Topic: low cost low power consumption 24/7 torrent rig + htpc build help

[coolswitch]

Hi mga sir.

need parts suggestion para sa isang 24/7 torrent rig.

sana applicable ang lahat ng mga conditions na ito:
1. low power consumption
2. can play at least 720p with no problem.
3. built in hdmi port
4. CHEAP (eto tlga ang catch)

meron na ko dedicated htpc. pero this one will be a dedicated dl rig and paminsanminsan na panonood. wala ako kasi idea abt power.consumption so i had to ask

[DTNS]

I suggest using an Socket FM1 motherboard AMD Llano ("A"-series APU). these so-called APU's or Accelerated Processing Units have the graphics built into the processor. (no need to buy video card) the cheapest AMD Llano you can get is the AMD A4-3400 (2.7Ghz dual-core, 160 shader units), which retails for around 2750. their corresponding motherboards already come with an hdmi port. they have low power consumption at low loads like downloading, etc.

HTH!

[Stagea]

If you want to go even cheaper, Celeron G530. Just get an H61-based motherboard with HDMI for it. Don't forget to get enough RAM while it's cheap.

[lncc63]

How about an AMD Zacate E350N?  These retail between P7k-P8k depending on the brand, all-in except the memory and harddisk.  The difference only seems to be having USB 3.0 ports or not.  Most attractive is the lower power, 35 watts only according to the specs, though this is without storage yet.

[DTNS]

How about an AMD Zacate E350N?  These retail between P7k-P8k depending on the brand, all-in except the memory and harddisk.  The difference only seems to be having USB 3.0 ports or not.  Most attractive is the lower power, 35 watts only according to the specs, though this is without storage yet.

I use an AMD E-350 based nettop (a Manli T2). I use it for streaming videos and occasional surfing. I made the mistake of putting a 5400rpm hard drive in it. (so its damn slow!  )  if you're going the AMD E-350 route, use a small SSD as an OS drive, and a separate high capacity hard drive for storage. and don't try running too demanding or several applications on it.

[Stagea]

How about an AMD Zacate E350N?  These retail between P7k-P8k depending on the brand, all-in except the memory and harddisk.  The difference only seems to be having USB 3.0 ports or not.  Most attractive is the lower power, 35 watts only according to the specs, though this is without storage yet.

This is very doable. It will handle torrents without a problem. It can also play video formats that can be accelerated by the on-chip GPU quite well. The problem with this option is when you attempt to play videos that cannot be accelerated by the GPU, the E350 will suffer considerably. Even with acceleration, the E350 can bog down when multitasked.

The G530 has over 3x the sheer cpu performance of the E350 while the A4-3400 has over 2x the cpu performance of the E350, giving them a huge upper hand with these tasks. The dual channel memory controller also helps reduce the impact of using integrated video. The good part is that they generally don't cost any more to build. They may take a bit more power, but they deliver better functionality in return. 3D (HDMI 1.4) capability also comes free with the G530 and the A4.

In terms of performance per watt for desktop parts, the G530 is very hard to beat -- it consumes less power than the A4, and performs better with the aforementioned tasks. The AMD platforms can deliver superior PQ on the other hand, and excel with graphics-related tasks.

[lncc63]

The problem with this option is when you attempt to play videos that cannot be accelerated by the GPU, the E350 will suffer considerably.

Which formats are these?

[Stagea]

Which formats are these?

It's largely codec-dependent. Hi10p playback is a fairly common issue, for example.

[lncc63]

Thanks Bro.  I'm terribly conservative when it comes to file formats.  Mostly I use H264 in MKV containers, a few esoteric files from our video cam and phones but usually I convert these on a PC before archiving them.  Also since power is a major issue for me and video playback will be the most demanding application, I'll go with the E350.  As a gaming platform, I've seen it perform very very poorly.

[Stagea]

Thanks Bro.  I'm terribly conservative when it comes to file formats.  Mostly I use H264 in MKV containers, a few esoteric files from our video cam and phones but usually I convert these on a PC before archiving them.  Also since power is a major issue for me and video playback will be the most demanding application, I'll go with the E350.  As a gaming platform, I've seen it perform very very poorly.

I see. Acer sells a small footprint eMachines nettop for a good price. It utilizes the e450 APU, which is essentially a slightly more powerful e350. I saw it selling for just 11k+ in Gilmore sometime ago (with DVD-RW, 2GB RAM, 500GB HDD, and user I/O).

