My existing server/HTPC is on 24/7. It's rock solid, I don't need an upgrade but I'm just wondering if I can drop the power/gain performance with new stuff. Basically: has anyone looked into my questions before or seen any good reviews/analysis out there?
AM3+ 890GX board
4GB DDR3
Athlon II X3 440
2x 1TB Samsung F1 (5 years old!)
30GB SSD boot drive (slow but big enough. No TRIM though )
120GB SSD splash drive (Crucial M3, very slow write unfortunately but suffices)
430W Seasonic 80Plus Bronze PSU
What I'm looking for:
1) Lowest idle power possible. The HDDs currently switch off, but it sits on 24/7. The CPU CnQs to 800MHz but I'm not sure what the chipset etc does. I'm not sure of the exact power consumption (yet), but, am I already quite low power that I guess my 80Plus Bronze PSU won't scale efficiency low enough that even if I upgrade and drop another 10-15W? But since Platinum PSUs are so much more expensive, is that even worth an upgrade? I haven't tested this in too many years to know 😕
2) Replacing my two HDD for two new 3TB drives (RAID 1, synced periodically over GigE to another RAID1 array) is definitely on the cards regardless. (Which 3TB drives do people recommend?, I'm leaning towards longer warranties) But is it worth replacing the two SSDs as well for 1 faster overall? I'm loath to ever wait btw, but it's another cost and then I'd have 'two perfectly good SSDs' spare 😛
3) I doubt '65W' FM2 APUs and '65W' i3s are equivalent (Intel and AMD are known to measure in their own way!) The i3s cost more but they have the 'full' HD graphics rather than limtied ones in the Gs. The A8-5500 is ~half the price and has full-fat Radeon love for h.264 playback and upscaling, with more MHz for CPU work when I need it, but I've not found any decent review comparing the platform power of either. Anyone knowledgeable here?
4) Both i3 and FM2 are still only 2 FPU processors, although the APU does have 4 ALUs which will certainly benefit unraring/parity checking. I still feel like it's a step down from an X3 though, yet, i5s are 3x the price!
5) It's in a Lian A05 mATX case but I'd love to downsize to mini-ITX or at least something more sexy. It's not necessary though and I value silence over size or style.
6) I'm uninclined to opt for a NAS that offers HTPC/download functions. I've never had much luck with them before plus when I have an excuse to make a PC I take it 😄
Advise and good articles/guides are most welcome! 😄
