Tom's Hardware Verdict
The Fractal Design ION+ 860P has good performance and dead silent operation, along with highly flexible modular cables.
Pros
- +
Full power at 47 degrees Celsius
- +
High enough overall performance
- +
Silent
- +
Fully modular
- +
Ultra-flexible cables
- +
FDB fan
- +
2x & 6x PCIe connectors
- +
10-year warranty
Cons
- -
OCP is set high on all rails
- -
Very low efficiency with 2% load
- -
Not efficient 5VSB rail
- -
High inrush with 230V input
- -
Increased vampire power consumption
- -
Small distance between the peripheral connectors
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Specifications and Part Analysis
The Fractal Design ION+ 860P achieves excellent overall performance and quiet operation, even under high ambient temperatures and increased loads. The competition in this category includes strong opponents like the Seasonic SSR-850PX, FSP HPT850M, and Corsair HX850. But Fractal Design's offering hits an attractive price point, and it's quieter than the other PSUs in our comparison, too.
The last time we reviewed a Fractal Design PSU was in 2015, so it was a pleasant surprise to see the company revitalizing its power supply portfolio with new products. The ION+ series includes four models with capacities ranging from 560W to 860W. They're all 80 PLUS Platinum-certified. The highest-end implementation also has ETA-A efficiency and LAMBDA-A+ noise badges from Cybenetics. All ION+ units are fully modular and use a capable High Power platform.
Cooling is handled by a 140mm fluid dynamic bearing fan. It features a semi-passive operating mode that can (thankfully) be deactivated. Fractal Design employs several tricks to reduce the noise level of its fans, including counter-balanced magnets and notched blade edges.
The table below shows the MSRP of each ION+ PSU in all major regions.
| Product | USD | GBP | EURO | SEK | RMB | YEN |
| Ion+ 560P | 99.99 | 94.99 | 106,99 | 1149 | 799 | 11900 |
| Ion+ 660P | 109.99 | 104.99 | 117,99 | 1269 | 899 | 13400 |
| Ion+ 760P | 119.99 | 114.99 | 129,99 | 1389 | 969 | 14900 |
| Ion+ 860P | 129.99 | 124.99 | 139,99 | 1509 | 1049 | 16400 |
Specifications
| Manufacturer (OEM) | High Power |
|---|---|
| Max. DC Output | 860W |
| Efficiency | 80 PLUS Platinum, ETA-A (88-91%) |
| Noise | LAMBDA-A+ (15-20 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 | ✓ |
| Cooling | 140mm fluid dynamic bearing Fan (Dynamic X2 GP-14) |
| Semi-Passive Operation | ✓ (Selectable) |
| Dimensions (W x H x D) | 150 x 85 x 150mm |
| Weight | 1.67 kg (3.68 lb) |
| Form Factor | ATX12V v2.4, EPS 2.92 |
| Warranty | 10 years |
Power Specifications
| Rail | 3.3V | 5V | 12V | 5VSB | -12V | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max. Power | Amps | 22 | 22 | 71.6 | 3 | 0.3 |
| Watts | 120 | 860 | 15 | 3.6 | ||
| Total Max. Power (W) | 860 |
Cables and Connectors
| Modular Cables | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Description | Cable Count | Connector Count (Total) | Gauge | In-Cable Capacitors |
| ATX connector 20+4 pin (600mm) | 1 | 1 | 18AWG | No |
| 4+4 pin EPS12V (700mm) | 1 | 1 | 16AWG | No |
| 8 pin EPS12V (600mm) | 1 | 1 | 16AWG | No |
| 6+2 pin PCIe (560mm+120mm) | 3 | 6 | 16-18AWG | No |
| SATA (650mm+120mm) | 1 | 2 | 18AWG | No |
| SATA (400mm+120mm+120mm+120mm) | 2 | 8 | 18AWG | No |
| Four-pin Molex (400mm+120mm+120mm+120mm) | 1 | 4 | 18AWG | No |
| AC Power Cord (1400mm) - C13 coupler | 1 | 1 | 16AWG | - |
The cables are sufficiently long, and they include an adequate number of connectors. Fractal Design claims that its UltraFlex cables easily bend and twist to simplify installation in tight spaces. Indeed the cables are very flexible, although some of them use thicker wires to accommodate high amperage. The fact that there are no in-cable caps should also help during the routing and cable management processes. Our only complaint is that the main ATX cable isn't flat like the other ones.
Component Analysis
We strongly encourage you to have a look at our PSUs 101 article, which provides valuable information about power supplies and their operation, allowing you to better understand the components we're about to discuss.
| General Data | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer (OEM) | High Power |
| PCB Type | Double Sided |
| Primary Side | |
| Transient Filter | 4x Y caps, 2x X caps, 3x CM chokes, 1x MOV,1x Discharge IC |
| Inrush Protection | NTC Thermistor & Relay |
| Bridge Rectifier(s) | 2x GBU1506 (600V, 15A @ 100°C) |
| APFC MOSFETs | 2x Infineon IPA60R099P7 (650V, 20A @ 100°C, 0.099Ohm) |
| APFC Boost Diode | 1x Infineon IDH08G65C5 (650V, 8A @ 145°C) |
| Hold-up Cap(s) | 2x Rubycon (400V, 470uF each or 940uF combined, 2,000h @ 105°C, MXH) |
| Main Switchers | 2x Infineon IPA60R099P7 (650V, 20A @ 100°C, 0.099Ohm) |
| APFC Controller | Infineon ICE3PCS01G |
| Resonant Controllers | Champion CM6901X |
| Topology | Primary side: Half-Bridge & LLC converter Secondary side: Synchronous Rectification & DC-DC converters |
| Secondary Side | |
| +12V MOSFETs | 8x Infineon BSC010N04LS (40V, 100A @ 100°C, 1mOhm) |
| 5V & 3.3V | DC-DC Converters:8x Infineon BSC0906NS (30V, 40A @ 100°C, 4.5mOhm) PWM Controllers: ANPEC APW7159C |
| Filtering Capacitors | Electrolytics: 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 IC | SITI PS224 (OCP, OVP, UVP, SCP, PG) |
| Micro Controller | STC 15W408AS |
| Fan Model | Fractal Design DYNAMIC X2 GP-14 (140mm, 3-12V, 0.40A, Fluid Dynamic Bearing Fan ) |
| Fan Power Transistor | STi 2SD882 (NPN) |
| 5VSB Circuit | |
| Rectifier | 1x PFC P10V45SP SBR (45V, 10A) & 2x Infineon BSC0906NS (30V, 40A @ 100°C, 4.5mΩ) |
| Standby PWM Controller | Excelliance MOS Corp EM8569 |
| -12V Circuit | |
| Rectifier | KEC KIA7912PI (-12V, 1A) |
We encountered this platform most recently in Thermaltake's 850W Toughpower Grand RGB Gold. Fractal Design asked for some modifications from High Power, so now it includes inrush current protection. That's an essential feature for any power supply.
On the primary side, a half-bridge topology is used, along with an LLC resonant converter. We find typical stuff on the secondary side: a pair of DC-DC converters for the minor rails and synchronous rectification for the +12V rail.
The filtering caps are of high quality. Ripple filtering is mostly handled by polymer caps, while a smaller number of electrolytic capacitors provide the capacitance necessary to handle transient loads.
The soldering quality on the main PCB's business side is pretty good.
The fluid dynamic bearing-based cooling fan bears Fractal Design's logo. It has a very low 3V start-up voltage.
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