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HTPC CPU power question

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emo5   08-05-2009 at 09:08:33 PM

I am running an HTPC with old parts scavanged from all over the place. Running a Pentium D 805, 95W TDP and a very old mATX MB with iGPU from Intel (950 i think). It is on a mATX board in a very small case. The included power supply gets somewhat loud after running for 15-30 minutes. I pulled the power supply and used a Full ATX 80 certified powersupply (sitting outside the box) and it still gets about as loud. I want it to be much quieter and woul dlike a bit of performance gain (though I'm not doing gaming or BluRay) Just watch dvds, streaming and divx encoded files.

My question is if i get a lower TDP chip that is also more powerful and put it in a more power friendly MB will that significantly reduce the power draw on the powersupply and therefore keep it more quiet?

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mindless728   08-05-2009 at 09:25:55 PM
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possibly, i would look into Athlon II X2 250 65w and underclock it to about 2GHz and lower the voltage as much as you can

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Bronze Home Brew badge batuchka   08-05-2009 at 10:20:46 PM
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Ya Regor + Undervolt ftw hehe Maybe go for a 785G AM3/DDR3 set up?


Message edited by batuchka on 08-05-2009 at 10:21:35 PM
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emo5   08-05-2009 at 10:33:44 PM
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Thanks guys. I had wondered about those 5050e and 5250e 45 watters from AMD. And the 780G chipset seems like it would be sufficient for my needs.

Would I be correct in my assumption that if the CPU is more powerful and has a lower TDP it would work less (be at idle more) and therefore use even less power than an older chip that uses more power and would have to work more?

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jtt283   08-05-2009 at 10:41:46 PM
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Are you sure it's the PSU making the noise, or is it the CPU fan ramping up as it heats up?

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emo5   08-06-2009 at 02:45:04 PM
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jtt283 wrote :

Are you sure it's the PSU making the noise, or is it the CPU fan ramping up as it heats up?



for sure its the power supply. it it kicking off tons of heat as well. it is sitting outside my case (since i am using the ATX 80 percent one won't fit in the case) the fan and vent over the cpu is nearly silent and i can't feel any heat off of it.

Another idea...i just did a test and ran many of the apps i usually do (dvd, divx, streaming) adn found except at launch i don't use more than 30% load. would it be safe to underclock say 25% and lower my voltage as much as possible? I'm not sure the mATX MB i took from an old eMachines has the capability but i think i will try.

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jtt283   08-07-2009 at 02:33:38 AM
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Sounds like it is being stressed. You might try running the PC with as much as possible (e.g. optical and/or floppy and/or data-only drives) disconnected.
But yes, a 4850e won't game well at all, but is good for a HTPC.

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