INTRODUCTION

   It's no secret that for most people out there the power supply unit is among the least important hardware components for the PC and even though this has changed for the best in recent years many people are still not convinced about the benefits of practically investing in a good model. This is clearly why there are plenty manufacturers out there with many low-cost models in their product lines and honestly i don't expect this to change, at least not anytime soon. On the other hand, we have manufacturers who focus most of their efforts in the development and release (or even just release via OEM manufacturers) of high-end models aimed towards demanding consumers who know exactly what they are spending their money on. Fractal Design is clearly among those manufacturers and after testing their popular Ion+ 2 Platinum 860W power supply unit (review here) since some of you asked today with me i have the 760W model.

   Fractal Design is a leading designer and manufacturer of premium PC hardware including cases, cooling, power supplies and accessories. Based in Gothenburg and with offices in the US as well as Taiwan, Fractal Design has gained a global reputation for innovative design, elegant aesthetics and solid build quality. Fractal Design products are available in over 45 countries worldwide, and are still growing.

   As mentioned before the Ion+ 2 Platinum line of power supply units by Fractal Design currently includes 560/660/760/860W models, all of which are fully modular and feature the 80 PLUS Platinum certification (up to 93% electrical efficiency). The 760W output model which I’ll be testing today delivers a continuous power output of 760W (maximum/peak power output of up to 898W) and packs numerous features including DC to DC design, DC to DC converter, semi-passive Zero RPM mode, temperature controlled 140mm fluid-dynamic bearing fan, 100% Japanese primary heavy-duty capacitors, ATX v2.52 compatibility, ultraflex modular cables, single +12V rail (63.3A) which can use the entire total rated power output of this unit (760W) and an array of industrial-grade electrical protections including OVP (Over Voltage Protection), UVP (Under Voltage Protection), OCP (Over Current Protection), OPP (Over Power Protection), SCP (Short Circuit Protection) and OTP (Over Temperature Protection). Once again Fractal Design covers their entire Ion+ 2 Platinum line of power supply units with a generous 10-year limited warranty.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Fractal is using a black box to ship their Ion+ 2 Platinum line the front of which has their logo, the 80 Plus Platinum logo and a product picture.

On the right side we find the power cord included with the model at hand along with its serial numbers and barcodes.

At the rear of the box, we see 2 product pictures right next to the main product features, the electrical specifications table and a graph showcasing the semi-passive mode.

As with past models the Ion+ 2 Platinum 760W PSU is securely placed between two thick pieces of foam.

Along with the Ion+ 2 Platinum 860W power supply unit (the unit is also wrapped inside a cloth cover), its modular cables (also placed inside a cloth pouch) and its power cord you are also getting three cable straps, four mounting screws, user guide and a guide on what steps to take if you receive a defective unit.

THE ION+ 2 PLATINUM 760W EXTERIOR

Even though for all secondary modular cables Fractal Design used slim ones the primary one (motherboard 24pin) is still very thick (thanks to the ultraflex technology this is quite flexible).

Just like the 860W model the chassis of the Ion+ 2 Platinum 760W measures 150mm in length, 150mm in width and 86mm in height.

Again, we find a simple yet premium looking grille just over the 140mm FDB temperature controlled fan.

Just a small company logo is located on both sides of the enclosure.

At the front of the chassis, we find the zero RPM mode switch and the 11 modular ports which are not only different in configuration but are also tagged.

Moving at the rear we find the usual perforation right next to the power port, on/off power switch and a sticker with the unit’s electrical table.

THE ION+ 2 PLATINUM 760W INTERIOR

The 140mm fluid-dynamic bearing fan used with the Ion+ 2 Platinum 760W can hit speeds of up to 1700RPM.

Fractal Design has chosen High Power as the OEM manufacturer for their Ion+ 2 Platinum line and once again I see no issues, quality wise at least.

Inside the sample I have here the primary capacitors are manufactured by Rubycon and are certified for use up to 105 degrees Celsius.

Secondary capacitors are once again manufactured by Rubycon and United Chemi-Con and are also certified for use up to 105 degrees Celsius.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

     Using a dedicated measurement instrument such as a Chroma or a SunMoon to test power supply units is without doubt the most ideal and accurate way (not to mention the fastest) to do that currently. However, it's certainly not the only way there is and so pretty much anyone can test a power supply unit just by using a test rig. Certainly, limitations do apply and so you can't really push a 1000W power supply to its limits if your system only uses 500W at peak loads and that's why over the years we saved certain hardware components for the purpose of building a dedicated PSU test rig. True it may not be as accurate as the above mentioned solutions but it comes really close and is in fact much closer to real world usage. So as always, we ran several games with maximum graphic options enabled at a resolution of 2560x1600 in order to stress every hardware component and increase the overall power demands of the system. The Passmark BurnIn Test was also used to overstress the components in an effort to provide the most accurate results possible. As a final test we also used the latest OCCT 4.4 software and its dedicated PSU testing suite since it can really bring a power supply to its knees after inside a few minutes.

   Rail stability was checked/measured with the CPUID Hardware monitor and a Metex multimeter which also recorded the system load in idle and in load. As always try to remember that the power consumption numbers listed in the graph are the highest (Peak) ones recorded during the entire duration of the tests and not the average ones. Noise levels coming from the fan were recorded using the high precision HD600 ExTech Sound dBA Meter from the rear of the unit and at a range of no more than 5-10cm. Readings under load are recorded the exact moment we manually switch the fans of all graphics cards from full speed to almost zero, that way the fan of the power supply does not have enough time to slow its RPM and so by doing this we get very accurate noise level readings. Needless to say, in order to get 100% accurate readings, you need to have a noise isolated room for that exact purpose, something which is quite impossible unless you are working inside a real lab (some people use very small noise insulated boxes but due to their size both heat and noise exceed normal levels and so the results can't really be considered to be 100% accurate, nor realistic for that matter). Also do take into account that since all noise measurements take place from just 5-10cm away the final noise levels to reach your ears will be considerably less.

* After well over 10 years of testing PSUs the Intel Core i7-920 CPU of this rig failed and so we replaced it with a Xeon X5660 (we also swapped the GA-X58A-UD7 for the G1. Assassin).

TEST RESULTS

CONCLUSION

   The original Ion+ line of PSUs by Fractal Design was a solid high-performance choice for demanding users but the Ion+ 2 takes things even further by adding a few small tweaks, not only in terms of internal hardware components (which results to tighter rails) but also external (most notable a 2^nd 8pin motherboard connector). Still if you own one of the original Ion+ models and you don’t need a 2^nd 8pin connector you have very little reason to look this way. Unfortunately, Fractal Design seems to be not very interested in surpassing 860W as the maximum power output for their power supply lines (at least to date) so if you need more juice you will need to look elsewhere (luckily there are many choices out in the market if you do).

   With a price currently set at USD157.85 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and at 153.46Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) the Ion+ 2 Platinum 760W PSU by Fractal Design is priced ok (still, higher compared to last October when I reviewed the 860W model). Just like its higher output brother the Ion+ 2 Platinum 760W is a very good power supply unit which once again deserves the Platinum Award.

PROS

- Near Excellent Build Quality
- Solid Rail Stability
- Fully Modular (Future Proof)
- 80 Plus Platinum Certified
- Zero RPM Mode
- Electrical Protections (OCP/OVP/UVP/SCP/OTP/OPP)
- 10 Year Limited Warranty

CONS

- Only Up To 860W