Post
by bonestonne » Tue May 08, 2012 4:37 pm
For something like this, I would go for the ISK-150 instead. It comes with a very good standard 150W power supply, more than you need, but it will be completely sufficient.
It will also have a very quiet 80mm fan that will assist the CPU fan very well. I've put together a nice Atom powered HTPC in the ISK-150, complete with a blu-ray drive, and it's a very nice, quiet, and simple machine. I had access to quite the assortment of parts (SATA cables from an HP, other small things) that kept the system very clean, and something I would suggest if you can do it.
The ISK110 is smaller, but I think the problem with it is the lack of good airflow around the drives, and from the looks of it, the case is plastic and not metal, so, poor heat transfer at best.
I would go for the Core i5 3570T, but even being 45W, I don't think you'll save much over the normal versions.
If you're looking to do a fanless build, the Core i* series might not cut it. Maybe the Pentium G630T, integrated graphics, VT-d support (if that's really necessary), and a max TDP of 35W. Very cool running, and honestly, when you say "photo processing" is that Adobe Lightroom, will this thing be working with serious RAW files, or just storing jpegs, tweaking the basic exposure, etc? I'm hard pressed to say the G630T would have a hard time with that. Should work fine with Virtual Box.
I'm going to say you're better off with the ISK-150, it will give you more flexibility with installing hard drives, a CD drive if necessary, and a standard PSU that is very efficient, and quiet. Sounds weird, but I think that's what you're looking to have.