low power computer

[Seanz0rz]

in these rough economic times, its important to cut costs where ever possible. mom has a computer that is just about dead. i have reformatted it but i fear the hardware is just about to go on its own, so she needs a new computer. if im going to build a new computer, i want it to be as low power as possible. its been so long since ive kept up with any of the hardware, i dont even know what is out there, so im asking for your help!

here is what she does/the computer needs to do:
streams music from the internet
manage an extensive music and photo collection
burn, rip, author DVD movies, data discs, etc
then the usual email, web, maybe some other basic tasks

and it needs to use the least amount of power possible. total cost with a flat panel monitor needs to be under 1000, and the less the better of course!

thanks for your help guys, really appreciated!

[mastacox]

in these rough economic times, its important to cut costs where ever possible.
...
if im going to build a new computer, i want it to be as low power as possible. its been so long since ive kept up with any of the hardware, i dont even know what is out there, so im asking for your help!

here is what she does/the computer needs to do:
streams music from the internet
manage an extensive music and photo collection
burn, rip, author DVD movies, data discs, etc
then the usual email, web, maybe some other basic tasks

and it needs to use the least amount of power possible. total cost with a flat panel monitor needs to be under 1000, and the less the better of course!


Asking for "the lowest power possible" is a relative term, because computers really don't draw THAT much power in the first place when compared to things like a washing machine or television...

That being said, I would get a processor with the smallest manufacturing process available (45nm), and there are hard drives that are "low power" rated. In addition, get a low-end graphics card (possibly integrated with the motherboard) and a small monitor to go with the computer because bigger ones put off more heat.

You can probably buy a small all-in-one unit from Dell that would be relatively low power consumption.

[Seanz0rz]

id like to stay away from dell if possible. their quality has been less than impressive to me over the last few years and i really rather build the PC myself.

[Good Times]

craigslist ftw! :)

[oly884]

go to newegg and use their advanced search to narrow down choices of 'low power' devices. I did that when I was entertaining the idea of building a computer for the truck, but then I got lazy and got a laptop.

[CJM]

Build one with the most decent stuff, spend 500 bones MAX. My brother built my mom a whole new pc for 350 including the case and all.

Oly is right with newegg, imho go look at the prebuilt ones and then build something using similar hardware.

[Nick]

CASE: Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail ($59.95)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042
--
CPU: E5200 Wolfdale 2.5GHz ($65.99)
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116072)
--
RAM: G.SKILL 2GB(2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 [PC2 6400] ($29.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231098
--
MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-G41M-ES2L LGA 775 Intel G41 Micro ATX ($59.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16813128388
--
PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified ($53.49)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008
--
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Green WD5000AADS 500GB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s ($57.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16822136358
---
DVD Burner: SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL etc (25.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151175

So there we go; for $353.39 you have a quality built case with just enough room and with quiet 120mm fans; a rock solid power and efficient power supply (I love Corsair and have several of their units, never had one fail); a VERY capable CPU and a nice little motherboard with build in video+sound; that should be sufficient for DVD burning and music streaming. 500GB drive from Western Digital...I've had good experience with their brand recently too.

How about that? Want to add another DVD drive so she can copy CDs easier? Prob 20 bucks...another 500GB? You can get a 1TB drive for $100. Dedicated but low power GPU if need be for about $75.

I would be glad to help you any way I can if you decide to go with home built.

[Seanz0rz]

ive built hundreds of computers in my day, just been out of the loop on whats good and "low power".

i entertained the idea of giving her mine (1.86 core 2 duo, 4 gig ram, 1.25 tb, 8800gts, etc.) but i think the 1kw power supply kinda defeats the purpose of low power!

thanks nick! ill take a look at those parts and talk to my parents about it. i would also find a ~19" flat panel display for her on sale at one of the local stores (someone always has one on sale)

thanks!

[Nick]

That 8800GTS isn't exactly power conservative either ;-)

I used to build systems 4-5 years and then stopped abruptly (career change!) When I ordered parts for a new build last July, I was blown away by how much things had changed. Seagate used to be my sole trusted drive mfg and I avoided WD drives like the plague, but appears WD has topped them since (to me, anyways...)

