realistic power supply

XFXKilla · Jul 11, 2013

I plan on building an HTPC fairly soon.
My main concern is power consumption, because I really would like my HTPC to be always on, or sleeping when not in use.

I want to be able to move my mouse and it starts right back up if I happen to watch cable TV ( local news) and then decide to switch over to my HTPC / XBMC system.

I don't want to waste anytime waiting for something to boot up... launching applications, etc. It needs to be family friendly and easy to use.

So realistically do I need some powerful power supply for a micro atx motherboard, with 2 TB harddrives? How low can I go?

Knufire · Jul 11, 2013

Maybe 100W? I think AMD has some 65W APUs, I don't know about lower powered Intel stuff off the top of my head now.

EDIT: i3-2120T and Pentium G630T are both 35W, Sandy Bridge core. Say 10W each for the HDD, could be like 70W total.

Not a cost effective way to build, but cannibalizing a cheap Haswell laptop would be ridiculously low power consumption (should have two SATA ports for HDD and optical drive).

XFXKilla · Jul 12, 2013

currently I am using an old laptop for xbmc, but it can't play 1080p very well. I just want another project to do, starting to get parts together now.

Knufire · Jul 12, 2013

XFXKilla said:
currently I am using an old laptop for xbmc, but it can't play 1080p very well. I just want another project to do, starting to get parts together now.

The i3-2120T would be the way I'd go.

cullam3n · Jul 12, 2013

I really do need to get a kill-a-watt, but in my HTPC and NAS I'm running a Silverstone ST50F-P 500w with PP05 short modular cables. They are both quiet and happy, but I'm sure they are hardly breaking a sweat.

Your power consumption difference will be negligible on different wattage power supplies (without taking efficiency into account). I'm sure you wouldn't have an issue running an efficient 300W.

I run XBMC on my HTPC and I just put it in sleep when I'm not using it. With my phone I can wake it up in less than a second and be at a menu. If I need to reboot, the SSD helps make it under 20 seconds.

XFXKilla · Jul 12, 2013

I have an I3- Dual Core 3.4 .. just looking for a good micro-ATX for it.

cullam3n · Jul 12, 2013

I bought an Intel dh77eb locally I'm going to use, which is a mATX. Just need to get an i3 or similar to test it out.

Used - Very Good: Intel BOXDH77EB LGA 1155 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Newegg.com

Buy Used - Very Good: Intel BOXDH77EB LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!

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lopgok · Jul 20, 2013

One issue is there are very few low wattage power supplies with standard atx form factors. Most are some really weird form factor. Some ITX mb's use external bricks and coaxial power connectors.

Another issue is most small power supplies aren't very efficient. Look for 80+ certification. Seasonic does make a small form factor power supply. I think it is around 200w.

I bought a rosewill fortress. It isn't small, but it is the lowest power (450W) platinum efficiency ps I could find. I don't think it will fit in a small case though...

cullam3n · Jul 20, 2013

I forgot to mention, Silverstone also has a 450w in SFX form factor which is slightly smaller than an a normal ATX that is 80+ Bronze. You can also pony up for the 80+ Gold version. Short ATX PSUs are 140mm deep, these are 100mm.

(G{in}[AK)TION] · Jul 20, 2013

GET SPARKLE POWERED INOCORPERATED (SPI). i have had one of their supplys for around 13 years and it still working without a problem! even after being dropped!

if i were you, i would get this one here http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817103012

should be enough for what you need it for. also, i suggest you get an SSD and have the computer go into hibernate when no one is using it. or standby which sets the computer into a low power state if you arent so concerned with power usage.

EDIT: heres another one i found >> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817103077&IsVirtualParent=1

lopgok · Jul 20, 2013

sff ps is a great idea. You should be looking at a case. I have the antec nsk2400. It takes a standard atx power supply and a micro atx mb. I think you should select your case, mb, and ps together so they all will be compatible. I think there are adapter plates so sff ps will fit a standard atx ps hole.

I also highly recommend using a ssd if you don't really need 2tb of storage.
If you really do, you might consider two 1tb notebook drives. Not cheaper, but they will
take up less space and use less power.

XFXKilla · Jul 23, 2013

Thanks for the advice, very helpful! :attn:

realistic power supply

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Used - Very Good: Intel BOXDH77EB LGA 1155 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Newegg.com

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