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Old 09-04-2010, 01:01 PM   #1
Harkoliar
Jack Burton
 

Join Date: March 21, 2001
Location: Philippines, but now Harbor City Sydney
Age: 40
Posts: 5,556
Letter another building computer rig thread but a different direction.. techie advise needed

First off.. hello people! . Ive been lurking more these days with life been so busy here.

I am currently ordering a computer and one place I always know where to get good advice is here.

I am sure most computer threads here are upgrades or desktops or gaming computers but what about for mediahub low power consumption computers?

My goal is to have a internet/media centre PC hub with it being online and running 24/7. I already have my nearly 2 year old gaming rig and it still works fine but it eats up a huge electricity with 700 watt power supply.

So here I am aiming for a computer that can run 24/7 and low wattage.

I am sure you have heard of the Asus eepc? How about the EeeBox? I am aiming for something similar.

A quick link is here http://www.cnet.com.au/asus-eeebox-p...-339301230.htm

While that looked appealing to me, sadly the retail vendors nearby or even further way didnt had any.. and online ones were too pricey. Ive decided to do a custom built

so I endedup with the ff:
MB: Asus - AT5IONT-I
- it has wireless n/bluetooth/hdmi (with sound!)
- integrated video card
- integrated intel atom cpu (dual core apparently)
Ram- corsiar 2 gig
HD: 2.5 inch 500 gig hitachi (apparently uses less power than standard HD (even the eco friendly ones or so I was told)
Silverstone SG05 Black Cube MiniITX Case - with 300watt psu 80+ certified

it has no dvd or external vid card to save on power.

Now here is my question... I saw alternative case that has this feature "60W Fanless external power"
The model is Ayumi MW-101 Mini-ITX Slim Narrow Case with 60W fanless external power adapter"

Now first glance a 60w fanless power adapter is more appealing than a 300watt psu. But it is fanless better ? ( the motherboard is also fanless and designed not to generate alot of heat).

My concern running 24/7 computer especially during hot summers (where room temp goes as high as 40c) will affect the lifespan of the computer

Should I go with a the higher 300 watt with fan (but apparently 80+ sfx) or lower watt with no fan? I was told that getting a higeher watt fan doesnt really mean I would be consuming 300watts of power constantly.

Or am I misreading this fanless case and its not suitable for my parts or requirements.

Any advice would be great!

Reference:
MB link: http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=iIZKMXSj0jZKiebE
Ayumi Fanless PSU Case: http://www.nscom.com.au/catalogue/de...&catType=group
Silverstone case (300watt psu): http://www.nscom.com.au/catalogue/de...oductID=651420

edit:
lol i even found my old thread of my gaming rig!
http://www.ironworksforum.com/forum/...ad.php?t=99394
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Last edited by Harkoliar; 09-04-2010 at 01:13 PM.
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Old 09-05-2010, 01:05 AM   #2
SpiritWarrior
Jack Burton
 

Join Date: May 31, 2002
Location: Ireland
Posts: 5,854
Default Re: another building computer rig thread but a different direction.. techie advise ne

My advice - and it is an interesting project you are attempting to pull off here - is go for the higher 300 watt with fan. Overheating can be a very real issue despite some believing it to be a mythical concept that doesn't really happen. If you are in any location that has hot weather and summers do not take any chances at all. Many video cards, CPU chips and monitors that seem to "die" suddenly, have done so because of overheating and people just assume "Oh, it was time to replace them", without realizing the heat levels were too high and so cut the life short.

While some hardware will have throttling mechanisms intergrated into their temp. sensors, a very many do not. And even if they do, you are in effect, losing performance as your system struggles to maintain and reduce temperatures. Come a hot summer, and you may get problems. As far as voltages and power consumptions cost, if you are aiming low, you are on the right track with cutting the trimming. Most external stuff tends to consume more power so avoid it if possible.

Monitors, T.V.'s and various other types of display screens are by far one of the biggest electricity hogs of all. Producing and holding that still picture of your desktop with it's many pixels, eats up constant power and electricity. And as for "screen-savers", well they use even more (most are animated), so are never a good idea because it causes the video card to work in the same way it would for a game, thus, upping the wattage. Those people you see who leave them on in offices with screensavers scrolling on the screen are just carelessly wasting energy and power. Better to turn your monitor off anyday.

An even better solution that I always advise people, is to set your system to go into "Sleep" mode after a certain amount of time. I have mine at 20 minutes. Some have it at 1 hour. What this mode effectively does, is shuts down non-essential devices and runs the essential ones at a very minimal power level. The monitor will fall asleep too (i.e. shut off), creating a true screen-"saver" A simple keypress or mouseclick brings your system back out of sleep completely and it is ready to go in around 3-5 seconds depending. At the very least, I always tell people to turn their monitor off rather than their tower.

Now, I see you want to run this 24/7. I am not sure if a sleep option would suit you, but I would certainly try to work it in somehow. Also, just from what I have seen, many new systems have detailed "Power plans" which you can customize in some depth, from USB ports awakening on startup, to adjusting the brightness of your screen.
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Old 09-05-2010, 02:31 AM   #3
Harkoliar
Jack Burton
 

Join Date: March 21, 2001
Location: Philippines, but now Harbor City Sydney
Age: 40
Posts: 5,556
Default Re: another building computer rig thread but a different direction.. techie advise ne

My current gaming rig is connected to my lcd tv via dvi and audio cables in my amplifier sound theatre system.

I just realized that to actually play movies or blurays I have to turn the sound system (computing around 500 watts at least) and then the computer another 650 watts.... that over 1100 watts w/o the tv . And just to leave it on standby well thats 650 watts right there.

Maybe even with 300watts via hdmi cable direct to the tv, i would save 800 watts of power when I am using it.. and less when on standby.

Thats 75% less for normal usage. Im planning to check out how I can measure the low watt desktop and see how much I am really using with it but I think spending 500 aud on it would save me more in the long run I think.

Ill go with the fan... even if it consumes alittle more, I prefer longer running computer.
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