Fractal Design ION+ 560P Power Supply Review: As Quiet As It Gets

Reviews
By Aris Mpitziopoulos
published

Tom's Hardware Verdict

The Fractal Design Ion+ 560P is dead silent and achieves good performance overall, but competitors offer better efficiency.

Pros

  • +

    Full power at 47 degrees Celsius

  • +

    Solid overall performance

  • +

    Silent

  • +

    Fully modular

  • +

    Ultra-flexible cables

  • +

    FDB fan

  • +

    Low inrush currents

  • +

    10-year warranty

Cons

  • -

    Mediocre load regulation at +12V

  • -

    OCP is set high on all rails

  • -

    Very-low efficiency with 2% load

  • -

    Not efficient 5VSB rail

  • -

    Increased vampire power consumption

  • -

    Small distance between the peripheral connectors

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Specifications and Part Analysis

The Fractal Design Ion+ 560P has good performance, silent operation, and high efficiency. Its price is a bit lower than the corresponding Seasonic Focus Plus Platinum model, but the latter achieves better performance. The Ion+ 560P is one of the quietest PSUs that we have evaluated so far since its overall noise output is lower than 12 dB(A)!

Fractal Design made a strong re-entry in the PSU market with the Ion+ line, which consists of four models with capacities ranging from 860W to 560W. We have already evaluated two models (860P and 660P), and so we wanted to take a look at the smallest member as well, the Ion+ 560P. Given the high efficiency that the majority of modern GPUs feature, a power supply with more than 500W max power will not have a problem supporting a potent, single-GPU system. There is no need to invest in a stronger PSU, unless you want to use a Threadripper AMD CPU or you want to overclock your CPU and GPU highly. Under overclocked conditions, you better get the strongest PSU you can afford since you cannot predict the power consumption of CPUs and GPUs under those conditions.

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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
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Specifications

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Manufacturer (OEM)High Power
Max. DC Output560W
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
Weight1.61 kg (3.55 lb)
Form FactorATX12V v2.4, EPS 2.92
Warranty10 Years

Power Specifications

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Rail3.3V5V12V5VSB-12V
Max. PowerAmps202046.630.3
Watts110560153.6
Total Max. Power (W)560

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)1418AWGNo
4 pin Molex (400mm+120mm+120mm+120mm)1418AWGNo
AC Power Cord (1400mm) - C13 coupler1116AWG-

There is no point for a pair of EPS connectors with "only" 560W max power since each of those can deliver up to 336W. The number of PCIe and peripheral connectors is adequate, but the distance between the latter should be longer, at 150mm at least. Finally, all cables are highly flexible, and this helps during the cable routing and management processes.

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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 IPA60R180P7S (650V, 11A @ 100°C, 0.180Ohm)
APFC Boost Diode1x Infineon IDH06G65C5 (650V, 6A @ 145°C)
Hold-up Cap(s)2x Rubycon (400V, 330uF each or 660uF combined, 2,000h @ 105°C, MXH)
Main Switchers2x Infineon IPA60R180P7S (650V, 11A @ 100°C, 0.180Ohm)
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 FET (30V, 40A @ 100°C, 4.5mΩ)
Standby PWM ControllerExcelliance MOS Corp EM8569
-12V Circuit
RectifierKEC KIA7912PI (-12V, 1A)
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The original manufacturer of the Ion+ 560P is High Power. The platform looks nice since the design is clean and the airflow is unobstructed. On the primary side, a half-bridge topology and an LLC resonant converter are used, for high efficiency. On the secondary side, six FETs regulate the +12V rail, and a couple of DC-DC converters handle the minor rails.

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The transient filter is complete. It includes an MOV, and there is inrush current protection in the form of an NTC thermistor. A bypass relay supports the latter.

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In the APFC converter, the bulk caps have enough capacity to offer a longer than 17ms hold-up time. They have a 105C temperature rating, but the maximum voltage that they can handle is very close to the APFC's DC bus voltage (385VDC).

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The electrolytic caps are of high quality, and besides them, a large number of polymer caps handle ripple filtering.

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The voltage regulation modules that generate the minor (5V and 3.3V) rails.

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The soldering quality looks good.

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The cooling fan uses a fluid dynamic bearing and measures 140mm across, so even though it doesn't spin at high speeds, still it can offer the required airflow. Its startup voltage is very low, at 3V, meaning that it can spin at very low speeds under light loads.

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Aris Mpitziopoulos
Contributing Editor

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