I'm thinking of:
Zotac 9300 ITX
Intel E3200 or E3300 when available
Scythe Mini Ninja
2.5" 5400rpm notebook drive
I've already considered an Atom system, and in fact already built one with a D945GCLF2 and Thermalright HR-05 IFX (modified to fit) on the northbridge in a SEED ITX-8989 case. I'd post pics of the inside, but I don't have the system and I can't find the pics that I took of it. What bugged me about the system though was a slight sluggishness when scrolling through large webpages and opening and closing browser windows.
That problem might have been due to the video system, and might be solved by moving to an Ion platform, but for the price of that I'd rather pony up the relatively tiny difference and get a Wolfdale based platform.
In terms of the CPU, I've considered the E5200 and E7400. There's a post by slashgyoza here where he says his E7400 actually consumed less power than his R0 E5200. Now I understand sample variance is always an issue and it's pointless to speculate on the power consumption of a part that's not even available yet, but I'm hoping that the E3x00 should have lower power consumption. (And it has VT, though I can't imagine needing it.) Any thoughts on this?
Would I be able to get away with running the Mini Ninja completely passive? Or perhaps just one exhaust fan nearby.
In terms of the power supply, I was thinking of going for a PicoPSU plus one of these.
*DISCLAIMER*
I'm an EE and I've worked with mains before. I would NOT recommend anyone trying this out if they don't already know what they're doing. In fact I'd very specifically recommend against it.
What appeals to me about that unit it that it claims 90-92% efficiency off a 230V supply. The catch is they only offer that level of efficiency for their 100W range. What I don't know for certain is if 100W is enough for this system, and which PicoPSU to get. Again, advice would be welcome.
