Efficient CPU for WCG?

[josh1980]

Ok, so my ol' HTPC is apparently dead. Long live x58.

Anyway, so I need to build a new desktop, but I haven't looked for new desktop hardware in quite some time. Any recommended CPUs that are low power when idle but:

1. Have a reasonable punch when handed HTPC workloads
2. Can double as some WCG crunching
3. Has on-chip video so I don't have to throw in a power-hungry video card to use it.
4. Must be an Intel. I hate AMD.


Hoping to build a machine I can leave on 24x7 without heating up my living room in the summer and is powerful enough to be reasonable with crunching in the winter...

Any ideas?

[OldChap]

Not really up to the minute on this stuff any more but from what I gather Ivy bridge is frugal but has the power and you should be able to find the right size of MB with onboard capability to use the on chip graphics capability and cheaper too now that it is not the latest and greatest.

It is possible that one of the latest atoms (c2550, c2750) might fit the bill but the MB's would have to be more carefully matched for video and audio as some boards are not covering that well being designed more for storage server use. very frugal and not much heat in winter or summer for that matter... think ~30-40w from the wall on this one.

[Charles Wirth]

Intel G3258 $69 2 core fully unlocked
Intel 4670K $230 4 core i7
Intel 4770K $334 4 core + HT i7

The NUC has Haswell processors but slightly more expensive to build with SODIMM and MSATA, several variants with extra HD, thunderbolt, HDMI,..
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...=-1&isNodeId=1


The Brix is similar to the NUC, one version has a built in pico projector.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...=-1&isNodeId=1

Frys has been running a killer deals on the Asus VivoPC that comes complete with OS for much less.

[OldChap]

That's a whole lotta grunt for an htpc but with wcg in mind the 46xx's are sweet.... and there was me thinking an I3-4150 would get the job done by the look of things

[yojimbo197]

Since the OP lives near at least one if not two MicroCenters, he might as well take advantage of the savings on Haswell or Devil's Canyon processors. a i7-4770K is only $279 right now, and if you buy a board there they will knock off another 40-50 bucks. Look around Slickdeals for a mITX case and PSU and an SSD, and you have the makings of a nice little cruncher and HTPC.