Most power efficient chipset for 775/AM2... Mini-itx w/ PCI-E x 1

[Blazestorm]

I don't care what processor, I just need power efficiency (because the mini-itx is gonna run on battery)
But I need atleast a dual-core, 2.5ghz
I was looking at the Zotac 7050 Mini-itx + an E5200... 1TB Green-drive... uses about 6 watts while running, chipset was supposed to be about 8watts, and then the processor. (Main reason is E5200 is 45nm, E1400/1500 is 65nm... )

I'd like a 780G mini-itx board, but can't seem to find any with PCI-E x 1 (Need it for an HDMI capture card)

Was hoping to keep it around 30watts... lower the better..
Might try a Celeron 440 and see if it's fast enough for what I need...

Also I should have pretty good efficiency because it's coming straight off a 12vt DC battery into a PicoPSU (so DC-DC)

 

[__Miguel_]

I don't care what processor, I just need power efficiency (because the mini-itx is gonna run on battery)
But I need atleast a dual-core, 2.5ghz
I was looking at the Zotac 7050 Mini-itx + an E5200... 1TB Green-drive... uses about 6 watts while running, chipset was supposed to be about 8watts, and then the processor. (Main reason is E5200 is 45nm, E1400/1500 is 65nm... )

Do you REALLY need that kind of power on the CPU side? AND, does it need to be Intel-based?

The reason I ask is because, as of now, the lowest-power build I've seen is a ~25W NVIDIA 7x50+Athlon X2 system (over at SPCR forums), albeit is does run at 1GHz, not the full rated speed.

Appart from that consideration, the most power-efficient chipsets I've read about are 740G (it's a 45nm 690G, which is one of the best in the field) and 780V/G (probably V is a better option for low power, the 780G has higher speeds), G31 (arguably, but Tom's Hardware seems to have managed to get a system with an E7200 at ~31W idle, stock voltages), G45 and 9300i (these two trade blows depending on usage - do check recent reviews on them, I think over at Tom's Hardware). G41 might also be a very good choice, it's like a die-shrunk G31.

I'd like a 780G mini-itx board, but can't seem to find any with PCI-E x 1 (Need it for an HDMI capture card)

Hmm, there IS a 780G-based mini-ITX board with a PCIe 16x slot (8x electrical) that should be able to handle (at least theoretically) just about any PCIe expansion card.

The big problem is, PCIe is not all that common in motherboards... G31 is simply nowhere to be found in mini-ITX (except industrial implementations); the only G41-based mini-ITX board I know (from Intel) has a single PCI slot; Zotac has a ~30W mini-ITX board with a PCIe 16x slot; Intel's DG45FC has PCIe 1x; and there's the ultra-expensive 780G-based mini-ITX board. Not that the 9300i-ITX or the DG45FC (or DQ45EK, it's the same thing with the Q45 chipset). And finally there's the 945G-based Atom board from ECS with both PCI and PCIe 1x slots, but that's not mini-ITX, it's mini-DTX...

Was hoping to keep it around 30watts... lower the better..
Might try a Celeron 440 and see if it's fast enough for what I need...

Apparently, the Zotac 9300i Ion board can handle that TDP, but I think that lacks PCIe.

And do consider that adding any kind of add-on card will add around 5~10W to the max power output, and depending on the power-saving features of the card, that can be a constant power draw.

Also I should have pretty good efficiency because it's coming straight off a 12vt DC battery into a PicoPSU (so DC-DC)

Please, DO be carefull when using direct battery connections, especially if it's a non-dedicated car or boat battery...

Car battery power outputs can surge to ~20V (rather severe spikes), and/or go as low as 8V... The regular Picos are NOT built to handle that kind of range, nor are they surge-protected. Automotive use requires a Wide Input version of the Pico (at the very least), or (preferably) a DC-DC power board built specifically for autmotive uses.

Cheers.

Miguel

 

[Blazestorm]

Yea, I'm planning to use a wide-input 6-25vt ... because later on it might end up getting a Lithium Ion battery solution, the problem is $... you can get a Lead-acid battery that is well under 1/5 the cost of a comparable lithium Ion battery, I don't mind the weight/size...

Zotac seems to have the most options with PCI-E... in Mini-ITX
Geforce 8200 w/ AM2, Geforce 9300 w/ 775, and Geforce 7050 w/ 775

Just trying to find the solution that uses the least amount of power out of those three...

And I do need a decent amount of power... the HDMI is capturing 1080i Full HD @ 100mbit... My Q6600 see's about 25-32% CPU usage while recording... and it's at 3.0ghz... I do need to do more testing, so if I can get away with a Celeron 440 vs. an E5200 that would be cool (And if the Celeron 440 actually uses less power)

 

[__Miguel_]

Zotac seems to have the most options with PCI-E... in Mini-ITX
Geforce 8200 w/ AM2, Geforce 9300 w/ 775, and Geforce 7050 w/ 775

Ups, I forgot about the other Zotac solutions...

