Low Power PC

DavidOH · February 2011

I came across this article a year ago about building a low wattage PC.
I never cared for laptops for a number of reasons.
I'd just rather have a desktop. This would be a great alternative.

This may be my next build:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/25w-performance-pc,2551.html

25 Watt idle PC

So far I can only find the 65 watt chip. 2400S at NewEgg
Now if I could find the 45 watt cpu 2500T that would be better for this.
(The Intel Sandy Bridge chips have been recalled, I but I patiently await their return.)
Cost should run :
Motherboard ~$100 Asus P8H67
CPU ~$200 Intel i5 2400S 65 watt
Power Supply~$ 50 Pico 12v input 120 watt
case ~$ 50 Apex MI-008
Ram ~$ 50 G.Skill ECO Series 4GB
HD ~$100 OCZ Vertex 2
Total about $600

This is not a slow PC.
This build would be comparable to any AC powered mid-ranged PC.
At idle it should use around 25-30 watts, and a max usage about 90 watts.

Monitor:
http://islandtimepc.com/12voltmonitors.html
(Note: This website also offers a 12 volt PC at double my build price)
Here are a couple choices for a computer monitor:
23" about 25 watts .3 watts on standby ~$290
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001414
(or the BX2331 similar specs lower price)

The Winner! : 21.5" ** 18 Watts ** .3 watts on standby ~$180
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001444

The new 2-nd generation Core processors ( Sandy Bridge ) should work even better for this build. Socket 1155 http://tinyurl.com/6fouwtw

Looking at a Power Supply this might be even better for a micro PC:
http://www.mini-box.com/s.nl/it.A/id.417/.f?category=13

Power Supply Review http://tinyurl.com/5sqypwj

Tom's hardware compared the Intel Sandy Bridge to AMD's offering:
http://tinyurl.com/25vjxrb

Conclusion:
"We’re talking about 30 W idle power paired with state-of-the-art quad-core performance. "

Cariboocoot · February 2011

Re: Low Power PC

You might want to read through this thread (if you haven't already):
http://forum.solar-electric.com/showthread.php?t=9401

DavidOH · February 2011

Re: Low Power PC

I did do a search before posting. Just didn't go back far enough to find this one.
They are talking about laptops. My post is not about laptops.

Interesting discussion.
My EEE PC is using 22-25 watts while charging and surfing.
About half that while not charging.

My desktop is using about 120 watts at idle and quickly goes over 200 when in use.

I'm looking for a compromise.
A desktop that has more power than the Atom chips, and uses much less electricity than the high performance PC that is my desktop.

stephendv · February 2011

Re: Low Power PC

Hi David,

I didn't realise that the Core-i chips were that low power - always assumed they'd be powerhungry. So for a mid to high end PC 30W idle to 90W full power is pretty damn good. I bet that SSD helps a lot with the low power draw. I'm running a 2006 macbook pro with an SSD upgrade and it's actually faster for most things than the brand new macbooks with spinning platter disks.

RCinFLA · February 2011

Re: Low Power PC

stephendv wrote: »

Hi David,

I didn't realise that the Core-i chips were that low power - always assumed they'd be powerhungry. So for a mid to high end PC 30W idle to 90W full power is pretty damn good. I bet that SSD helps a lot with the low power draw. I'm running a 2006 macbook pro with an SSD upgrade and it's actually faster for most things than the brand new macbooks with spinning platter disks.

The 25 watts is idle power. The i series have more extensive power management but the reason is primarily because of potential overheating problems without it.

The i-series are very much power hogs if you run the CPU useage up. They are faster because of architecture (like L3 cache, and codec hardware accelerators) but they can consume quite a bit of power.

You have to be very aware of what your software is doing to keep power under control.

I just put together a D510 Atom system with nVidia ION chipset, and NAND flash solid state drive. It draws 26 watts playing HD 1080p movie.

DavidOH · February 2011

Re: Low Power PC

Those Atom's with ION have been great from all of the reviews I have seen.
HD movies seem to be no problem. Web surfing is easy.

I may get another EEE PC with Atom N550 or 525 and ION.
That would be great when I am not working.

That still won't get me to where I want to go. What I need is more than what an Atom can do.
Multiple windows and live data streaming. My current i7 does it with ease, but it's going to be way overpowered to use off grid.

The compromise will have to be i5 and a fan-less graphics card.
SSD loaded with just the programs I need for work.

SteveK · February 2011

Re: Low Power PC

I chose the HP Envy 14" model for these reasons. Switchable graphics cards low and high power. Enough to do most gaming tasks even.

Awesome audio.....i5 460 very low power consumption. No blu-ray which does stink...I like mine. Very sturdy chassis too.

n3qik · February 2011

Re: Low Power PC

OT: But alone the same line.

I have one of the HP micro servers.

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/DriverDownload.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&prodNameId=4310887&taskId=135&prodTypeId=15351&prodSeriesId=4248009&lang=en&cc=us&submit=Go%20%C2%BB

Out of box, Windows 7 Pro Experience Index:
Processor - 3.9
Memory- 3.9
Graphics- 2.9
Gaming Graphics- 4.5
Hard Drive- 5.9

Uses about 40 watts at idel.
This is with 2nd NIC, 8 G ram and two hard drives.

Currently my mail, file and firewall servers.

Low Power PC

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