Low power APU

[Nicolai]

I'm in the process of deciding which hardware to use for an unraid server, while I know exactly what I want from the server, I don't entirely know what hardware I want/can use.

My priority for my server is extreme low power consumption. I am planning on using it as a NAS unit with a plex server running unraid. I wanted to run a Pentium J5005 or a Celeron J4105, but as they only have 6 PCIe 2.0 lanes, I cannot run a Dell PERC H200 or H310 for raid, because it's a PCIe 2.0 x8 interface.

Which other APUs could be a viable option for me? It has to have integrated graphics for hardware accelerated transcoding and a very low power consumption, especially the idle power consumption is a priority.

Thank you in advance

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello Nicolai

Thank you for posting on the Intel® communities.

We can offer only general guidelines but the best decision will be made based on your needs and expected workload.

What we recommend is to use the "Find products by feature" option on the Product Specifications website.

Please go to https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark.html and click on the "Find products by feature" button, then you can choose different filters based on your needs. This will display a list of filtered processors based on the options you selected. Please find a screenshot attached below as an example.

You may also find useful the following links:

How to Compare Intel® Processors Using Product Specifications Page (ARK) https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000027710/processors.html

Comparison Charts for Intel® Core™ Desktop Processor Family

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005505/processors.html

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello Nicolai

We are checking this thread and we would like to know if you need further assistance. If you have additional questions please do not hesitate to contact us back.

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Nicolai]

It didn't really help me narrow down my search no. I still don't know which apu I should attempt to build around, since I don't know how much power the individual apu draws in idle state.
Idle state power consumption is an important factor, since it's what a nas does most of the time.

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello Nicolai

Thank you for your response.

In this type of scenario, we can only provide general guidance and the recommendations are to filter and check the different features of the processors.

However, please allow us to look into this and we will be updating this thread soon.

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Nicolai]

Any help would be appreciated. I'm very interested in learning more about the matter, as I love to learn new things about everything I do. With that in mind, I do have a few questions.

1. If a CPU/APU is idling, how low will it be able to go in power consumption and what is the determining factor in this?
2. Can you limit the upper speeds a CPU/APU unit is capable of processing at?
3. (Knowing Intel doesn't create PSUs) would an 800w PSU consume more power than a 200w CPU, if the system only consumes 25w?

I know they're simple questions, that can be answered with a simple answer, but I'd much appreciate an answer with elaborations please.

Best regards and thank you for all the help

[n_scott_pearson]

For some lower-end Atom processors, this can be less than one watt. The motherboard itself will likely consume a few watts at idle as well.

Yes, most BIOS provide configuration parameters that will let you influence, if not control, the maximum frequency allowed.

Yes, the 800W would consume a lot more power than the 200W. Why? Because even the best power supplies are only 85-90% efficient. The rest is simply lost. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_supply_unit_(computer)#Efficiency for more information (and as a starting point for your investigation).

...S

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello Nicolai

We hope that the information provided by n_scott_pearson has been useful.

If we may offer input here regarding your previous questions and in addition to the details provided by n_scott_pearson, our recommendation is to filter on the Product Specifications website (https://ark.intel.com/) by max TDP ( Thermal Design Power) and set a goal for it.

The TDP shown in the Product Specifications website is the processor running at base frequency (regardless if it is IDLE or not). However, generally speaking, a processor in IDLE state will draw less than the TDP specific on our website.

Also, it is worth mentioning that Intel cannot provide estimate TDP at IDLE state for several reasons, for one it varies by each individual silicon and also the type of workload (e.g. different levels of IDLE exists for each computer depending on the operating system, BIOS configuration, etc).

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello Nicolai

We are checking this thread and we would like to know if you need further assistance. Please do not hesitate to contact us back.

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello Nicolai

We have not heard back from you so we will proceed to close this thread now. If you need any additional information, please submit a new question as this thread will no longer being monitored.

It has been a pleasure to assist you.

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician