Atom 330 for dedicated download PC?

[her209]

I want to have a dedicated machine for downloads that I can leave on 24/7. I've got two old P3 866MHz machines (with Asus CUSL2 motherboards) that I built back in 1999. One is set up as a file server and runs Windows XP without problems. I only turn on this PC when I need to access the files. The other one does nothing. Both have 256MB or more RAM.

According to the Wikipedia CPU power dissipation page, the P3 866 draws about 30W whereas the Atom 330 draws only 8W.

My question is should I just use the file server, use the spare, or should I get an Atom 330?

 

[edplayer]

Why not just leave on your main computer?

you save electricity with the Atom, but you are spending more money and buying new junk, which although it is already made, supports the vendor and encourages them to buy more stuff to sell.

 

[her209]

Why not just leave on your main computer?

Main computer meaning the file server or the one that I use on a regular basis?

 

[VirtualLarry]

I want to have a dedicated machine for downloads that I can leave on 24/7. I've got two old P3 866MHz machines (with Asus CUSL2 motherboards) that I built back in 1999. One is set up as a file server and runs Windows XP without problems. I only turn on this PC when I need to access the files. The other one does nothing. Both have 256MB or more RAM.

According to the Wikipedia CPU power dissipation page, the P3 866 draws about 30W whereas the Atom 330 draws only 8W.

Yes, that's the power draw of the Atom, but what about the system chipset? I think that draws like 22W for the 945GC.

 

[MalVeauX]

I want to have a dedicated machine for downloads that I can leave on 24/7. I've got two old P3 866MHz machines (with Asus CUSL2 motherboards) that I built back in 1999. One is set up as a file server and runs Windows XP without problems. I only turn on this PC when I need to access the files. The other one does nothing. Both have 256MB or more RAM.

According to the Wikipedia CPU power dissipation page, the P3 866 draws about 30W whereas the Atom 330 draws only 8W.

My question is should I just use the file server, use the spare, or should I get an Atom 330?

Heya,

No. The ATOM is a good CPU for low wattage 24/7 machines. But the problem right now is the motherboards that they're stuck to right now. Intel hasn't gotten on board with understanding that offering a super low wattage CPU is pointless if the mainboard and components bring the total usage up into the 40+watt range.

The reason I bring this up is because a 780 series AMD chipset with an Sempron 2.7Ghz 45watt CPU with quiet and cool enabled is way more powerful than an ATOM, cheaper, and sits around 37~50 watts between idle and loads.

So you then wonder... what's the point of an ATOM build if the total wattage ends up in the 30's and 40's? Then you look at a higher wattage CPU like the Sempron and wonder why it ends up being comparable to the ATOM machine's total wattage usage. You then realize you should just save the money, build a Sempron system, and wait for Intel to figure out why their ATOM systems are not good enough yet.

Alternatively, if you look into a netbook chipset as a mainboard, you can then couple an ATOM with it for very low wattage. I measured my netbook's wattage draw from the wall at around 27watts running XP and some applications.

Here's what I would use as a download box:

$95 - Sempron 2.7Ghz 45W & Asus M4A785-M mATX.

That setup can be configured to draw around 40watts with the components (drive, etc) for a 24/7 download server. I'd recommend it over an ATOM build since it's more powerful, cheaper, and has way more expandability (this puppy can instantly be a HTPC too, complete with HDMI output and a good GPU for decoding).

Drop in some cheap ram, a low wattage PSU, an an HDD and you're done. You can build it into a very small micro case. You can run Linux or Windows to your whim. And it won't crawl using flash/java the way an ATOM does (it's pathetic how bad it performs with flash).

Very best,

 

[pm]

For the OP's question - I would personally use the spare. I wouldn't spend money on a new system unless I had to. Electricity is pretty cheap. Say that the P3 system (not the CPU, the whole system) is up in the 50W range idling (which seems conservative since the Pentium 4 in the the Anandtech link at the bottom of this post idles at 80W). So you are comparing about 50W versus ~40W... (((50W-40W) *24hrs/day * 365 days/year))/1000W/kW) * $0.12/kwh => adds up to ~$10 year annual savigns. I'd stick with what you have.

The reason I bring this up is because a 780 series AMD chipset with an Sempron 2.7Ghz 45watt CPU with quiet and cool enabled is way more powerful than an ATOM, cheaper, and sits around 37~50 watts between idle and loads.

I won't disagree on the performance, or the power, but how do you get cheaper? An Atom 230 board + CPU is $65 at Newegg, and the Sempron CPU + motherboard is $95 (using your link)

Here's an interesting power analysis - which pretty much matches up with what MalVeauX wrote:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/Atom-Athlon-Efficient,1997-5.html

Although the new Pinetrail Atom's (released today, I think) changes everything a bit as it drops the system power on the new Atom's down into the ~20W range.
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3692


* I work for Intel but I am not a spokesperson for Intel Corp. *

 

[MalVeauX]

I won't disagree on the performance, or the power, but how do you get cheaper?

