Core i7 3770T

[Insert_Nickname]

The only way to get the CPU to 35W load is to downclock it. And for that you can use a simpler board. The more simple board the less it uses. I already seen Asus boards using 20-30W more than a simple motherboard. Also the more phases the bigger powerwaste as well. Not to mention all the useless crap added.

If low powerconsumption is what you focus on. Then its not going very well 😉

You see that drive controller I mentioned requires a PCIe x4 slot, thats why I can't go all the way down to MiniITX. And I WILL not use "cheap simple" boards. Stability is worth the higher asking prices. I have had a lot of cheap boards in various builds over the years and they WILL fail sooner or later. Of course everything will eventually fail, or you can be unlucky and get a "Monday board"...

Maybe something MiniATX will fit the bill... any suggestions...?

Requirement; 1 PCIe x4 slot and 1 PCIe x1 also + clearance for a dual slot GFX

I do admit that it's not real easy because of the various and sometimes conflicting requirements, but I do have something of a unique situation...😛 witch is why i got in to DIY'ing computers in the first place...

Besides it would properly only take 5s to explain in Danish...

 

[ShintaiDK]

You see that drive controller I mentioned requires a PCIe x4 slot, thats why I can't go all the way down to MiniITX. And I WILL not use "cheap simple" boards. Stability is worth the higher asking prices. I have had a lot of cheap boards in various builds over the years and they WILL fail sooner or later. Of course everything will eventually fail, or you can be unlucky and get a "Monday board"...

Maybe something MiniATX will fit the bill... any suggestions...?

Requirement; 1 PCIe x4 slot and 1 PCIe x1 also + clearance for a dual slot GFX

I do admit that it's not real easy because of the various and sometimes conflicting requirements, but I do have something of a unique situation...😛 witch is why i got in to DIY'ing computers in the first place...

Besides it would properly only take 5s to explain in Danish...

2-300$ complex boards dont have higher reliability than a 100$ board. Its the other way around. Playing extra for bling bling and useless components that eat power and is another point of failure isnt reliability.

And yes, mATX.

Maybe silly question, why the raid controller`?

Its kinda hard to figure out what you exactly want. You seem very focused on the powerbill cost. yet you quickly add alot of devices with continual powercomsuption for a 24/7 PC.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

I do think we are somehow misunderstanding one another. The point about the 3770T is that it is guarantied not to pull more then 45W at full load, but as another forum member pointed out (thank you) the K can do the work faster and then return to idle faster. Given power consumption figures in Anand's 3770K review, I think i can shave off 40-50W idle with a new build. This was newer about absolute efficiency but relative efficiency compared to my current system. What this means that the new system has paid for itself in about 3 years time, compared to keeping my current system for another 3 years. Of course there will be the up front cost now, but a man has to have a hobby, right?.

I hope that makes sense... 😉

Oh, and the RAID controller card is a long story that I will not bother you with. Suffice to say that it is a quite expensive piece of kit, witch just happened to come my way... and lets just leave it at that...

 

[Magic Carpet]

Well, first of all a laptop really isn't an option due to the requirement of 24/7 operation. Second the T is actually slightly cheaper as of this writing, and i need something with a little more performance... but otherwise good point I had thought about that before starting the thread...

Mobile motherboards are very energy-efficient. If you can mod the case and provide adequate cooling, then it can be a feasible option. If you can get away with 1-2 SATA ports, why not. There are plenty of cheap parts on eBay, that can be "re-purposed". Desktop parts, are at least, twice as power-hungry. If your workload includes idling around, this will matter and undoubtedly, reflect on your electricity bill.

If you choose to go Desktop, almost any part can, nowadays, be power-controlled on Windows 6.x. It will not matter T or K or E, unless you have a very exotic setup.