Had a realization while researching motherboards. Need to know if I'm wrong.

2timer

Golden Member
Apr 20, 2012
1,803
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So I'm planning to build a SFF 1080P gaming PC. I have a G2020T. I've been looking to buy a mini ITX LGA 1155 motherboard, but the retail stock is very limited. I've narrowed down my options to the Asus P8H61-I R2.0, and the Gigabyte GA-B75N. Both of these are available on Newegg.

I've attempted to research both and make a decision, but solid info and benchmarks on budget motherboards is limited. I understand the difference very well between the chipset and features, but my main concerns are long-term reliability and energy usage. Both would be adequate, but which one is best? Lacking any real world reviews, I've been studying pictures of both motherboards intensely (yes, I'm a total nerd). It seems like the P8H61-I PCB has much more and complex SMC (surface mount components) especially additional MOSFETs for power phasing and overclocking RAM, while the GA-B75N's PCB is cleaner and more streamlined. However it doesn't support RAM overclocking.

My realization is that the GA-B75N would be the better choice for what I want, since less MOSFETs (and less SMCs) mean less power usage. I realized this on my own after thinking about it for a day or two. Was I right to conclude that less MOSFETs generally means less power usage?
 
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vailr

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
5,365
54
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I'd probably go with a Gigabyte board, simply due to Gigabyte's Hackintosh compatability.
However, the ideal "low power" option would probably be to sell the G2020T on eBay and get a Haswell CPU + motherboard. Something like: Intel socket 1150: i3-4130 CPU + H97 microATX board:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128731