[DTNS]

Even with acceleration, the E350 can bog down when multitasked.

I agree!

[coolswitch]

will check on g530 and a4.

re: power consumption difference between g530 and a4, is it minimal? is it worth the price difference?

if difference is not much. then i might vote for a4 if pq output is better

[Stagea]

will check on g530 and a4.

re: power consumption difference between g530 and a4, is it minimal? is it worth the price difference?

if difference is not much. then i might vote for a4 if pq output is better

Idle consumption is about the same, but full load consumption difference can be as much as 30W. Price-difference wise, the G530 is cheaper by about 1k for the processor and a few hundreds for the motherboard.

Image quality difference is small with default settings. It may become noticeable if you use the driver tools for screen calibration.

[DTNS]

The AMD platforms can deliver superior PQ on the other hand, and excel with graphics-related tasks.

I also agree with this. I notice that my E-350 nettop displays better colors than my laptop with a gaming grade gpu when plugged into my hdtv via hdmi. 

[Nelson de Leon]

AFAIK, may buffalo HDD na torrent based ata? So there's no need for a PC na.

[Stagea]

I also agree with this. I notice that my E-350 nettop displays better colors than my laptop with a gaming grade gpu when plugged into my hdtv via hdmi.  

Aside from the better and more precise screen calibration controls, AMD currently has the advantage when it comes to video post-processing (especially deinterlacing). You'd notice this more if you explore their higher end implementations. The E350's built-in GPU is too weak to handle advanced post-processing for HD video in real-time.

Of the mainstream graphics players, AMD provides the best video playback experience at the moment, followed by Intel, then Nvidia.

Intel provides decent video for the most part. It's just pulled back by rough image controls, the lack of true 23.976Hz video handling, and limited post-processing.

Nvidia is quite a bit behind the other two, as their video post-processing is not very well-implemented. Their current GPUs are still a lot better at processing video than dedicated players, however (especially if you stay away from their entry level models).

[coolswitch]

i was in pcx kanina. and saw this board, Intel® Desktop Board D2700DC, on display.

 www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/motherboards/desktop-motherboards/desktop-board-d2700dc.html

any comments?

[DTNS]

i was in pcx kanina. and saw this board, Intel® Desktop Board D2700DC, on display.

 www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/motherboards/desktop-motherboards/desktop-board-d2700dc.html

any comments?

if your build is gonna be used for pure downloading/ torrent, then its okay. but if you're gonna use it for video playback as well, I suggest getting an AMD E-350, AMD A-Series, Intel Celeron G530, Intel Pentium G620/G630 + video card instead.

the Intel D2700DC is the latest model of Intel's low-power Atom processor.

[≧◉◡◉≦xrampage≧◉◡◉≦]

if your build is gonna be used for pure downloading/ torrent, then its okay. but if you're gonna use it for video playback as well, I suggest getting an AMD E-350, AMD A-Series, Intel Celeron G530, Intel Pentium G620/G630 + video card instead.

the Intel D2700DC is the latest model of Intel's low-power Atom processor.

+1

If atom purely for torrent lang like what i'm using now di kaya ang mga 1080p movies. 

[coolswitch]

will the intel board have difficulty playing 720p movies too?

[Stagea]

will the intel board have difficulty playing 720p movies too?

As with the E-350, it depends on the format. The GMA 3650 that's built into the D2700 will do HD (even 1080p), but it's really file format / codec dependent. If it's just standard h.264 (or other extensively accelerated codecs), you probably won't have an issue aside from general system performance.

[lncc63]

I see. Acer sells a small footprint eMachines nettop for a good price. It utilizes the e450 APU, which is essentially a slightly more powerful e350. I saw it selling for just 11k+ in Gilmore sometime ago (with DVD-RW, 2GB RAM, 500GB HDD, and user I/O).

Thanks.  Looks like a good deal but I already have an MSI E350.

[comecum]

Ako din, planning to build a new pc next month choice ko is AMD E350 or Intel D2700. this will be  my torrent rig na din kasi ibebenta ko na yung DLink NAS ko. But still undecided pa din between the two.



