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Trying to build HTPC with 120W PSU

R

Radeth

Junior Member
Hi!I'd like to build an HTPC and I got some questions..

These are the specs:

MB: Zotac H55-ITX-A-E
CPU: I3 530 2,92 GHz
RAM: 4Gb DDR3 Kingston SO-DIMM
Optical: LG slim DVD writer
Hd: WD Caviar Green Power 500 Gb 3,5"
GPU: Undecided between HD5570 Low Profile and GT430 Low Profile or other depending on power consumption

The case I'm going to use is an ITEK ATOMIC with internal dc/dc 120W PSU and i'm going to buy an external ac/dc 120W (or even 150W) PSU.
Will it be enough to handle this configuration (MB+CPU+on-board-GPU 100% load consumption 75-80W and HD5570 Max consumption 42.7W)?
If not,what other GPU may I use with similar performance?
Can the internal dc/dc PSU (top right on the 2nd image from the link above) be substituted with a more powerful one (like 150-200W)?

Tank you for your time.
 
I wanted it to be able to handle also a little gaming and as I've been reading the onboard GPU isn't that powerful,is it?
 
no its not, but neither is a 5570. Both are not going to offer what i would consider good gaming performance. I would look into something in the 5770 or GTX 450 range for light gaming.
 
Mhm..but in that case the power consumption would rise quite a lot,and then I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep the same form factor.
Anyway the question is still the same: can a 120W PSU power a Core I3+mini-ITX MB+dedicated GPU? If so,what's the best GPU I can mount on such a system?
 
You're not going to be doing much modern gaming on 120W on anything bigger than 1024x768, no matter what.

I think a 5570 would be pushing your power limits. Undervolting/underclocking your cpu might give you a fighting chance however. You might have to settle for a Radeon 5450 though. SFF or general hardware forums would likely be more helpful.
 
with a 120w PSU i would not go with a discreet card, i would use the IGP of the i3.

Or i would go with a AMD system and use one of the IGP chipsets.
 
If you can hang on for a couple months, Bobcat/Ontario should be out Q1 2010 and that would be a much more suitable cpu/platform for something like this. Even Llano might be able to pull it off (no discrete GPU needed), but we'd have to see numbers first.
 
What about mounting a picoPSU 150W in it?Would 150W do the job?

EDIT: Or even something like this, does the fact that it's made for vehicle PCs make any difference?
 
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Pico PSU 150 would work for a low end GPU. I recall someone doing that over at SPCR forums (albeit with limited success).

If you want some modicum of gaming, you really should look at an AMD platform because you can get a somewhat decent IGP.
 
I would go with a 405e or 605e Athlon II setup with a 785g or 880g board myself.

I've got a couple 405e's in use and 1 for sale on ebay currently. They work very well for 45w CPU's and can be unlocked to quads.
 
Radeth said:
Can you suggest some CPU/MB names, or even tell me how's this amd technology called please?
Click to expand...

It's called having a better IGP than Intel, LOL. As for specific recommendations...

ASUS M4A88T-I Deluxe AM3 motherboard

AMD Athlon II X2 240e 2.8GHz 45W dual core

There's also a quad core 45W CPU available. The motherboard uses the AMD 880G chipset with integrated Radeon 4250 (40 cores). Review of 880G graphics performance. Turns out it isn't much better than the latest Intel IGP found in the Core i3, and apparently games are somewhat playable at low settings on either setup.
 
Thank you guys for all your answers..i think i'll go for now without any discrete GPU,and then later on add one if i feel the need to, of course after rising up the PSU wattage.
 
I can give you an idea of power with a discreet card.

My rig is the following:

Everything is stock (no overclock)

MSI H55M-E33
i3 530
4GB Corsair RAM 1.5v
Samsung 1 TB Eco (HD103SI)
PNY 9600GT 1GB
PSU Corsair VX450 (450watt)


Playing UT3 my power consumption is ~130watts AC (from the wall). Guesstimate it's around 81% efficient at that power level , so it's around 105watts (DC). I think you'd be safe with around 150 watt power brick with a low power discreet video card. A 5570 should be no problem or a HD 4670, Nvidia GT 240 , and you could even use HD 5670 if you wanted.
 
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