Used branded CPU with least power consumption?

noman89 2016-01-09 05:27:44 UTC #1

Talking about used Branded (lot) desktop systems What is the smallest form factor available in local market ? I need system with minimal power consumption (but cheap ones) to work as my home file storage?

Thanks

farhan_ds 2016-01-10 01:49:46 UTC #2

me too... need a very small ultra low power cosumption pc capable of windows 7, so i can run utorrent all day on it while i am away.

noman89 2016-01-10 02:55:18 UTC #3

[quote=“farhan_ds, post:2, topic:22483”]

me too… need a very small ultra low power cosumption pc capable of windows 7, so i can run utorrent all day on it while i am away.

[/quote]

someone outside internet world told me to visit Ichhra shopping center (Game shops) they have ultra small form factors around Rs.3000 but with 512 MB ram only If true then its enough for my file storage … but not for windows 7… going to visit market tomorrow … will update it here …

tsahar 2016-01-10 08:30:03 UTC #4

[quote=“noman89, post:3, topic:22483”]

[/quote]

Consider running Lubuntu which is a derivative of ubuntu, and is very resource efficient OS with a decent GUI.

http://lubuntu.net/

neem.engr 2016-01-11 07:19:47 UTC #5

[quote=“noman89, post:3, topic:22483”]

[/quote]

please update when you get it. what is its power rating.

Thanks

ahmedfarazch 2016-01-11 10:25:57 UTC #6

Hello!

I'll list some devices in terms of 'compute' power:

- most newer routers can handle downloads well ... are around 5 Watts to 40 Watts

- one step above routers are those android mini pcs (sticks) ... 5 Watts to 20 Watts though one may have to use a USB hub

- then come some developer boards ARM or MIPS and Tablets

- thinclients running linux ... ideal for running router distros ... upwards of 15 Watts

- mini itx ... newer ones are usually good for HTPCs ... starting from 20 Watts under load (idle might be lower)

Also, there are the x86 based 'Stick PCs' and Tablets!

Now, if you provide details about your storage type and needs (like transfer speeds) ... I'll be able to get more specific! Like, FreeNAS might be a good option for a home NAS but a router with a USB HDD might do well as well if speed is not needed and data is not important!

Hope this helps!

Regards,

Ahmed

farhan_ds 2016-01-11 19:06:32 UTC #7

main purpose is using UTORRENT.. i dont think it can work with a stand alone router. .

2nd step would be copying and pasting downloaded files from that pc to main pc, which would require a lan connection or a usb network or else.

the pc itself should be able to run a full HD video file so a minimum dual core processor is a must, RAM without 2gb wont work and should be ddr2/3, preferable 3 since it is cheaper now than 2.

mini itx are the best, but buying a new one costs like Shiit..and no alternates if mobo or casing develops a fault.. i dont know if any used Mini Itx are available, that would be awesome.

ahmedfarazch 2016-01-12 01:47:35 UTC #8

Hello Again!

- As far as routers are concerned, some routers can handle downloads well enough (like Download Master for ASUS ... guide here and here) ... with (mobile) apps as well for remote management ... those routers can get expensive though so one may try OpenWRT, Tomato, etc... on a 'cheaper' router

- But, if something more powerful is needed you have to decide accordingly ... some modern mATX boards and energy efficient processors sip very low power especially when idling and are available in the market easily ... one can also down/under-clock an older generation one to achieve power savings ... mini-itx ones are harder to find but I have seen some around ... I almost always go for AMD and got the A68I-350 Deluxe by Biostar from China few years back and it runs Win 10 very well ... you might have to keep an eye on those online ad sites, some pop up from time to time like this one I saw recently!

Those pakdukaan.com people have brought Zotac's Graphics Cards into Pakistan, perhaps they might help in bringing their 'mini' PCs and mini-itx mobos as well (mini pcs tend to be expensive again but boards would do nicely with bonus of small packaging for shipping purposes)!

I would also like to see the AM1 socket based products here in Pakistan but I don't think many people share my preference for AMD (and I don't want to pay double for imports)!