Heya,

His title says Atom 330, not the 230. The new dual core Atom. Those are all over $100, and higher, for a decent one with a board that has more than just an old PCI slot (not even PCIe). My suggestion was to allow for far more expandability at the lower price, ie, having the option of PCIe 1.0, 2.0 and PCI slots so that the machine can be used to do a lot more than just download all day as the OP's needs expand. This prevents the purchase of newer machines later, or limiting the current machine to the point where all it can do is download. For example, on the board I suggested, it would be possible to add a PCIe TV tuner, or extra HDD controller cards, to expand the machine to not just be a download box, but also eventually become a DVR, File Server, HTPC, or whatever he pleases. The tiny Atom boards simply don't have the connectivity to do this and expand beyond their very limited boards.

When Intel gives us a board that has low power draw and the dualcore Atom, on a board that has PCIe 1.0, 2.0 so that I can add HDD controllers, I'd happily switch back to Intel for a low power option for my HTPC & File Server.

But again, the original quote, the OP's Atom was the 330, not the 230, hence my suggestion of the cheaper $95 option.

Very best,

 

[aigomorla]

I want to have a dedicated machine for downloads that I can leave on 24/7. I've got two old P3 866MHz machines (with Asus CUSL2 motherboards) that I built back in 1999. One is set up as a file server and runs Windows XP without problems. I only turn on this PC when I need to access the files. The other one does nothing. Both have 256MB or more RAM.

so your looking for a torrent box.

Virtually anything can be a torrent box as long as it can support your torrent program + space to add drives.

I have made many torrent boxes, and im on my 4th generation right now.

You dont need a lot of hardware for a torrent box, because unless your using azarus, none of the torrent programs use a lot of resources.

The hardest thing on a torrent box tho, is your router believe it or not.
When you got about 1000+ peers connecting to your box, your router gets loaded up the but, and can lead to router failures.

1st gen: P4 3.0ghz
2nd gen: AMD X2 2.0ghz
3rd gen: Intel Sossoman (Sammy)
4th gen: Intel Gainestown 3.07.

The reason why i had upgrades is when i started to unrar stuff.
when you got a 8gig rar package thats broken up into 100 rars, your gonna cry unless your on at least a 2nd gen.
Also the last gen... lind, is just overkill... my friends make fun of me on it enough.

Thats if u have your torrent box do all the unpacking.

 

[her209]

so your looking for a torrent box.

Virtually anything can be a torrent box as long as it can support your torrent program + space to add drives.

Not torrent. Usenet.

 

[aigomorla]

Not torrent. Usenet.

then id say the same... only less router requirements.

The fact is you need a machine to grab from the net... the hardest program you will run on it is the OS.


Unless your news group viewer is something insane...

Dont worry about hardware... get whatever draws the least amount of power, and yet allows you to scale drives on it.

I ran out of drives on 3rd and 4th gen so i had to get a dedicated controller for them even.

 

[pm]

His title says Atom 330, not the 230. The new dual core Atom.

Ah. That makes sense then. Thank you. Although... Atom 330 for $80

But I hear you on what you are saying, and you make very good points on expandability and flexibility.

 

[her209]

then id say the same... only less router requirements.

The fact is you need a machine to grab from the net... the hardest program you will run on it is the OS.

Unless your news group viewer is something insane...

Dont worry about hardware... get whatever draws the least amount of power, and yet allows you to scale drives on it.

I ran out of drives on 3rd and 4th gen so i had to get a dedicated controller for them even.

I do plan on using the encryption feature offered (SSL) so that will probably put load on the CPU.

 

[21stHermit]

According to the Wikipedia CPU power dissipation page, the P3 866 draws about 30W whereas the Atom 330 draws only 8W.

My question is should I just use the file server, use the spare, or should I get an Atom 330?

Those numbers only show the design power of those CPU's not the total system. Add to the 8W the graphics chip/MC ie NB and add another 13W, then the HDD and the PSU losses.

I run an Atom 330 as my primary PC, at the wall it takes 38W. Add to that my Router + ISP radio and I'm at 50W. If I want to see what's happening I'm up to 77W. Adds up.

 

[BushLin]

It's possible that your current system uses very little power, it's also possible that your current system uses over 100W at idle.

Your power supply might be very inefficient, you might have a hog of a video card, possibly sending too high a voltage to the CPU, chipset, RAM... or you might have a very minimal setup with a decent PSU that's efficient at lower wattages (most high watt PSUs are not).

If it was me, I'd borrow or buy a cheap power meter and see what your current machine is pulling at the plug. Work out what it's costing you a year, spec up an Atom based system (preferably without the 945 chipset) and make an estimate of your savings.

If it'll cost more to build a new system than the potential savings over the anticipated life of the PC... don't bother if your current setup works to your needs.

 

[pm]

If I want to see what's happening I'm up to 77W.

What does this mean? "see what's happening"? As in monitoring the network?

