February 19, 20242 yr I need some help, I've been paralyzed for weeks trying to decide on hardware for a low power media server. I first decided on a Synology DS224+ but then I came across unraid, 12th gen intel CPU's, quicksync and the ability to get similar lower power results with cheaper more powerful hardware. Usage will be: Sonarr Sabnzb Plex or Jellyfin or Emby FTP server I've decided on the Intel i3-12100 as the CPU but I can't match a suitable motherboard that along with powertop will yield low power results. I normally do my own research rather than ask for help but I've come undone this time as when I find a post about peoples experience with a low power build the motherboard listed is unavailable in Australia or three times the price making the Synology more attractive. My basic hardware CPU - Intel Core i3-12100 RAM - 2 x Crucial CT8G4DFRA32A 8GB (Would a single stick of 16Gb be better?) HDD - WD Ultrastar HC550 16TB SDD - ? PSU - picoPSU pico-PSU-120WI-25V I'm hoping that the pico-PSU will be enough as it's recycled from a HTPC build but I can replace it if not. Can anyone help me choose a motherboard that should allow good adjustment using powertop? Or at least help we work out what I need to look out for? LGA1700 motherboards available at my local supplier (in order of cost) ASRock H610M/AC LGA 1700 mATX Motherboard Gigabyte B760M H DDR4 LGA 1700 mATX Motherboard ASUS PRIME H610M-D D4-CSM Intel LGA 1700 DDR4 mATX Motherboard ASRock B660M-HDV LGA 1700 mATX Motherboard ASUS PRIME H610M-E D4 LGA1700 mATX DDR4 Motherboard Gigabyte H610M H DDR4 LGA1700 mATX Motherboard MSI PRO H610M-G WIFI DDR4 LGA 1700 mATX Motherboard ASUS PRIME H610M-A WIFI D4 LGA 1700 mATX DDR4 Motherboard MSI Pro B660M-E DDR4 mATX LGA1700 Motherboard MSI PRO B760M-E DDR4 LGA 1700 mATX Motherboard ASRock B660M-PRO-RS/AX LGA 1700 mATX Motherboard ASUS PRIME B660M-A WIFI D4 LGA1700 mATX DDR4 Motherboard MSI PRO B760M-P DDR4 LGA 1700 mATX Motherboard MSI PRO B760M-A WIFI DDR4 LGA 1700 mATX Motherboard Gigabyte B760M D3H DDR4 LGA 1700 mATX Motherboard MSI PRO B760M-G DDR4 LGA 1700 mATX Motherboard ASRock B660M-ITX/AC mITX LGA 1700 Motherboard Gigabyte GA-B760M-DS3H AX B760M DS3H AX LGA 1700 mATX Motherboard ASUS TUF GAMING B660M-PLUS WIFI LGA 1700 mATX Motherboard
February 19, 20242 yr Have you checked out my thread about Asus Pro H610T D4-CSM ? (<5 W idle with i3-13100). But it's miminalistic ITX board without PCI Express slot. What are your requirements for power consumption and how many drives (HDD/SSD) do you want to use? Edited February 19, 20242 yr by bagican
February 19, 20242 yr Author 9 hours ago, bagican said: Have you checked out my thread about Asus Pro H610T D4-CSM ? (<5 W idle with i3-13100). But it's miminalistic ITX board without PCI Express slot. What are your requirements for power consumption and how many drives (HDD/SSD) do you want to use? Yes, your post is exactly my issue. That board is not available in Australia, I would have to buy it from the US and have it shipped to Australia. I'm not adverse to this and will do so but I'd like to try and locate something local first. I don't have a power number in mind, I'd just like to not accidently pick a motherboard that lacks the suitable controls and end up using more power then I need to. Max HDD = 2, haven't worked out if I'll add an SSD yet. The main limitation will be the picoPSU but I may have to replace it anyway.
February 21, 20242 yr Author @bagican Great thread. I've found a couple of boards available in Australia that might be what I'm looking for but it not then I'll order one like yours from the US. ASRock B660M-PRO-RS/AX - https://forum.level1techs.com/t/in-the-pursuit-of-low-power-consumption-nas-with-alder-lake-12th-gen/188407/6 ASUS Prime H770-Plus D4 - https://mattgadient.com/7-watts-idle-on-intel-12th-13th-gen-the-foundation-for-building-a-low-power-server-nas/ I'll need to read these two articles more carefully and deep dive into their specs but hopefully one of them will be suitable.
March 14, 20242 yr Author I caved in and went the Bagican way: CPU: Intel Core i3-12100 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor MB: ASUS Pro H610T D4-CSM Ram: 1x Crucial 32GB DDR4-3200 SODIMM NVMe: Lexar NM790 M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4x4 NVMe SSD 2TB HDD: WD Ultrastar HC550 16TB 3.5" Enterprise HDD: WD Green 2Tb 3.5" Hopefully should have all the parts this weekend and can fire up my first unraid server. Plan is to operate as a NAS with: Sonarr Sabnzb Plex FTP server to receive photos from my security cameras Storing TV Movies Music Photos Whilst I store photos on my current NAS they are synced up to the cloud in multiple locations so parity is not required.
September 17, 20241 yr hey, i´m curious of the power consumption of your system. what´s your idle watts?
September 18, 20241 yr Author @be4r Idling at between 9w and 15w with the HDD spun down. I can't seem to reach C10 in Powertop though, best I can get is C8. CPU: Intel Core i3-12100 MB: ASUS Pro H610T D4-CSM Ram: Crucial 32GB DDR4-3200 SODIMM NVMe: Lexar NM790 M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4x4 NVMe SSD 2TB HDD: WD Ultrastar HC550 16TB 3.5" Enterprise PSU: Toshiba 19v 120w Laptop Brick Tried running without any drives and no better, still only C8.
September 20, 20241 yr On 9/18/2024 at 2:46 AM, kdm said: Idling at between 9w and 15w with the HDD spun down. I can't seem to reach C10 in Powertop though, best I can get is C8. CPU: Intel Core i3-12100 MB: ASUS Pro H610T D4-CSM Ram: Crucial 32GB DDR4-3200 SODIMM NVMe: Lexar NM790 M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4x4 NVMe SSD 2TB HDD: WD Ultrastar HC550 16TB 3.5" Enterprise PSU: Toshiba 19v 120w Laptop Brick Tried running without any drives and no better, still only C8. have you tried unplug that enterprise HDD or change SSD? I bet it prevents reaching C10. I have the same problem with old m.2 SSD and after I replaced it to Samsung 980 Pro 2TB my system was able to reach C10 in idle.
September 21, 20241 yr Author 15 hours ago, bagican said: have you tried unplug that enterprise HDD or change SSD? I bet it prevents reaching C10. I have the same problem with old m.2 SSD and after I replaced it to Samsung 980 Pro 2TB my system was able to reach C10 in idle. As per the other thread I tried running without drives and it made no difference. When I get some spare time I'll try again as I need to put another drive in so will tinker at the same time.
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