INTRODUCTION

   Whenever a new power supply makes it in the lab i can't help but recall the days in the early 90's when we didn't have the luxury of choosing a power supply. To be precise we could choose between 2-3 very basic models (80 Plus efficiency, DC to DC, electrical protections, modular connectors/ports and even braided cables weren't a thing back then) which if you were lucky enough would get the job done for 2-3 years before having to be replaced. In contrast I'd just like to point out that i have 80 Plus Platinum models still working flawlessly almost 24/7 and for roughly 10 years now. So, picking up a high quality power supply is always recommended, regardless of whether or not you're a casual user, gamer, enthusiast or even a professional. The latest ION+ 2 Platinum 860W Power Supply Unit by Fractal Design is clearly one such model and it's also what today's review is all about.

   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.

   The latest ION+ 2 line of power supply units by Fractal Design currently includes 560/660/760/860W models, all of which are fully modular and holding the 80 PLUS Platinum certification (up to 93% electrical efficiency). The 860W output model which landed in the lab roughly 20 days ago sports a continuous power output of 860W (maximum/peak power output of up to 998W) 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 (71.6A) which can make use of the entire total rated power output of this unit (860W) 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 has decided to cover their entire top of the line power supply units with a rather generous 10-year limited warranty.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

This time over Fractal has used a black box 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 860W PSU is placed between two thick pieces of black foam.

Along with the ION+ 2 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 an guide on what to do if you receive a defective unit.

THE ION+ 2 860W EXTERIOR

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

Just like its predecessor the chassis of the ION+ 2 860W 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 860W INTERIOR

The 140mm fluid-dynamic bearing fan used with the ION+ 2 860W can hit speeds of up to 2000RPM.

Once again High Power seems to be the OEM manufacturer behind this model (both the exterior and interior of the ION+ 2 860W seems to be almost identical with the ION+ 860P model) and so quality is at near excellent levels.

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

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CONCLUSION

   As mentioned already the Fractal Design ION+ 2 Platinum 860W is just an updated version of their very popular and award winning ION+ 860P model I reviewed a while back (review here). This means we’re talking about 2 almost identical models, not only in terms of features but also in terms of internal components and even layout/topology. As a matter of fact, if I hadn’t tested the new ION+ 2 Platinum 860W model I’d probably think this was just a marketing move by Fractal. Still as you can all see from the charts the new model produces slightly tighter rails and reduced noise levels compared to its predecessor (aside the fact that it features a 2nd 8-pin ATX cable which could come in handy to some people) so this isn’t an update just for show. Unfortunately, again Fractal Design makes this line available only up to 860W in output something which I was hoping wouldn’t be the case (yes, not many need even 860W but for people with multiple graphics cards a more powerful option by Fractal would be great to have).

   At the time of this review, I only found the newly released ION+ 2 Platinum 860W PSU by Fractal Design in the EU for a price of 159.30Euros (Amazon.de) so no complaints here either. Overall, the ION+ 2 Platinum 860W is a very good power supply unit, yes, it’s not really worth going from the ION+ to the ION+ 2 but if you’re looking for an 80 Plus Platinum model this line is without doubt among the best out there and for that it deserves the Platinum Award.

PROS

- Very Good Build Quality
- Solid Rail Stability
- Noise Levels
- Fully Modular (Future Proof)
- 80 Plus Platinum Certified
- Zero RPM Mode
- Electrical Protections (OCP/OVP/UVP/SCP/OTP/OPP)
- 10 Year Limited Warranty
- Price (Compared To The Competition)

CONS

- Only Up To 860W