But I'm super-impressed with 90kWh per month. Here in Fort Collins, my PUC sends me a monthly report telling me how super fantastic my house is at conserving electricity and we use ~450kWh/month. I get lovely graphs showing how much better I am than all my neighbors... and I'm using 5x your usage. Very impressive.

 

[21stHermit]

What does this mean? "see what's happening"? As in monitoring the network?

Well my 22" Acer LCD takes 27W. The OP's question was related to D/L, generally one doesn't need to "see" a lengthy download.

But I'm super-impressed with 90kWh per month. Here in Fort Collins, my PUC sends me a monthly report telling me how super fantastic my house is at conserving electricity and we use ~450kWh/month. I get lovely graphs showing how much better I am than all my neighbors... and I'm using 5x your usage. Very impressive.

You'd be surprised how much is lost in ghost loads. Every non-essential device has an inline switch: microwave, DVR, TV, all PC's, ISP radio, garage door opener, etc. Only three devices have no inline switches: refrigerator, furnace and well pump, none have any ghost loads, they're either on or off.

I was considering a WS LCD TV until I realized they take 300+ watts, my 10-YO 36" CRT TV takes ~83W.

My guess is the 90KWH/mo is a little high, I arrived at the 3KWH number by figuring how much the solar panels could produce on a sunny day. Since I only run the generator ~15 hours per year, it's either solar or I do without.

 

[BushLin]

I was considering a WS LCD TV until I realized they take 300+ watts, my 10-YO 36" CRT TV takes ~83W.

It is surprising what you find when you bother to measure your devices, I halved my TV's wattage by turning down the backlight and balancing the brightness and contrast so it looked identical. Now runs at about 60w on average, which is pretty good for 42".

 

[aigomorla]

What does this mean? "see what's happening"? As in monitoring the network?

But I'm super-impressed with 90kWh per month. Here in Fort Collins, my PUC sends me a monthly report telling me how super fantastic my house is at conserving electricity and we use ~450kWh/month. I get lovely graphs showing how much better I am than all my neighbors... and I'm using 5x your usage. Very impressive.

i should show u my sammy.. lol..

8 drives... 2 processors 4 core... at full load 100w.. idle.. around 70-80w dependinng on how many drives are cycling.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Here in Fort Collins, my PUC sends me a monthly report telling me how super fantastic my house is at conserving electricity and we use ~450kWh/month. I get lovely graphs showing how much better I am than all my neighbors... and I'm using 5x your usage. Very impressive.

I use more than that, and I only have one PC running 24/7 full load overclocked. Well, I've been running my new laptop too.

And I suppose the "300W" rated halogen bulb in my living room doesn't help much either for power usage.

 

[pm]

Apologies to the OP for my degression...

I will say that the Fort Collins PUC's monthly "us vs. our neighbors" power reports did succeed in dramatically cutting my power usage by bringing out the silly competitive instinct in me. I replaced all the halogens and incandescents with CFL's (esp. now that the CFL's are dimmable) and this dropped out electric usage from ~1000kWh/month to around 450kWh/month (wife, 2 kids and myself).

Back on the original topic, my HTPC/DVR/backup/webserver box is a Pentium M 770 in a Aopen i915 motherboard with a Radeon HD 4350. Pulls about 70W total system power idling. Cost me about $100 two years ago for the board + CPU and then about $35 for the video card earlier this year-(needed to run/play Blu-ray). But it's hard to find parts for this solution nowadays...

 

[aigomorla]

lol pm sammy is basically what u have but not overclocked.

lynfield chipset using 2 yonnahs in pair, in an ulv package.

anyhow op, i dont think ull have any issues on any processor unless u cant load the os.

so in a machine like this.. u want the coolest running, most quiwt, yet storage scalable setup that u can afford.

 

[Gillbot]

I guess my plan of a QX powered torrent box is overkill? LOL!

 

[aigomorla]

I guess my plan of a QX powered torrent box is overkill? LOL!

ur talking to me about overkill?

umm... overkill doesnt exist in my vocabulary.

If it did, i wouldnt be running a hexcore to play hearts and solitaire. :hmm:

 

[pm]

lol pm sammy is basically what u have but not overclocked.

I was wondering what a "Sammy" was... My Pentium M 770 HTPC has been a great machine so far.

 

[Zap]

I want to have a dedicated machine for downloads that I can leave on 24/7. I've got two old P3 866MHz machines (with Asus CUSL2 motherboards) that I built back in 1999.

My concern would be reliability. Old consumer motherboards have a tendency to die. Personally I would absolutely replace it with something that draws less power, performs better, creates less heat and noise and is smaller.

When Intel gives us a board that has low power draw and the dualcore Atom, on a board that has PCIe 1.0, 2.0 so that I can add HDD controllers, I'd happily switch back to Intel for a low power option for my HTPC & File Server.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813182205

A bit costly at $140, but gives you an Atom 330, dual gigabit ethernet, PCI slot, PCIe x4 slot, PCIe x8 slot, four SATA 3.0Gb/s ports. You can have your Atom as well as your expandability. :awe: