C7 vs. AMD based server, power usage?

[DanW85]

I'm looking for a low powered machine to sit in the corner and store and download, so it doesn't need ot be very powerful.

I was thinking something C7 based but, is it worth the investment?

I've already got an AMD system that sort of does this but without the capacity I need. It is also way to loud at present.
I've got a 2000+ and a 2500+. The 2500+ seemed cooler running in the same case. Could I undervolt this and run it fanless.

Which at the end of the day is going to use less power? A C7 or a very underclocked and undervolted 2500/2000+? And is the underclock/undervolted AMD system going to end up running a lot slower with the same power draw?


If no-one knows can someone point me in the direction of a forum that would? Very Happy


Thanks in advance,
Dan

 

[Lord Evermore]

I doubt that even undervolted and underclocked an Athlon could be run without a fan. You could do it with a high-airflow case, but you end up with just as much noise that way. If you can fit it in, you could use an adapter for the CPU fan to go to a larger size. You can either buy or make them, if the CPU fan is 60mm you could go with a slower 80mm, or even go up to 92 or 120mm and they'd be near enough to silent while still providing enough airflow. Depending on the case design, if you can't fit an adapter on the heatsink, you could try making a cheap duct to fit to an opening for a case fan and put the fan there. You'd need to experiment with just how much you need to keep it cool.

As long as you've got the heatsink properly mounted, you should be safe from risk of actually burning out the CPU instantly even without the fan on it, so you can go into the BIOS and look at the temperature. But using an adapter with a larger fan is usually the best idea.

The C7 is going to use less power certainly. You simply won't be able to get either of the Athlons down to the levels of the C7, they just won't operate past a certain point no matter how slowly clocked they are. An Athlon 2500+ puts out 68W max at 1.8GHz. A C7 2GHz is only 20W, and a C7 1.5GHz which would still be more than enough for your needs is only 12W, and those are maximums. Average C7 power is less than 1W rated.

Even if you could get the Athlon clocked low enough to be equal heat output and power usage, it'd be dead slow even compared to a C7.

Is it worth the investment to get a C7, probably not. You've already got an Athlon system that you could easily modify to make it nearly silent, without even needing to underclock/undervolt it. Sitting in the corner it doesn't even need to be THAT quiet, a C7 would be overkill.