Just trying to find the solution that uses the least amount of power out of those three...

Between the 9300 and the 7050, I'd say the 9300, especially because the 7050 does seem to have a lousy energy implementation (no S3 support, for one...). The 8200 I don't know about it, try googling around for reviews on the chipset.

If memory serves me right, the 7050 was tested by SPCR (number 1 site for low power and ultra-silent builds, btw), and there is a thread here about the 9300i ITX (which, in turn, has TONS of info or links that might interest you). Also, check the NVIDIA ION thread, someone posted a link for a review on a uATX 9300i board (from MSI, if memory serves me right), I think over at TechReport. Power numbers should be around the same numbers for mini-ITX boards.

And I do need a decent amount of power... the HDMI is capturing 1080i Full HD @ 100mbit... My Q6600 see's about 25-32% CPU usage while recording... and it's at 3.0ghz... I do need to do more testing, so if I can get away with a Celeron 440 vs. an E5200 that would be cool (And if the Celeron 440 actually uses less power)

I'm actually affraid to ask why you'd need constant FullHD video capturing... Though do try to check other alternatives, like a hard-drive-based FullHD camcorder, with a firewire link to a computer to offload the massive data stream.

As for the other CPUs working for you, the Celeron seems a tight fit (and honestly, nowadays not that many uses only need or can handle a single-core CPU...); and if the capture software you're using can only handle two threads, you can probably stick to the E5200, which should actually be cooler than the Celly (45nm et all...).

Cheers, and good luck.

Miguel

 

[Blazestorm]

Because those FullHD camcorders are still recording very compressed bit-rates, and are small/cheap (This is meant for more high-end video work where a cheap portable solution doesn't exist... especially one that could run on battery for 6-8 hours)

I recall reading that the 7050 had a lower TDP than the 8200 and 9300 because with the last two they focused a lot on improving the performance of the IGP, but I wasn't positive.
Unfortunately there isn't a lot of data about real TDP numbers, not just what a "Kill-A-Watt" says they were using...

"The GeForce 9400M claims a TDP of only 12 W" (Reading up on an ION article)

So a 9300 should be similar, but then again that's a 9400M which might be different from the 9300 on a desktop...

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/motherboards/2009/03/18/zotac-geforce-9300-itx-wifi-review/10

Because there we see a DG45FC using less power...

Reading the silentPCreview on the exact board I was looking at with an E7200, they're seeing 35-65 watt usage... that's from the wall, so if the CPU is @ 50-60% hopefully not pulling all that much and get around 45watt.

With 45watt of usage, and a 22amp/hour battery I could get about 6 hours of battery life

 

[__Miguel_]

Because those FullHD camcorders are still recording very compressed bit-rates, and are small/cheap (This is meant for more high-end video work where a cheap portable solution doesn't exist... especially one that could run on battery for 6-8 hours)

Ok, that's a very specific use, then.

I recall reading that the 7050 had a lower TDP than the 8200 and 9300 because with the last two they focused a lot on improving the performance of the IGP, but I wasn't positive.

I don't really know about that. The thing is, I didn't find the 7xx0 chipset interesting, except for the part it can have 4 "real" SATA ports (with the ICH7 most similar-priced boards use, each pair of SATA ports shares bandwidth, so max data throughput is around 80~90MBps), so I haven't really paid much attention to it. Though if it uses the same manufacturing tech the newer 8 and 9 series, it should draw less power, since it has fewer functions and transistors.

"The GeForce 9400M claims a TDP of only 12 W" (Reading up on an ION article)

So a 9300 should be similar, but then again that's a 9400M which might be different from the 9300 on a desktop...

Hmmm, I was under the impression the IGP was based off the 9300i, not the 9x00M... Especially after I've read the recent Zotac ION boards reviews, which claim those Zotac ION boards use a lower-clocked 9300i...

I'm stumped now...

Reading the silentPCreview on the exact board I was looking at with an E7200, they're seeing 35-65 watt usage... that's from the wall, so if the CPU is @ 50-60% hopefully not pulling all that much and get around 45watt.

Just remember, the stock E7x00 series seem to be more energy-friendly than the E5x00 series (go figure...). Probably because the E5x00 CPUs are second choices.

At any rate, most Intel CPUs these days can handle EXTREME undervolts and still handle full loads with no problem. Hell, I've even seen reports of undervolted overclocked configurations... You'll just need the proper software for the job. I use RMClock: it's a little outdated (development halted about a year ago, not sure what happened), but it can handle at least up to Penryn-based notebook chips with no problem, so it might be nice to try that and lower your power draw. SPCR does test system at stock voltages, after all...

With 45watt of usage, and a 22amp/hour battery I could get about 6 hours of battery life

That's out of my league already. I'm not a math major, far from it. I'll just take your word on that one.

Good luck.

Cheers.

Miguel