Power consumption of a Sempron 140 Server compared to Atom, E350 etc.


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Hi there,

i am new to that forum but i think with unRaid i finally found the suitable OS for my Home Theatre Media Server to store all my DVD's etc.

 

I have also already found suitable Harddisks, Powersupply, Case etc. using the forum.

I would like to start with 3 HDD's and then upgrading to min. 6 HDD's when i require more space.

 

The only question for me is, which heart (MoBo, CPU) to take, and there the power consumption comes into the game.

I would say i have three choices in my case:

 

AMD E-350: Low power consumption but only 4-5 Sata Ports, more expensive then a AM3 Mobo plus Sempron CPU

AMD Sempron: Higher power consumption (question is how high), at least 6 Sata Ports available, cheap, more CPU Power (?)

Intel Atom: Only a few Boards available with more then 4x Sata

Intel Core i3: too expensive for me

 

So the basic question is: Do you have any experience of your Sempron 140 System so that you could tell me how much power they need. I know that differs also from the drives power supply and so on, but i only want to get an overview.

 

Hope you could help me.

 

 

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I used to have a sempron 140 in my server with three 2TB WD Green drives and IIRC my server used ~70w with all drives spun down.  I was actually quite disappointed in those numbers and I have read on the forums that the AMD cool 'n quiet drivers are not part of the unraid kernel.  I believe there is a way to fix this but I'm still a linux noob and 5 months ago (when I was working this issue) I wasn't even qualified to call myself a noob so I jumped on the $20 Supermicro C2SEE deal and got an intel e5500. Now my server idles at 42w with the same 3 drives.  I ended up using the sempron in a new HTPC, but it is now getting replaced by an e350 (ASUS E35M1-M PRO) because I still am not happy with its power use even when cool 'n quiet is working (~55w @ idle).

 

My advice - get the e350 over the atom or a LGA775 over a sempron.

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The above numbers sound about right.  I don't remember my system's exact usage, but I can check for you later.  My opinion is that you should choose based on your budget.  A Sempron will cost more in the long run but less up front.  The other options will cost more up front but less in the long run.  The amount of power savings we are talking about amounts to something like $20 per year.  Is it worth it to you to save $20 per year if it means spending $50+ more right now?  Think about how many years it will take for the lower power CPUs to pay for that initial cost difference in power savings...

 

I change hardware so much that in my case the lower initial cost of the CPU is more important, as I probably won't run it long enough to let the power savings of another CPU to be worthwhile.  Something new and fancy will come out and I'll want to upgrade before too long.  If you are a set it and forget type, then maybe the lower power CPU is more appropriate for you.

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Just to echo Raj's point...

 

Assuming you are running your server 24/7 then for every 1w of power your server uses that equates to ~8.8kwh per year.  So if you live in the US where average electricity cost is ~$0.11/kwh we're talking about ~$1 per year per watt.

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Just to echo Raj's point...

 

Assuming you are running your server 24/7 then for every 1w of power your server uses that equates to ~8.8kwh per year.  So if you live in the US where average electricity cost is ~$0.11/kwh we're talking about ~$1 per year per watt.

 

Thanks for that! I always wondered how much difference CPU wattage would make, but never went so far as to actually do the math :)

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the power supply is also really important i guess,, for the power efficiency.

 

i've been reading a lot about these things,, over here the corsair single rail 12v models keep coming back as the ideal power supply for UNRAID.

(cx430- normal 80% efficiency)

 

i found a power-supply with a low wattage (400 watt ) 80 plus Gold (more than 88% efficiency) and at a fair price,, BUT not single Rail,,

 

is this so important ?? this single rail??

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817104096

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Assuming you are running your server 24/7 then for every 1w of power your server uses that equates to ~8.8kwh per year.  So if you live in the US where average electricity cost is ~$0.11/kwh we're talking about ~$1 per year per watt.

 

Damn You're so spoilt :o  Here in Denmark it's +$0,40/kWh, and it's not unlike other places here in Europe. So energy saving features are quite important over here  :(

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I used to have a sempron 140 in my server with three 2TB WD Green drives and IIRC my server used ~70w with all drives spun down.  I was actually quite disappointed in those numbers and I have read on the forums that the AMD cool 'n quiet drivers are not part of the unraid kernel.  I believe there is a way to fix this but I'm still a linux noob and 5 months ago (when I was working this issue) I wasn't even qualified to call myself a noob so I jumped on the $20 Supermicro C2SEE deal and got an intel e5500. Now my server idles at 42w with the same 3 drives.  I ended up using the sempron in a new HTPC, but it is now getting replaced by an e350 (ASUS E35M1-M PRO) because I still am not happy with its power use even when cool 'n quiet is working (~55w @ idle).

