Very low power itx machine.

[Okamiki]

Not sure if this is the correct place.

I'm building a mini itx machine as an example for a college project and while searching for components, i came to realize there is a lot of different motherboards/cpu combos out there.

Via,Ion,HTPC. no idea where to turn, i figured if i joined and asked a question, i could not only find the right components but show everyone my super secret project.

Anyway, i just need a simple answer, all my searching of the forums have lead me to about 12 different people saying 12 different things about 12 different products, nothing conclusive.

I've looked at the VIA motherboards and the nVidia ION set, but when i saw that, i saw the Ion 2 (next generation and again found myself lost.

Ion 2 is not out yet and i can't find anything about the Ion 1's energy efficiency nor can i find anything about VIA efficiency.

So here's my question in a nutshell what, in your opinion, is a low power (i'm talking LOW) that can stream YouTube videos and can run 720i video, 1080p is not necessary (not sure why people need that)

And if anyone knows how efficient the Ion 2 is, is it worth waiting for it? is it the low power motherboard everyone has been waiting for? i've seen how it runs 1080i video, no problem and runs games at a good frame rate, but nothing on efficiency.

 

[xxsk8er101xx]

If you can wait for the ION 2 I would wait. The ION 2 has a dedicated 512MB of DDR3 RAM for video. Making it pretty kickass to even play some games maybe. I just did some research myself as I pondered the idea. Although the PS3 is suppose to do hulu now so I probably won't.

If you need something now the ION is your best option for 1080p potential. You'll need 4gigs of RAM though to do it. Install ubuntu and you're good 2 go!

Newegg.com has some barebone kits for small HTPC's

good luck!

Not sure if this is the correct place.

I'm building a mini itx machine as an example for a college project and while searching for components, i came to realize there is a lot of different motherboards/cpu combos out there.

Via,Ion,HTPC. no idea where to turn, i figured if i joined and asked a question, i could not only find the right components but show everyone my super secret project.

Anyway, i just need a simple answer, all my searching of the forums have lead me to about 12 different people saying 12 different things about 12 different products, nothing conclusive.

I've looked at the VIA motherboards and the nVidia ION set, but when i saw that, i saw the Ion 2 (next generation and again found myself lost.

Ion 2 is not out yet and i can't find anything about the Ion 1's energy efficiency nor can i find anything about VIA efficiency.

So here's my question in a nutshell what, in your opinion, is a low power (i'm talking LOW) that can stream YouTube videos and can run 720i video, 1080p is not necessary (not sure why people need that)

And if anyone knows how efficient the Ion 2 is, is it worth waiting for it? is it the low power motherboard everyone has been waiting for? i've seen how it runs 1080i video, no problem and runs games at a good frame rate, but nothing on efficiency.

 

[False_Dmitry_II]

I highly doubt 4 gigs is necessary.

 

[xxsk8er101xx]

you gotta remember the ION uses the onboard memory for video I do believe. I don't think it has anything dedicated. The ION 2 does.

You can go 2gigs but ION will use 512, OS will use 768 about then whatever programs you're running. 3gigs is an odd number might as well get 4 it's not expensive. Unless you go ddr3 but ION uses ddr2 so.

I highly doubt 4 gigs is necessary.

 

[Onus]

This sounds like an interesting project. What is your "power ceiling," or number of watts you must not exceed, and why? What are your physical size constraints? Would you like to be able to do other things with this PC?
There are quality 300W PSUs available in at least two or three of the smaller sizes commonly used in mini-ITX cases. There are also a couple of mini-ITX cases able to take full-sized PSUs, such as the Lian Li PC-Q07 and PC-Q08.
It sounds like you're wanting something in the <100W, maybe even <50W range, perhaps due to a unique power source. Please tell us a little more about your constraints, and your goals for this system.

 

[jpe30]

I'm also interested in building a low power mini-ITX system as a homebrew router. Let us know what you find!

 

[Okamiki]

Sorry for not replying, tree took out our cable box...

The actual use of the machine is still under wraps, sorry.

But i would like to keep it <50W since it needs to run off a battery (hint hint) and Battery life is important.

The ion 2 looks to be a good deal, seeing as how it can run off a little more then 6 watts and some numbers floating around that you could have an entire system running at less then 50 while under stress.

It is supposed to run off a Pico PSU but i will look in to the smaller psus you mentioned, size and weight are important.

It's for a mobile application, something to set up or take down and carry or run off a battery.

My goals are <50W less then 2 pounds, although i am making an appropriate case.