP-branded PSUs, and the SFX Dagger Pro series was no exception. With its very compact proportions and massive power output, it is clear that the firm wants to make a serious move towards enthusiasts who build compact but very powerful gaming PCs – a small and yet significant piece of the market.

Today we're putting the FSP DAGGER PRO 850 W power supply on our test bench. We recently have tester their 1200 W ATX unit. Besides the PSUs, they also make some chassis and the UPSes. The series was introduced at the end of August '21, so it's less than a year on the market. This fact shouldn't make it obsolete yet, as a revolution will happen in the coming months due to the implementation of the PCI-Express 5.0 generation's power connector.

Even without digging into pure performance which again I suggest you check out before deciding on a power supply. The Dagger Pro 850W does have an interesting mix of things that I like and things that I don’t like. I love the heavy texture that the powder coating on the enclosure as well as the gold accents used on the back and on the plug side for labels. Even the information sticker which matches that same finish is nice, but then on the sides where they have the branding stickers, they miss out completely by covering the nice finish up rather than printing that on or at least using a similarly textured sticker like on the info sticker. I like that FSP has wattage options available because not everyone needs a high wattage option like the 850 watt that we have here, but it is nice that the 850 IS an option for anyone looking to do a higher end build. The 80 Plus Gold rating is a nice happy medium where you get decent efficiency without going with the full high end and I like that the fan does shut off at lower usage.

If you are looking for a high-quality, well-built SFX PSU that can deliver a lot of power, then the Dagger Pro from FSP should be your top option. Whether you are a gamer or computer enthusiast, you won’t find many PSUs as good as the Dagger Pro 850W in the SFX size. This little PSU can handle the most powerful ITX gaming PC. Funky Kit highly recommends the FSP Dagger Pro 850W SFX PSU!

FSP revamped its Dagger Pro line, and the flagship model with 850 W maximum power output fares well enough against the competition. It is one of the strongest SFX PSUs available on the market today, and it is impressive to see such high power output from such a compact platform. Good parts are used internally, but soldering quality could be better. The cooling fan and the few electrolytic caps on the primary and secondary sides are of high quality, and the same goes for the MOSFETs and SBRs. I have to admit I am not a huge fan of the ACRF (Active Clamp Reset Forward) topology—it is not a top performer because it focuses on keeping the production cost low while increasing efficiency. Still, this Dagger Pro unit achieved relatively high overall performance that could be even higher if transient response were better. In general, ACRF designs don't do so well with transient loads, which a PSU will have to deal with 99% of its operating time. On the other hand, the ACRF topology achieves long hold-up times using smaller bulk caps than those typically found in PSUs.