Regards,

Ahmed

tsahar 2016-01-12 02:24:51 UTC #9

[quote=“farhan_ds, post:7, topic:22483”]

main purpose is using UTORRENT… i dont think it can work with a stand alone router. .

[/quote]

You can run transmission which is arguably the most efficient torrent client for *nix on both DD-WRT [1] and OpenWRT [2]. The list of supported routers is available on respective websites [3, 4]. One would, of course, select a router that supports USB storage so that a USB flash drive (or a USB hard drive) could be used for storage.

[1] http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Transmission_daemon

[2] https://wiki.openwrt.org/doc/uci/transmission

[3] http://www.dd-wrt.com/site/support/router-database

[4] https://wiki.openwrt.org/toh/start

noman89 2016-01-13 07:16:31 UTC #10

[quote=“tsahar, post:4, topic:22483”]

Consider running Lubuntu which is a derivative of ubuntu, and is very resource efficient OS with a decent GUI.

http://lubuntu.net/

[/quote]

Do you know any low power and cheap linux machines in Pakistani market?

[quote=“ahmedfarazch, post:6, topic:22483”]

Hello!

I’ll list some devices in terms of ‘compute’ power:

- most newer routers can handle downloads well … are around 5 Watts to 40 Watts

- one step above routers are those android mini pcs (sticks) … 5 Watts to 20 Watts though one may have to use a USB hub

- then come some developer boards ARM or MIPS and Tablets

- thinclients running linux … ideal for running router distros … upwards of 15 Watts

- mini itx … newer ones are usually good for HTPCs … starting from 20 Watts under load (idle might be lower)

Also, there are the x86 based ‘Stick PCs’ and Tablets!

Now, if you provide details about your storage type and needs (like transfer speeds) … I’ll be able to get more specific! Like, FreeNAS might be a good option for a home NAS but a router with a USB HDD might do well as well if speed is not needed and data is not important!

Hope this helps!

Regards,

Ahmed

[/quote]

Thank you for your reply

Actually I have two requirements and first one is real priority
1- Data storage of very important data (regular access and updates)

2- Home Web server

Now ideally a NAS can help me with first requirement but these are not available in used market and new ones are expensive for me i.e 15K

therefore I’m looking into a low power solution for file storage and if it is a computer then I can also host my local webserver

I’m a bit skeptical about a USB based solution A large 500GB USB disk drive connected to router, SBC or stick PC is something I just don’t think is a reliable solution for continuous operation if you have any experience with this then pls enlighten me I want to directly save my [Desktop] and [my documents] to this remote storage for at least 16 hours of daily usage

noman89 2016-01-13 07:17:38 UTC #11

[quote=“forum, post:5, topic:22483”]

please update when you get it. what is its power rating.

Thanks

[/quote]

Sure I will … I’m bit lazy when it comes to visiting market that is why I posted a question here but I am sure I will do it tomorrow because I’m running out of time for my projects which immediately need a solution

noman89 2016-01-14 10:10:21 UTC #12

[quote=“forum, post:5, topic:22483”]

please update when you get it. what is its power rating.

Thanks

[/quote]

Ok I visited the Ichra shopping center yes there are very cheap ultra small PC’s available which they are using for gaming ,power supply is 150W (but I’m looking for less than 100W) and they start from Rs.1900
and then I visited Hafeez center I had limited time therefore check few shops they have under 100W PC’s but very expensive starts from Rs.18000 and as usual they said "They had few under Rs.5000 which they just sold "

farhan_ds 2016-01-14 18:06:09 UTC #13

well thats good news..

PS: if the PSU is rated at 150W, then that means the system may at MAX draw somewhere near 120W, since PF and heat and losses in mobo account for a lot, so if max draw would be 120, then comon purpose use would be between 70-100W, which is great.\

can you please provide some specs of what you saw? and if upgrading ram to 4gb or atleast 2gb, what was the highest price of their units in ichra? ie. max price ramge for their highest spec, ultra portable?

v9s 2016-01-15 05:17:02 UTC #14

[quote=“farhan_ds, post:7, topic:22483”]

main purpose is using UTORRENT… i dont think it can work with a stand alone router. .

