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Need Advise - Looking for Power saving but balanced performance

T

TripleD

Junior Member
Ok,

Where do i start... I haven't build a system in a VERY long time over 6 years, because i moved from desktops to laptops... Well now i need a desktop workstation to do gfx development, but i really don't want to pay $50+ per month on electrical bill. I currently use a nice VAIO notebook with a nice GO 7600 gfx card, however it does not support DX10.1 SM4 that i would like to play around with. Plus i also want to explore multi-core programming on quad core machines using libraries like OpenMP and Intel Threading Blocks (availability of cheap 8 core processors would be really great 😛).

This means i need to invest in a next generation card... my goal is to get a system with a 4 core CPU, and a DX10.1 gfx card, 2G of ram, nothing too fancy, just enough to develop on and not get a huge electric bill expense, that was the main reason why i moved to laptops from desktops.

What do you guys recommend?

I was pointing to a system with the following characteristics:
GFX: GTX 260 (the one that saves most power, 1G of VRAM would be nice).
CPU: Intel Quad Q9400 (is there a quad processor that is less power hungry?)
Mobo: No idea regarding vendor or chipset - one that helps save power.
Memory: 2G No idea regarding vendor - the one that saves the more power.
Powersupply: No idea, the one that saves the more power.
HDD: 500G- 1T Fast, but not power hungry.
Cooling: As silent and power saving as possible.

Case: I will use my old Lian Li, it's still in very good shape and pretty 😉

So basically i need a really well balanced quad core system, that will not use 1kw of power. Any ideas, where to start saving power... (the system does need to be quad core and feature a dx10.1 card appart from that all is open).

TIA
 
Some key ways to save power would be:

Get a .45nm intel processor and make sure you have C1E and EIST (speedstep enabled)

Get an 80+ certified PSU.

Carefully research which video cards use less power. I'm no expert in this and interested myself.

 
I'd prolly grab a q9450 and undervolt it. The new p45 mobo's seem to have powersaving modes, like the ones from Asus and Gigabyte. Asus claims the best numbers, but I don't know for a fact which is least powerhungry. Ramwise I'd get 2x2gb, I think it will help your gfx development. I think, if you want 1gb of vram, you should get the HD4870 1GB version, its dx10.1. The gtx280 might be overkill and is also not dx10.1 either, although I somehow doubt your gfx development will really benefit from dx10.1 opposed to 'just' dx10. I think the HD4850 uses the least, then the gtx260, then the HD4870 ( like 10w more ) and then the gtx280. HDD's aren't powerhungry, it takes very little power to keep them spinning. This one might suit you best: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16822136150

Your powersaving stuff is getting insane though, cooling that is as power saving as possible? We're talking .5w here... The stock cooler should do, with smartfan enabled it shouldn't run any faster then necesary. The most important powersaving component will be the PSU. Then again, if you go crazy about powersaving, you pay a bit of a premium as well, which also costs money. I think this is one of THE most quiet and efficient PSU's out there: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817194034
 
Thanks very much for the tips and links.

What does that PSU certification mean?

Is Asus board more power efficient than MSI?
(I love Asus boards, because of the features, but i read that MSI has the most powerful features regarding power management and also is usually cheaper than Asus.)

Regarding the gfx card, i am inclined towards an nvidia solution, ATIs current high end is very competitive and cheaper, but i prefer the stability of the nvidia drivers regarding OpenGL development, plus it features CUDA. I need to find a vendor that includes allot of power saving solutions, and does not overclock the chip out of the box, i think this excludes BFG and others... i am researching this. The goal with the graphics card is to get the widest feature set possible... it's a decision between OGL 3x and D3D10.1 support. Does anyone have a roadmap to the next generation of GFX chips? Are they 6 months away or 18?

I don't mind paying a premium if that means less $20 per month in electric bill costs. This is a box for the next 3-5 years. I don't know if i should wait a little and go with a Nehalem it is more power hungry (10% more according to some preliminary reports), but it also offers a great performance boost, and has very interesting features like L3 cache and integrated memory controller and HT, plus the new power management features if used with the proper firmware can possibly make the processor more power efficient per core...

So i wll go with an Enermax PSU and a WD HDD, in terms of memory i was thinking Corsair, i have very good experience with their memory.

In terms of cooling, i was thinking... is it more efficient to have a liquid cooling solution or a normal fan? (does the radiator consume more energy than the fans?)

I am still looking for a Vendor in regards to the GFX card...
 
80 plus means it's 80% efficient or higher, across 20-40-60-80% load or something along those lines. Pretty sure that the enermax PSU will hit 80% efficiency or higher no matter what load you put on it.

I don't know if the asus board is more power efficient, perhaps you should google for some reviews? I bet it's a wash though.

What makes you think nvidia drivers are better then ati's. I think atm they are considered equal, or that ati's drivers are actually better, and updated more often. I suppose if CUDA means something to you, go for it. Gamingwise CUDA is still at it's infant stage though. New videocards are like 2-3 months out, from nvidia, but it will only be a die shrink, no new features afaik. ATI, no clue, prolly 6 months or so...

I don't think nehalem is worth the price premium ove a q9450 for example.

Btw, you should look into asus matrix cards. http://www.custompc.co.uk/news...overclocking-chip.html

Afraid the fastest card for now will be a HD4850. Good luck ...

Oh, liguid cooling is more powerhungry then just plain old aircooling. You'd be running like 2-3 fans for the rad, then there's the pump, no way that's more enery efficient.
 
Thanks for the explanation, regarding the PSU certification.

nVidia drivers are more advanced for OpenGL code, they support linux better, etc... This is the API i have used the most in the past for research, but now i want to move to D3D10... i am still undecided, i may go for AMD if it's less hungry than nVidia, since feature wise they are on par, and AMD is less expensive. Right now i would agree that AMD is a smarter choice if you are looking for gaming performance, but as a research platform i am not so sure.

CUDA is important for me because i want to do hybrid renderer development (real time Ray Tracing work), and experiment with CUDA in general. But ATI also has the less known Stream SDK that should also provide interesting research possibilities.
 
Originally posted by: TripleD
I don't mind paying a premium if that means less $20 per month in electric bill costs.
Click to expand...
No current (average use), components will save you that much on your bills.
If efficiency and power consumption are #1 priority on your list, you'll have to go with some kind of ultra low powered CPU.
But your requirements call for something with some power.

My advice (may differ from other members)...
* Buy a 45nm quad core.
* Buy an 80+ efficiency PS like Corsair, Antec, or PC Power & Cooling.
My personal target is to buy PS rated at about 200% of what my 75-90% loaded system requires.
Example = 90% loaded system requiring 300W > PS rated at 600-650W
Most power supplies peak efficiency is around 50% load. Having twice as much wattage as you need puts your loaded system in the efficiency sweet spot.
* Buy a VelociRaptor for it's speed and power consumption. 2nd cheaper pick would be 1TB Caviar Black for a balance of capacity, speed (platter density), power consumption and price.
* Buy either an ATI 3870 or 4850 for a balance of performance, price and power consumption.




 
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