[protocol77]

Hi i am in the process of changing around my home server setup i am currently running a 95w Intel Quad-Core Q8400 on my server which as you can imagine is overkill for a server that basically managed my shares and links together with my htpc's and workstation PC

because it is running 24/7 i am looking for a low power cpu that still has enough power to handle streaming 1080p over the gigabit network also be able to burn dvd's off over the network for my grandparents that just have a dvd player

this is currently possible however i need something more power efficient

i also a compatible motherboard that has as many USB 3.0 ports as possible and some pci-e ports for further USB3.0 expansion (i plan to run several USB 3.0 HDD 4 Bay enclosures off it


i don't mind either AMD or Intel as i have had no issues and own some of each i have seen some 35w intel cpu's that might be what i am like Intel Core i3 3220T 2.8GHz Dual Core 35w

i have also seen some 55w cpu like Intel Pentium G2120 which is about $40 to $50 cheaper what i would be running would i see enough of a power saving to pay that extra and get the 35w one over the 55w also would a pentium be alright for what i need as the 35w is an i3

[noggin]

When you say "burn DVDs off over the network" is the media already in the format you will burn, or does your server need to transcode it to SD MPEG2?

In other words, does your server need to do any transcoding/encoding, or is it purely a server? I'm running very low power CPUs (Semprons and Turions) in my unRAID set-ups and getting pretty high transfer speeds over GigE.

[protocol77]

yeah the movies are already in VOB format basically just to burn over the network and connect it to xbmc to play videos music etc.... over smb

[protocol77]

i have been researching a bit today and think i might have found a nice cpu/mobo combo

ASUS P8Z77-V LK Motherboard

Intel Core i3 3220 CPU

i thought at the T model for this cpu as it is a 35w processor vs this 55w processor but i am wondering if the power savings would be enough to spend an additional $20 plus the reduction in processing power this one is a 3.3ghz dual core and the i3 3220T model is a 2.8ghz one

[wsume99]

Unless you get into virtual machines and/or transcoding you won't need more than a G1610. Your server will have very low CPU loading so you will not notice any power savings in a low power "T" version CPU versus a standard model.