[Seanz0rz]

i still buy seagate drives because of the 5 year warranties. i tend to kill harddrives! but ive also used WD drives in just about every system ive built

[troyboy162]

low power consumption means the atom cpu right now. ive heard they are considered to be similar to an old P4 2ghz in terms of horsepower. as long as your mom is not ripping dvds for a living they will work ok. these are best for computers that remain on 24/7 where the saving will add up.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010200446%201370044872&name=Intel%20Atom

the thing that throws the above off is that newer mobos and any intel wolfdale cored cpus idle at stupid low watts. i just went this "caged lion" route myself for a 24/7 'puter.
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/intel-wolfdale_11.html

its a cool time for computer these days. 300 bucks can make something great for the average user. gaming still costs a arm and a leg though lol

[mastacox]

low power consumption means the atom cpu right now. ive heard they are considered to be similar to an old P4 2ghz in terms of horsepower. as long as your mom is not ripping dvds for a living they will work ok. these are best for computers that remain on 24/7 where the saving will add up.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010200446%201370044872&name=Intel%20Atom


Intel Atom is definitely the lowest power consumption CPU you can buy, but I think if you crunched the numbers you would see that a "low power consumption" computer in the end won't save you much on your eletric bill (it might save you what it would cost to keep a 30W light bulb on 24/7). To each his own though, my CPU in my new computer probably draws as much power at full load as an entire Atom-equipped computer (but it also edits video a LOT faster, so less time at full-bore).



its a cool time for computer these days. 300 bucks can make something great for the average user. gaming still costs a arm and a leg though lol


It's all relative. In 2000 I bought a top-of-the-line gaming computer from Compaq which cost about $4500. Here we are nine years later I just built a computer that destroys current games and video editing for around $650 (not including case, power supply, or hard drives which I already had). For $800 you can build a VERY sweet gaming machine. That's progress :lol:

http://www.ultimateyota.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=26&topic=7862.0

[garrett]

this may be obvious but i've made myself get into the habit of turning off my computer when i'm done using it (use to leave it on all day and just turn it off when going to sleep), even if i think i'll be back on within half an hour. my room is uncomfortably warmer than the hallway or other rooms when my computer has been running for a while.

[Seanz0rz]

yeah ours rarely stays on unless it is being used.

atom CPU's are out of the question as they lack the muscle to really do anything other than basic operations.

[boogyman]

atom CPU's are out of the question as they lack the muscle to really do anything other than basic operations.


That's not necessarily true. An atom will do any of the tasks you listed in your requirements above. Granted, it may not do them as quickly as a core i7 or core 2 quad, but they're still a decent cpu nonetheless. Unless they're used to a full-bore system, the average user won't notice a huge difference.

That being said, the system Nick listed is a pretty decent system for low cost. You could even skimp on the case a little more and probably save another $20-30. The integrated graphics on that board will do anything your mom needs and more.

CASE: Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail ($59.95)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042
--
CPU: E5200 Wolfdale 2.5GHz ($65.99)
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116072)
--
RAM: G.SKILL 2GB(2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 [PC2 6400] ($29.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231098
--
MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-G41M-ES2L LGA 775 Intel G41 Micro ATX ($59.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16813128388
--
PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified ($53.49)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008
--
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Green WD5000AADS 500GB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s ($57.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16822136358
---
DVD Burner: SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL etc (25.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151175

[Seanz0rz]

atom CPU's are out of the question as they lack the muscle to really do anything other than basic operations.


That's not necessarily true. An atom will do any of the tasks you listed in your requirements above. Granted, it may not do them as quickly as a core i7 or core 2 quad, but they're still a decent cpu nonetheless. Unless they're used to a full-bore system, the average user won't notice a huge difference.



ive used plenty of atom equipped net books and even a system setup to something similar to what im after. while most tasks were fine, the encoding of video files was, well, tremendiously slow. quite a bit slower than her current p4 2.53 and 512 ram machine. i want something that will run win 7 well, as xp is much past the end of its useful life.

i think ill end up ordering something much like nick posted.

ill keep you guys updated on what i end up with, thanks for the input!!!

[mastacox]

Asking for "the lowest power possible" and wanting to be able to "run Windows 7 well and re-encode video" are conflicting statements.

That being said, a dual-core or quad-core processor with a 45nm fab process is your best bet for low power consumption and plenty of horsepower to get things done. With Windows 7, I highly recommend at least 2gb of RAM if not more (I'm running 8gb with Windows 7 64-bit and love it). Your biggest savings power-wise will probably be in a low-end graphics card that doesn't suck power, low power consumption hard drives, and turn off the computer when not in use.

[Seanz0rz]

i dont think they are conflicting statements. i want lowest power while also completing those tasks. i dont need a octa-core i7 with quad SLI, 16 gb of ram and a petabyte of storage.

im looking for something that doesnt use a 700 watt power supply like my current rig, or a 1100 watt like my future machine.

[mastacox]

i dont think they are conflicting statements. i want lowest power while also completing those tasks.

It seems to me that with the qualifying requirement "you want to re-encode video at a decent rate" means you want a low-power draw dual or quad-core processor. The Intel Pentium E5200 is a good choice at 65 watts power draw, and only $65 to boot.