2nd step would be copying and pasting downloaded files from that pc to main pc, which would require a lan connection or a usb network or else.

the pc itself should be able to run a full HD video file so a minimum dual core processor is a must, RAM without 2gb wont work and should be ddr2/3, preferable 3 since it is cheaper now than 2.

mini itx are the best, but buying a new one costs like Shiit…and no alternates if mobo or casing develops a fault… i dont know if any used Mini Itx are available, that would be awesome.

[/quote]

ASUS routers support downloading torrents, etc but they cost over 15K

If you have a TP-link router with USB ports, you can flash it with open wrt or dd-wrt and install a whole host of packages like transmission (for torrents) miniDLNA, etc…linix knowledge is reqd but there are guides. I thought of doing this but its too much of a hassle plus these custom firmwares are buggy at times (they also limit your hardware capabilities if the manufacturer hasn’t provided drivers).

I had an iPod 4g lying around without any use. Jailbreaked it, installed transmission-daemon from cydia, installed openSSH for remote file access and installed insomnia so the wifi doesn’t go to sleep. I then installed Transdroid on my android phone which allows remote access to the transmission web-ui on my iPod 4g and has RSS feed support. Couple that with dynamic DNS, now i can be notified of new torrents, add torrents to download and see their progress anywhere with an internet connection.

This obviously is a temp solution. I’m planning on getting a Synology NAS for network storage needs later on. If you have a LOT of free time on your hands, go with the cheap PC + FreeNAS solution, otherwise i’d recommend a reliable NAS from Synology anytime for sanity’s sake.

Asad 2016-01-15 10:13:40 UTC #15

[quote=“v9s, post:14, topic:22483”]

[/quote]

Are Synology NAS units available locally?

ahmedfarazch 2016-01-15 10:59:47 UTC #16

[quote=“noman89, post:10, topic:22483”]

Do you know any low power and cheap linux machines in Pakistani market?

Thank you for your reply
Actually I have two requirements and first one is real priority
1- Data storage of very important data (regular access and updates)

[/quote]

Hello Again!

If it’s just you:

Data Backup and Remote Access

- You could add another drive to your pc and enable File History if your version of windows supports it

- You could add another drive to your pc and set up (RAID 1) Mirroring (either via chipset or via OS)

- If you have good upload speeds, you can combine the previous with cloud storage backup as well (free storage might be limited in space though there are cheap plans)

- There are many tools for remote access (and syncing) to data but the OneDrive app can also enable remote access to files

Web Server

Depending upon bandwidth, no of pages to serve, etc…

- Developer boards are going to use less power (can be usually powered by mobile battery banks as well) and most come with great guides … see http://www.lemaker.org/ ( some direct guides for Banana Pi here and here )

- A netbook might also work in this case with low power consumption

- A cheaper android phone/tablet (or older ios device) might also do the trick

So, there are many options (in fact too many in this case) and it all depends upon the loads you are expecting and how you want to scale in the future!

Regards,

Ahmed

v9s 2016-01-15 15:20:31 UTC #17

[quote=“Asad, post:15, topic:22483”]

Are Synology NAS units available locally?

[/quote]

Unfortunately no.

gbaz 2016-01-15 21:12:29 UTC #18

buy a windows tablet with latest micro processor , less consumption ....

v9s 2016-01-15 23:20:39 UTC #19

[quote=“gbaz, post:18, topic:22483”]

buy a windows tablet with latest micro processor , less consumption …

[/quote]

Windows tablets that support connected standby (instantgo) are practically useless if you want things to go on in the background (other than the crappy “modern” apps) after you turn the screen off - Windows will suspend all desktop apps and there is NO way to turn the screen off without making the tablet go to sleep. The only way to do that is disabling connected standby, but that defeats the purpose of a tablet.

Asad 2016-01-16 00:21:08 UTC #20

[quote=“v9s, post:17, topic:22483”]

Unfortunately no.

[/quote]

I was looking around for 4-5 bay minimum NAS units with expansion capability from Synology and QNAP couple months back but only option is to import and that would raise the pricing significantly. Some WD options are available locally but they are expensive and practically limited in features and capabilities.

Further, ever decreasing HDD reliability is problematic with increasing capacities. HGST/Hitachi drives are not available locally which have better reliability.