Well, my Core i3-530 build uses around 80W full load (AC) so I'm going to take a guess that it doesn't really use 73W unless under extreme conditions - the TDP is really just a guideline for coolers. Besides, the 73W is supposed to cover both the CPU and integrated GPU (H55/H57/Q57 chipsets have pre...

No problems with SD DivX on an Atom 330 (VGA output to 1680x1050 LCD monitor) so I would think the Atom D510 which is faster should have no trouble, too.

Putting that much to reach 40W system pays back in 2 years in electricity. If it's possible to benefit in performance for almost free (maybe even gain), why not? None of the Atom boards are an upgrade. At best, they're a sidegrade, and most likely, they'll be a downgrade. As for power consumption, ...

Is there any particular reason you're wanting to change motherboards (e.g. missing features or faster encoding performance) or is it just that you think your current power consumption is too high? If it's the latter, don't bother. I highly doubt the savings in power consumption is enough to make up ...

There are more inexpensive motherboard choices available for LGA-1156 than there are for AM2/AM3. Personally, I'd go for the i3.

theMAGE wrote:they don't have mounting hardware for LGA-1156 anyway.

Correction, yes they do. The LGA-1366 Mounting Clips also work with LGA-1156. Good luck finding it for sale, though.

And here I thought Intel's current CPU coolers are already tiny, they seem to have shrunk it again:


Wonder how loud these are going to be...

I'm waiting for the boxd525mw board to come out. http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Innovation-Motherboard-Dual-Core-BOXD525MW/dp/B0041RSC94/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1284251534&sr=8-1 With one of those 4gb high density ddr3 memory modules, it should be pretty low power. Darn you... :? And here...

Scythe Big Shuriken SCBSK-1000 wouldn't work if you want to use a discrete GPU. It's too wide and blocks the PCIe x16 slot. Scythe Shuriken SCSK-1100 seems like it would work, though.

if you got a D510 or D525, there is only Ion 2 coming up on nettop's and that doesnt do much for you aside from being a little more power efficient. Ion 2 - has ability to switch seemlessly between Intel graphics and ion 2 in various scenarios when the ion will keep being ion and not chill out as e...

Actually, since he already has some leftover parts, the cheap option would be Intel D510MO ($65 after coupon, Newegg), Apex MI-008 (~$40) and 2GB DDR2 800 (~$45).

Mini-ITX is an option albeit if you're budget limited, you'll probably have to go Atom. Personally, I'd go 785G + Athlon II X2 for a budget build. It'll have considerably better performance compared to the Atom. It's tempting to go bottom of the barrel but it's really not a good idea. Just open a nu...

So, really, you want a dual core cpu that can go 3GHz or better and then pair that with a middle of the road GPU (HD5770 or gtx 460) with a low idle /load power profile. I still like the i3/i5 for their low system power. i5 brings turbo boost as well. Too bad there still isn't a desktop version of ...

With the ION and SC2, 1080p might be a stretch. However, it's fairly playable at 720p Low. Amazingly, the Core i3-530 with iGPU totally smoked the Atom 330/ION combo playing at 1360x768 Low. I think I was getting double the framerates with the i3-530 compared to the Atom/ION. In the latter's defense...

Even a 5750 is like $105 at newegg right now. that's cheap enough. Not when your budget is limited to $150 total for MB/CPU/GPU. Bulldozer's going to be AM3+ so AMD's pretty much the same as Intel right now obsolescence-wise. Highest upgrade available for AMD is Thuban. Sure, it works pretty nicely...

Wouldn't ION/Atom work? Or perhaps the latest ION/CULV from Zotac? For SSD, Intel X25-V 40GB or Sandforce 40GB. Sandforce performs better but the drives usually retail $25 more compared to Intel. Unfortunately, it's hard to recommend the 30GB SSD's with Indilinx and JMicron controllers given the rev...

~El~Jefe~ wrote:And tax here is like 8% max.

You obviously don't live in California.

That 5670 is pretty nice bang for the buck. It will definitely keep your kid in Starcraft. The trick for what you're trying to do is get as much GPU as you can afford, and deprioritize the CPU/Mobo. Which I think you've done pretty well with that AMD board. Unfortunately, that's not exactly true fo...

To be honest, I highly doubt the HD 5570 is going to be much of an improvement. There's just too much CPU bottleneck. In fact, I'd even hazard to say that the ION is already too much GPU for the Atom. And yes, I've tried playing SC2 on the ION.

On the Intel LGA1156 platform, since northbrige is completely moved to CPU, Vt-d is CPU feature, not chipset feature. All Corei5 6xx series (dualcore) and Corei7 8xx series (quadcore) and all xeons have Vt-d, no matter what chipset you use. I don't think this is entirely true. As I recall, VT-d req...

There's just way too many factors to consider than purely processor TDP. My CULV laptop (Asus UL30A-X5: SU7300, 10W TDP) consumes a maximum of around 20W when stressed and 8~10W during regular use (web browsing). Compare that to my brother's netbook (Acer Aspire One 8.9": Atom N270, 2W) which normal...

650W PSU will run with low efficient in your build so you don't get the benefits of 80+ gold with it. As efficiency goes, the SeaSonic X650 is pretty decent. It's not really that far removed from the X400. X650: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article986-page4.html X400: http://www.silentpcreview.com...

At that budget, AMD definitely. While it's possible to play SC2 with integrated graphics, you'd probably want to buy a budget discrete video card when you do play. AM3 is pretty much dead, too. From reports, you'd need AM3+ for Bulldozer. On the upside, though, you've got a lot of inexpensive upgrad...

1. Why does the Thermaltake applet recommend 240W, then? When I tried it with your parts, I got: Minimum PSU Wattage: 138W Recommended PSU Wattage: 188W By the way, this one's more up to date than the link you're using: http://extreme.outervision.com/ 2. How can I compute the requirements for the e...

Around two months. Usually, I just restart for Windows updates. The file server (unRAID), however, hasn't been turned off since April last year.

Don't go with the Atom, specially if you're expecting the system to last a few years. Yes, there's no such thing as future-proofing but the Atom is obsolete even by today's standards. A Core i3-based system would be noticeably faster. On that note, you might also consider getting a smallish (~40GB) ...

Well, each manufacturer has only one model:
Intel DH57JG
Gigabyte GA-H55N-USB3

However, I think both only have 4 SATA ports each.

Actually for M-ITX, I would recommend either the Intel DH57JG or Gigabyte GA-H55N-USB3. Zotac is pretty slow on BIOS updates which are oftentimes necessary to fix certain issues. Their RMA's also a bit hinky. I RMA'd an MSI 890GXM-G65 and Zotac IONITX-D-E at the same time. Both were shipped on a Thu...

The reason I asked is that I thought that MS tries to verify whether it is the same computer when you switch out some components. It is my understanding that the System Builder versions of the OS can only be used on that one computer, but they do allow some incremental upgrades to take place with t...

AZBrandon wrote:I was personally amazed that AMD even made the Phenom X6 processors backwards compatible with AM2+ in the first place - it's got to be a very small segment of the overall market.

True, but they're also the ones who make the most noise.