Tom's Hardware Verdict
The Fractal Design Ion 500G is an excellent SFX-L power supply with top performance and quiet output.
Pros
- +
Full power at 47 degrees Celsius
- +
High performance
- +
Quiet enough operation
- +
Flexible and fully modular cables
- +
SFX-to-ATX mounting bracket
- +
Ten-year warranty
Cons
- -
5VSB efficiency could be higher
- -
Some high EMI peaks at low frequencies
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The Ion SFX Gold with 500W capacity has a reasonable price since it carries an MSRP of $89.99 (£84.99 in the UK market and 94,99€ in the EU) it achieves high overall performance, and it's relatively quiet since its overall noise output is below 30 dB(A). This is a great product and one of the best power supplies in this category, with the most notable competitors being the similar capacity Seasonic SGX model and the Corsair SF450, which has 50W less. Still, the latter has even smaller dimensions since it is an SFX unit and not an SFX-L one.
We have already evaluated the more-muscular Ion SFX Gold model with 650W max power, which left an excellent impression on us, although the SFX competition is strong in this Wattage range (600-650W). Besides the unit mentioned above, Fractal Design also released a lower capacity one, the Ion 500G, which, as its model number depicts, can deliver up to 500W.
The SFX power supplies are destined for small chassis, which in the majority of cases don't host energy-hungry systems. There is no need for high Wattage, which in such small platforms skyrocket's thermal loads, so the noise output is also heavily affected. Thanks to highly-efficient modern CPUs and GPUs, 500W are enough for a potent system equipped with an Intel Core i7 or an AMD Ryzen 9 CPU and a high-end GPU (Nvidia RTX or AMD RX), given that there is no overclocking involved.
The Ion 500G is a fully-modular SFX-L unit, featuring highly flexible cables that will help you the most during the PSU's installation. In small chassis, it is already difficult to work because of the restricted internal space, so imagine if you also had to deal with rigid and bulky cables. Thankfully, this is not the case with this PSU since Fractal Design has vast experience in building chassis, so its engineers know well which type of cables allows for easier cable management and routing.
The cooling fan is the largest that can be used in an SFX-L unit. Practically it fully covers the PSU's top side. Seasonic, the original manufacturer of this unit, installed such a large fan to lower the noise output since the larger the fan, the slower it has to spin to produce the required airflow. Nonetheless, a proper fan speed profile is also essential to fully exploit the fan's large (for an SFX-L unit) diameter.
Specifications
| Manufacturer (OEM) |
Seasonic |
|
Max. DC Output |
500W |
|
Efficiency | 80 PLUS Gold, *ETA-A (88-91%) |
|
Noise | *LAMBDA-A- (25-30 dB[A]) |
|
Modular |
✓ (Fully) |
|
Intel C6/C7 Power State Support |
✓ |
|
Operating Temperature (Continuous Full Load) | 0 - 40°C |
| Maximum 80% load | 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 | 120mm FDB Fan (S1201512HB) |
|
Semi-Passive Operation |
✓ |
|
Dimensions (W x H x D) |
125 x 65 x 125mm |
|
Weight |
1.1 kg (2.43 lb) |
|
Form Factor | SFX-L, EPS 2.92 |
|
Warranty |
10 Years |
* Not certified yet by Cybenetics. According to our measurements the PSU falls into these efficiency and noise categories.
Power Specifications
| Rail | Row 0 - Cell 1 | 3.3V | 5V | 12V | 5VSB | -12V |
| Max. Power | Amps | 20 | 20 | 41 | 3 | 0.3 |
| Row 2 - Cell 0 | Watts | 100 | 492 | 15 | 3.6 | |
| Total Max. Power (W) | Row 3 - Cell 1 | 500 | Row 3 - Cell 3 | Row 3 - Cell 4 | Row 3 - Cell 5 | Row 3 - Cell 6 |
Cables and Connectors
| Modular Cables | Cable Count | Connector Count (Total) | Gauge | In Cable Capacitors |
| ATX connector 20+4 pin (350mm) | 1 | 1 | 18-22AWG | No |
| 4+4 pin EPS12V (400mm) | 1 | 1 | 18AWG | No |
| 6+2 pin PCIe (400mm+100mm) | 1 | 2 | 18AWG | No |
| SATA (310mm+200mm+200mm+100mm) | 1 | 4 | 18AWG | No |
| 4-pin Molex (310mm+200mm) | 1 | 2 | 18AWG | No |
| AC Power Cord (1380mm) - C13 coupler | 1 | 1 | 18AWG | - |
There is no need for a pair of EPS connectors in a 500W unit, so we are not going to complain about this. The number of available PCIe is also sufficient. Finally, it would be nice if the number of peripheral connectors was slightly increased, but again this power supply is for compact chassis which don't have space for lots of parts. For the same reason, the cables are short. The good thing is that the distance between the peripheral connectors is pretty long, so you won't fall into any compatibility problems.