MSI E350IA-E45 retail price is P3,750 (no RAM, HDD, case and OS)
more room for additional parts than Manli. but not compact as Manli in terms of size.

or



Manli Nettop T2 AMD E350 Retail Price P9,xxx (no RAM, HDD, and OS)
CPU: AMD APU E350, 1.6Ghz, Dual-core
Chipset: AMD Hudson-M1
GPU: AMD Radeon HD 6310 Graphics, Direct X11, 500Mhz
Hard Drive: None
Memory / Slot: None. DDR3-1066 slot x 2 SODIMM, Max 8GB
USB Ports: 4x USB2.0 & 2 x USB3.0
Output: DVI-I(single link)/HDMI
WiFi: 802.11b/g/n & bluetooth
Ethernet: 10/100/1000Mbps
SATA: 1 eSATA
Audio: High Definition Audio
Card Reader: 4-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS/XD)

No additional Hard drive ports, except dun sa USB ports then add docking station na lang..

or



MINIX™ MINI HD PC retail price is P7,500
Assembly Configuration: Barebone (no RAM, HDD, and OS)
CPU Integrated: Intel Atom D2700 2.13 GHz Dual-Core, Hyper-Threading
Chipset: Intel NM10 Express
Cooler Type: Silent Heatsink
Video Integrated: Intel GMA 3650 HD Graphics
Onboard Audio: High-definition analog stereo, Optical Digital S/PDIF output
Onboard LAN: Dual 10/100/1000Mbps Gigabit Ethernet
Memory Size: Up to 8GB
Memory Slots: 2 x 204-pin SO-DIMM
Memory Type: DDR3 1066 SO-DIMM
SATA: 1 x 2.5-inch SATA 3.0Gb/s
Video Ports: 1 x HDMI, 1 x VGA, 1 x LVDS Header
USB Ports: 2 x USB3.0, 5 x USB2.0 (4 at back, 1 on side)
Expansion: 1 x PCIe x1 slot
Power Connector: DC 12V

[lncc63]

MSI E350IA-E45 retail price is P3,750 (no RAM, HDD, case and OS)
more room for additional parts than Manli. but not compact as Manli in terms of size.

Is the price correct Bro?  If yes, where?

If you plan to put it at the back of your TV then I'd go for the other smaller one.  However you'll probably have it feeding an AVR so putting your HTPC of similar size (and color) will not be a demerit but even an advantage.

The Minix with 2 NICs looks like a good candidate for a smart router/firewall/client though it will take a bit of gray matter elbow grease.

Keep us posted on how you go.

[comecum]

Is the price correct Bro?  If yes, where?

At PCHub or Edge (Festival Mall).

[DTNS]

@comecum

I personally have the Manli T2 AMD E-350 nettop. I use it for streaming video, some surfing, and playing region 1 dvds. (via windows media player and an external dvd-rw). if you're getting this, I suggest putting 4GB ram, an SSD or 7200rpm HDD, and an external 300Mbps WiFi-N USB adapter. (the internal wifi adapter is supposedly a WiFi-N 150, but is slow and weak on signals).


I made the mistake of putting a 5400rpm HDD in mine. don't make the same mistake!  

[lsm0325]

AFAIK, may buffalo HDD na torrent based ata? So there's no need for a PC na.

I am using naman a Buffalo ADSL Modem and Router (2 in 1) (WBMR-HP-G300H) with bittorrent with attached external HDD...di hamak pinakamatipid sa power consumption. so no more PDLT modem, no more PC running 24/7, just this and an external HDD. Got it from SG for around SG$100 lang (without the HDD).

http://www.buffalo-asia.com/products/pdf/WBMR-HP-G300H.pdf

No problem so far...been able to download even 10gig++ HD movies. Once completely downloaded, we access the movies via network for viewing.

[Stagea]

If for torrent only and 720p movies, mas tipid ba sa kuryente yung lowest price na htpc setup or laptop?

I am using my T61 for torrent 24/7, 720p movies and internet browsing. For 2-3 years ok pa naman sya. Pero kung mas tipid sa kuryente ang htpc, I will consider htpc.

Notebooks generally consume less energy than equivalent desktops. Newer models are also typically more energy-efficient (this is true for both notebooks and desktops).

[coolswitch]

Update ko lang pala ito...

I took the netbook path

Asus Aspire One 722

[Stagea]

Update ko lang pala ito...

I took the netbook path

Asus Aspire One 722

Congrats! That should be very energy-efficient.

Curious lang, did you consider the Travelmate B113 or the Aspire One 756 when you made the purchase?