 

My advice - get the e350 over the atom or a LGA775 over a sempron.

 

Your E5500 has a TDP of 65watt ,, why don't replace it with a Celeron 440 with a 35 watt TDP, you only use 3 drives.

and if the Asus E35M1-PRO is already ordered? you can sell your C2SEE to me,, so i have a spare :-)

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Single rail is important when you start getting into high numbers of drives.  The 400W PSU that you linked has 18A used to power the drives, fans, motherboard, etc.  It should be good for about 7-8 green drives (2A each), 4-5 7200 rpm drives, or some mixture thereof.  If you want to go larger, then you'll need a single rail PSU.

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Just to echo Raj's point...

 

Assuming you are running your server 24/7 then for every 1w of power your server uses that equates to ~8.8kwh per year.  So if you live in the US where average electricity cost is ~$0.11/kwh we're talking about ~$1 per year per watt.

 

Wow, so a server running at 60w 24/7 would cost ~$60/year to operate. That's $5 per month.

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I used to have a sempron 140 in my server with three 2TB WD Green drives and IIRC my server used ~70w with all drives spun down.  I was actually quite disappointed in those numbers and I have read on the forums that the AMD cool 'n quiet drivers are not part of the unraid kernel.  I believe there is a way to fix this but I'm still a linux noob and 5 months ago (when I was working this issue) I wasn't even qualified to call myself a noob so I jumped on the $20 Supermicro C2SEE deal and got an intel e5500. Now my server idles at 42w with the same 3 drives.  I ended up using the sempron in a new HTPC, but it is now getting replaced by an e350 (ASUS E35M1-M PRO) because I still am not happy with its power use even when cool 'n quiet is working (~55w @ idle).

 

My advice - get the e350 over the atom or a LGA775 over a sempron.

 

Your E5500 has a TDP of 65watt ,, why don't replace it with a Celeron 440 with a 35 watt TDP, you only use 3 drives.

and if the Asus E35M1-PRO is already ordered? you can sell your C2SEE to me,, so i have a spare :-)

 

@Rembro-

Actually my friend and I both got the $20 C2SEE deal.  He went with the 430 and I got the E5500.  We both have 3 green drives.  My rig idles at 42w and his idles at 40w but I've got a lot more processing power when I need it.

 

What I have learned over time is that TDP is not a great indicator of idle power use.  TDP is a better predictor of load power use but it is not really an absolute but rather a general measure for comparison - especially when you're comparing CPUs that are similar.  By that I mean a CPU with a 35w TDP won't necessarily use 35w at full load (it really means that it's rated to use that much) but instead that in general a 35w CPU will use less power than a 65w CPU at full load.

 

Sorry, but the E35M1-PRO is going in my HTPC to replace my sempron. Actually I got it yesterday and swapped it out last night.  The C2SEE is staying put in my server.  I knew I should have bought more than one when they were on sale for $20.

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@wsume99

 

that's an real-life example that i did'nt expect. Never thought that it would make so little difference in Watt's ( those 2 cpu's compared)

(mine would be id'ling most of the time)

 

i have been reading about Unraid for a month now and together with a co-worker we found in Unraid what we were looking for and buy parts together. We don't have all the parts yet, but those C2SEE mainbords are quite impressive,, We had the luck we found 2 brand-new ones just 3 weeks ago http://www.rackmountsetc.com and had them shipped to Belgium.

 

But a spare for me is always welcome,, don't blame me for asking :-)

 

The only hard-part is finding them Lexar Firefly usb-sticks over here.

 

 

 

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Thank you for all the answers.

It seems that i have missed one of the forum E-Mails so i have recognized a lot of the replies today.

 

Okay so i got your points, it is all a balance between the costs i have now from the start, and the cost's that i have over the lifetime of my rag for energy etc.

 

It is clear that it makes no sense to spend 50€ more for a MoBo / CPU combo that has has 10W less idle power consumption.

 

I have an old Celeron 430 laying around but no MoBo for it, have to see what i can do here.

Searching an MoBo for that or waiting for a suitable Zacate Board.

 

Btw. i am from Germany so i am paying around 0,25€ per kWh.

 

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