Fractal Design ION+ 660P Power Supply Review: Compact And Silent

Tom's Hardware Verdict

The Fractal Design ION+ 660P is dead silent, fully modular and has good overall performance, but it could have better efficiency.

Pros

  • +

    Full power at 47 degrees Celsius

  • +

    Solid performance

  • +

    Silent

  • +

    Fully modular

  • +

    Ultra-flexible cables

  • +

    FDB fan

  • +

    Low inrush currents

  • +

    10-year warranty

Cons

  • -

    Modest load regulation at +12V

  • -

    OCP is set high on all rails

  • -

    Very low efficiency with 2% load

  • -

    Inefficient 5VSB rail

  • -

    Increased vampire power consumption

  • -

    Small distance between the peripheral connectors

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Specifications and Part Analysis

The Fractal Design Ion+ 660P achieves good performance and dead silent operation. Its low noise output under all conditions is among its significant advantages over the popular Seasonic Focus Plus Platinum. The latter performs better, but it has 25.35 dB(A) overall noise output, while the Ion+ 660P stays much lower at 13.74 dB(A). With a street price of $109.99 (£104.99 in the UK), the Ion+ 660P is about the same price as its main competitor and offers a quieter experience but a bit less performance.

We have already evaluated Fractal Design's 860W Ion+ model, which performed quite well and managed to keep its noise output low, even under harsh conditions (increased loads and operating temperatures). Next on our list is the 660 W model, which has enough capacity to power a strong single-GPU system. Like its big brother, the Ion+ 660P promises for good performance and dead silent operation. Lately, more and more users seek quiet components, and manufacturers have to comply if they want to remain in the game.

The table below shows the MSRP of each Ion+ model in all major regions.

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ProductUSDGBPEUROSEKRMBYEN
Ion+ 560P99.9994.99106,99114979911900
Ion+ 660P109.99104.99117,99126989913400
Ion+ 760P119.99114.99129,99138996914900
Ion+ 860P129.99124.99139,991509104916400

Specifications

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Manufacturer (OEM)High Power
Max. DC Output660W
Efficiency80 PLUS Platinum, ETA-A (88-91%) *
NoiseLAMBDA-A++ (<15 dB[A]) *
Modular✓ (Fully)
Intel C6/C7 Power State Support
Operating Temperature (Continuous Full Load)0 - 50°C
Over Voltage Protection
Under Voltage Protection
Over Power Protection
Over Current (+12V) Protection
Over Temperature Protection
Short Circuit Protection
Surge Protection
Inrush Current Protection
Fan Failure Protection
No Load Operation
Cooling140mm Fluid Dynamic Bearing Fan (DYNAMIC X2 GP-14)
Semi-Passive Operation✓ (Selectable)
Dimensions (W x H x D)150 x 85 x 150mm
Weight1.65 kg (3.64 lb)
Form FactorATX12V v2.4, EPS 2.92
Warranty10 Years

* Not certified yet by Cybenetics. According to our measurements the PSU falls into these efficiency and noise categories.

Power Specifications

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Rail3.3V5V12V5VSB-12V
Max. PowerAmps20205530.3
Watts110660153.6
Total Max. Power (W)660

Cables and Connectors

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Modular Cables
DescriptionCable CountConnector Count (Total)GaugeIn Cable Capacitors
ATX connector 20+4 pin (600mm)1118AWGNo
4+4 pin EPS12V (700mm)1116AWGNo
6+2 pin PCIe (550mm+120mm) 2416-18AWGNo
SATA (650mm+120mm)1218AWGNo
SATA (400mm+120mm+120mm+120mm)2818AWGNo
4 pin Molex (400mm+120mm+120mm+120mm)1418AWGNo
AC Power Cord (1400mm) - C13 coupler1116AWG-

The cables are indeed highly flexible, as Fractal Design states and pretty long. Our only objection here is the small distance between the peripheral connectors, at 120mm. Normally it should be 150mm, at least, but most manufacturers try to restrict the cost by chopping down the distance between those connectors.

The 560W and 660W models come with a single EPS connector, while the other two members of the Ion+ line with 760W and 860W max power have a couple of these connectors.

Component Analysis

We strongly encourage you to have a look at our PSUs 101 article, which provides valuable information about PSUs and their operation, allowing you to understand better the components we're about to discuss.

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General Data
Manufacturer (OEM)High Power
PCB TypeDouble Sided
Primary Side
Transient Filter4x Y caps, 2x X caps, 3x CM chokes, 1x MOV,1x Discharge IC
Inrush ProtectionNTC Thermistor & Relay
Bridge Rectifier(s)2x GBU1506 (600V, 15A @ 100°C)
APFC MOSFETS2x Infineon IPA60R120P7 (650V, 16A @ 100°C, 0.120Ohm)
APFC Boost Diode1x Infineon IDH06G65C5 (650V, 6A @ 145°C)
Hold-up Cap(s)2x Rubycon (400V, 390uF each or 780uF combined, 2,000h @ 105°C, MXH)
Main Switchers2x Infineon IPA60R120P7 (650V, 16A @ 100°C, 0.120Ohm)
APFC ControllerInfineon ICE3PCS01G
Resonant ControllersChampion CM6901X
TopologyPrimary side: Half-Bridge & LLC converter Secondary side: Synchronous Rectification & DC-DC converters
Secondary Side
+12V MOSFETS6x Infineon BSC027N04LS (40V, 88A @ 100°C, 2.7mOhm)
5V & 3.3VDC-DC Converters:8x Infineon BSC0906NS (30V, 40A @ 100°C, 4.5mOhm) PWM Controllers: ANPEC APW7159C
Filtering CapacitorsElectrolytics: 4x Nippon Chemi-Con (4-10,000h @ 105°C, KY), 5x Rubycon (3-6,000h @ 105°C, YXG), 1x Rubycon (6-10,000h @ 105°C, ZLH) Polymers: 31x FPCAP, 6x NIC
Supervisor ICSITI PS224 (OCP, OVP, UVP, SCP, PG)
Micro ControllerSTC 15W408AS
Fan ModelFractal Design DYNAMIC X2 GP-14 (140mm, 3-12V, 0.30A, 1400rpm, Fluid Dynamic Bearing Fan )
Fan Power TransistorSTi 2SD882 (NPN)
5VSB Circuit
Rectifier1x PFC P10V45SP SBR (45V, 10A) & 2x Infineon BSC0906NS (30V, 40A @ 100°C, 4.5mΩ)
Standby PWM ControllerExcelliance MOS Corp EM8569
-12V Circuit
RectifierKEC KIA7912PI (-12V, 1A)

This is a well-built platform, provided by High Power. The design is clean, without any wires blocking the airflow. Moreover, the clearance between the parts is enough for the air to move freely among them and help in heat dissipation.

The transient filter is complete, and the pair of bridge rectifiers is bolted on a heat sink.

On the secondary side, a pair of small heat sinks assist in cooling down the +12V FETs, which are installed on the solder side of the PCB.

A great number of polymer caps is installed on the modular side of the PCB. Several quality electrolytic caps, installed on the main PCB, also handle ripple filtering.

The soldering quality is pretty good.

The cooling fan measures 140mm across and uses a fluid dynamic bearing.

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Contributing Editor

Aris Mpitziopoulos is a Contributing Editor at Tom's Hardware US, covering PSUs.

  • redgarl
    Sooo... anandtech is having the exact opposite conclusion and even calling it the best Stirfa PSU series... are you even knowing what you are doing?

    https://www.anandtech.com/show/14693/the-fractal-design-ion-760p-80plus-platinum-psu-review/5
    Electrically, the Ion+ 760P positively surprised us. As soon as we noticed that it is a design originating from Sirfa (High Power), we believed that most of the electrical figures would end up being mediocre, as Sirfa usually designs products that are competitive in terms of value, not performance. The Ion+ 760P is an entirely different story, delivering outstanding power quality across the entire load range and under any operating conditions, easily competing toe-to-toe with any other top-tier unit that we've reviewed so far. Furthermore, not only it is very efficient under normal circumstances, but it's able to maintain its exceptional energy conversion efficiency figures even when the ambient temperature gets very high.
    Reply
  • Aris_Mp
    Yes, I know very well what I am doing and if you bother to read the review and the provided data, you will also get an idea.
    Reply
  • Carabyte
    This PSU has very low EMI compared to other's I'm seeing on your site. Do you have a page with the EMI chart for every PSU? I'd like to know what's the lowest EMI PSU you have found at 650-750Watt range. Meaning overall the least peaks, smooth and lowest peak. This one looks quite good, is it one of the best?
    Thanks!

    Aris_Mp said:
    Yes, I know very well what I am doing and if you bother to read the review and the provided data, you will also get an idea.
    Reply