Taking into account the short cables, it is weird that Fractal Design includes in the bundle an SFX to ATX adapter bracket, which allows this PSU's installation into a normal sized chassis. With such short cables you won't be able to properly route those short cables into a normal ATX case, so this adapter won't be proved useful. Fractal Design should offer this adapter separately, along with a set of longer modular cables, for users that for their own reasons want to use an SFX power supply along with a normal sized chassis.
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 better understand the components we're about to discuss.
| General Data | Row 0 - Cell 1 |
| Manufacturer (OEM) | Seasonic |
| PCB Type | Double-Sided |
| Primary Side | Row 3 - Cell 1 |
| Transient Filter | 4x Y caps, 2x X caps, 2x CM chokes, 1x MOV |
| Inrush Protection | NTC Thermistor & Relay |
| Bridge Rectifier(s) | 1x |
| APFC MOSFETS | 2x Champion GPT18N50D (500V, 18A, 0.27Ohm) |
| APFC Boost Diode | 1x ST STTH8S06 (600V, 8A) |
| Hold-up Cap(s) | 1x Rubycon (400V, 390uF, 3,000h @ 105°C, MXG) |
| Main Switchers | 2x Infineon IPP50R250CP (550V, 9A @ 100°C, 0.25Ohm) |
| APFC Controller | Champion CM6500UNX |
| Resonant Controllers | Champion CM6901T6 |
| Topology | Primary side: Half-Bridge & LLC converter Secondary side: Synchronous Rectification & DC-DC converters |
| Secondary Side | Row 14 - Cell 1 |
| +12V MOSFETS | 2x Nexperia PSMN1R0-40YLD (40V, 198A @ 100°C, 1.93mOhm @ 150°C) |
| 5V & 3.3V | DC-DC Converters |
| Filtering Capacitors | Electrolytics: 9x Nippon Chemi-Con (4-10,000h @ 105°C, KY), 3x Nippon Chemi-Con (105°C, W), 1x Nippon Chemi-Con (1-5,000h @ 105°C, KZE) |
| Supervisor IC | Weltrend WT7527V (OCP, OVP, UVP, SCP, PG) |
| Fan Model | Globe Fan S1201512HB (120mm, 12V, 0.45A, Fluid Dynamic Bearing Fan) |
| 5VSB Circuit | Row 20 - Cell 1 |
| Rectifier | 1x MCC MPR1045ULPS SBR (45V, 10A @ 90°C) |
| Standby PWM Controller | Excelliance MOS Corp EM8569 |
Like its 650W sibling, this unit is based on a Seasonic design. This is a well-built platform able to offer high performance in all areas. Moreover, up so far this is the only SFX (L) platform that comes with a ten-year warranty, a good indication of its reliability through time.
The transient filter is complete, but it doesn't do an excellent job at low frequencies since we measured several high conducted EMI spikes in this frequency range.
The APFC converter is equipped with a small bulk cap, which, thanks to the proper design, manages to offer a longer than 17ms hold-up time.
The +12V FETs are soldered on the back side of the main PCB. A pair of heatsinks above them, help in removing the heat. The minor rails are generated through a couple of VRMs, with both of them installed on the same daughter-board.
At the front of the modular PCB, besides power transfer bus-bars we also find a large number of polymer caps along with two electrolytic ones.
We don't have any complaints about Seasonic's soldering quality.
The cooling fan is made by Globe Fan and it measures 120mm across. This is the largest fan that the Ion's chassis can accommodate. It uses a fluid dynamic bearing, so if you treat it well (normal ambient temperatures), it will outlive the long warranty.
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