Fractal has introduced its Ion 3 Gold PSU series that are built for modern gaming systems with support for the latest ATX 3.1 standard. They offer a modular design that lets you hook only the required cables, including a revised 12V-2×6 featuring shortened sense pins for improved safety on the latest Nvidia RTX 50 cards.
As its names imply, the Ion 3 Gold is an 80 Plus Gold-certified PSU series, meaning up to 90% efficiency at 50% load. Though not the highest rating possible, it’s just 4% below the best, so you won’t be missing out on much, but will be gaining a lot in affordability and style. The latter is likely the first thing you will notice after opening the box, witnessing a simple yet elegant matte finish free of flashy branding and RGB lighting. Here, the name of the game is attention to detail, gentle curves, and a consistent colour palette that expands to the included cables. To put it another way, the Ion 3 Gold is all about visual harmony. While you wouldn’t see it once installed in most chassis, it remains a perfect match to the Fractal North XL case.
The Ion 3 Gold is uses 105°C Japanese capacitors and features active power factor correction. As for the build quality, according to their labels, these units are manufactured by Seasonic, which is renowned for its high-quality designs. And besides, all models are backed by a 10-year warranty, showing Fractal’s confidence in their quality. But, if that’s not enough, note that each also includes the usual complement of power protections, namely OPP, OVP, UVP, SCP, OCP, and OTP, so your hardware should be safe in case of a problem.
The series will be available in three capacities: 750W, 850W, and 1,000W, representing a wide enough choice for its target audience. Note however that while all models are available in black, only the top model is offered in a white variant. All measure 150mm (L) x 150mm (W) x 86mm (H) and come equipped with a Momentum 14 140mm FDB fan, featuring a selectable Zero-RPM mode for silent operation during low or idle loads.
Interestingly, despite their different capacities, the modular cables on offer are nearly identical among them. All include one 24-pin, two 4+4 CPU EPS, and one 12V-2×6 plus three 6+2-pin for GPUs. The main difference is in SATA, where the 1,000W model gets an extra cable.
Pricing-wise, the Ion 3 Gold PSU series is available at £104.99, £114.99, and £144.99, respectively, for 750W, 850W, and 1,000W capacity. Clearly not the cheapest 80 Plus Gold units on the market, but still a reasonable price for this quality and design.
