Reviews
GE Profile Opal 2.0 Ultra (XPIO43SCSS)
Same current, same bin, same weight as the standard 2.0, one more inch of clearance, and a production rate its manual does not give.
Disclosure: we earn a commission if you buy through our links. It never affects which machines we recommend or how we rank them, and we take no sponsored placements. Read the full disclosure.
Quick picks
| # | Machine | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No photo GE Profile XPIO43SCSS More reservoir, same mechanicals, one more inch of clearance to find. | Best for large households |
#ad We earn a commission on purchases made through this link. How this is funded. Prices last checked September 2, 2026.
Side by side with the standard 2.0
| Spec | GE Profile XPIO43SCSS | GE Profile XPIO13SCSS |
|---|---|---|
| Model | XPIO43SCSS | XPIO13SCSS |
| Ice type | Nugget | Nugget |
| Rated output | Not published | 38 lbs/day [src] |
| Rated output per hour | Not published | 1.6 lbs/hour [src] |
| Bin capacity | 3 lbs [src] | 3 lbs [src] |
| Published power | Not published | Not published |
| Nameplate current | 3 A [src] | 3 A [src] |
| Voltage | 120 V [src] | 120 V [src] |
| Dimensions (W x D x H) | Not published | 16.5" H x 13.43" W x 17.5" D [src] |
| Weight, empty | 37.6 lbs [src] | 37.6 lbs [src] |
| Clearance required | 4" [src] | 3" [src] |
| Operating range | Not published | Not published |
| Refrigerant | Not published | Not published |
| Noise | Not published | Not published |
| Warranty | Not published | Not published |
| Max $/mo | $7.78(nameplate) | $7.78(nameplate) |
The missing production rate
The Ultra's specification table follows the same layout as the standard 2.0's: description, model, voltage, current, storage capacity, ice-making rate, clearance, operating environment, weight. In the copy we read (49-9000058 Rev. 6, p.16) the values that came through were "Portable nugget ice maker", 3.0 A, 3.0 lbs, 4 in. and 37.6 lbs. The rate row did not.
The tempting move is to write 38 lbs a day, since every other value matches the standard 2.0 exactly and the machines are plainly closely related. We are not doing that. A specification we could not read is not a specification we can publish, and the difference between "the same as the 2.0" and "we assumed it was the same as the 2.0" is the whole point of this site.
Four inches, not three
This is the one specification difference the manuals do show, and it is the one that will actually affect you. The standard Opal 2.0 and the original Opal both ask for 3 inches. The Ultra asks for 4.
That clearance is how heat leaves the machine. It is not a conservatism you can shave. A machine short of ventilation runs its fan longer, works its compressor harder, makes ice more slowly and costs more to run, all at once. Measure the alcove before you order.
Running cost
Identical to the standard 2.0, because the electrical rating is identical: 3.0 A at 120 V is a 360 VA nameplate, which at four running hours a day and 18 cents per kWh gives a ceiling of $7.78 a month. Same caveat as always — a nameplate is a maximum, not a measurement.
Who should buy this
- Buy it if you are refilling the standard Opal more often than you would like and you have the four inches.
- Skip it if your counter is tight, or if you want a published rate to plan around — in which case the standard 2.0 gives you one.
- Skip it if what you actually want is plumbing. A bigger tank is not a water line, and the difference is explained on nugget ice makers with a water line.
The picks in full
1. Best for large households
GE Profile Opal 2.0 Ultra Nugget Ice Maker
Mechanically the 2.0 with a bigger tank and a wider clearance requirement, and GE does not publish a production rate for it in the manual we could read.
- Rated output
- Not published
- Bin capacity
- 3 lbs
- Electrical
- 3 A at 120 V (360 VA nameplate)
- Ceiling at 4 hrs/day, $0.18/kWh
- $7.78/month (from the nameplate ceiling)
#ad We earn a commission on purchases made through this link. How this is funded. Prices last checked September 2, 2026.
Same 3.0 A rating and same 37.6 lb empty weight as the standard 2.0, so the electricity math is identical.
It wants 4 inches of clearance rather than 3. If you are fitting this under a cabinet run, that inch is the difference between working and not.
We could not read an ice-making rate on the Ultra's specification page and are not going to substitute the 2.0's 38 lbs a day for it. That field says Not published, and it means it.
Skip this if
You need a published ice rate before you buy. The Ultra's owner's manual specification table did not print a legible ice-making rate in the copy we read, and we will not carry over the standard 2.0's number.
Questions people actually ask
Is the Opal 2.0 Ultra faster than the standard Opal 2.0?
Its manual does not say. The Ultra's specification table (49-9000058 Rev. 6) gives 3.0 A, a 3.0 lb ice storage capacity, 4 inches of installation clearance and a 37.6 lb empty weight, but the ice-making rate row was not legible in the copy we read. We are not going to carry the standard 2.0's 38 lbs a day across, so that field reads Not published here.
What is the difference between the Opal 2.0 and the Opal 2.0 Ultra?
On published specs, almost nothing mechanical: identical 3.0 A rating, identical 3.0 lb bin, identical 37.6 lb empty weight. The differences the manuals show are the clearance requirement, 4 inches on the Ultra against 3 on the standard, and the larger side tank the Ultra ships with.
How much clearance does the Opal 2.0 Ultra need?
Four inches, per its owner's manual, against three for the standard Opal 2.0 and the original Opal. If you are fitting the machine into an alcove or under a cabinet run, that inch is the whole decision.
Sources
- GE Profile Opal 2.0 Ultra Owner's Manual 49-9000058 Rev. 6, p.16 (read 2026-09-02)
- GE Profile Opal 2.0 Owner's Manual 49-9000029 Rev. 6, p.17 (read 2026-09-02)
- EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A, June 2026 (US residential average price) (read 2026-09-02)
Read next
- GE Profile Opal 2.0 (XPIO13SCSS)
3.0 A, 38 lbs a day, 1.6 lbs an hour. The best-documented machine in the category.
- The Best Nugget Ice Makers
Six machines ranked on published specs, each with a sourced monthly running-cost ceiling.
- Nugget Ice Makers With a Water Line
What a water-line connection really means on a countertop machine, and the alternatives.
- What a Nugget Ice Maker Costs to Run
Per-model monthly costs with the wattage sourced, the duty cycle stated and the arithmetic shown.
- GE Opal vs GE Profile Opal 2.0
2.5 A versus 3.0 A, 24 lbs versus 38, 44 lbs versus 37.6. And the support page mix-up.
- Do You Need a Water Line?
No. What refilling actually involves, and what a side tank or plumbing buys you.