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Hello-
Feb 2nd, 2009, 01:26 PM
1) Is an Intel atom dual core capable of acting as a file server, nas, dlna media server and seeding torrents.
2) Is there a cheaper/better alternative to the intel atom?

Problem (Useful but not necessary extra reading):
I am currently using an old P4 2.4ghz as my main computer for web browsing, ms office, file server/network storage, DLNA media server for the PS3 and torrents. It sounds like a lot but the computer actually handles all the tasks adequately. The problems are the noise and power consumption.

Noise
1) With 3 internal drives and 1 external the noise and vibration are bearable but loud enough to be annoying.
2) The power supply is ~5 years old and even though I replaced both stock fans with completely silent ones, still produces an audible electrical hum. I'd love to replace the power supply with an Enermax Pro82/Modu82 or Corsair HX but spending $100 on an old system doesn't seem worthwhile.

Power Consumption
Pentium 4 (Northwood) + Nvidia GF4 Ti 4400 + 24/7. Natural power hog.

I intend to run the intel atom without a keyboard/monitor and to access it via remote desktop with wol and samba for file sharing. The initial single core intel atom I estimated would have been too slow for what I wanted to use it for. With the dual core now for ~$300, I think it should be powerful enough. Sorry for all the explaining, I just wanted to rationalize spending $300 on something completely unnecessary.

Amourek
Feb 2nd, 2009, 02:56 PM
If you only want to reduce the power consumption, it might not be worth it in terms of saving on your electric bill. It will take a few years before you save enough recoup your upgrade costs. But, if you also want to make it quiet, then that's enough justification IMO.

I don't think an Atom board is right for you - the fans on them are actually quite loud and expansion is limited. If you don't need the smaller form factor you are better off with an AM2/mATX setup - it won't cost you that much more.

Here's what I'd get (best prices from pricecanada.com):

$65 - AMD X2 4850E 2.5Ghz (45W CPU - you can underclock/undervolt for more power savings)
$12 - Arctic Alpine 64 CPU Cooler (simple, quiet cooler)
$66 - Gigabyte GA-MA74GM-S2 (low power mATX board)
$08 - Crucial Rendition DDR2-800 1x1GB
$44 - Silverstone ST350 350W (very quiet)
====
$195

That will leave you with hard drive noise being the main problem. Suspending them in empty 5.25" bays with sewing elastic would help considerably. You should also try to enable AAM on them to reduce noise (it will increase random access speed, but shouldn't affect the speed of a file server). I use Hitachi's Feature Tool on the Ultimate Boot CD to do that.

I have a similar system running as a file server in my living room. It is VERY quiet despite having 3 x 1TB drives.

albundy99999999
Mar 18th, 2009, 08:14 AM
Hi Amourek,

How does the following compare to your suggested quiet system? It is supposed to be a quiet system as well.

CPU: Intel Celeron Dual-Core E1200, EM64T, 1.6 GHz, 800 MHz FSH, 512KB L2 Cache CPU

Motherboard: ASUS P5Q SE S.775 INT P45/ICH10 ATX 1PCIE X16/3PCI/2PCIEX/4D DDR2-1200MHZ, 1600FSB, SATA GBLAN

Memory: Kingston ValueRAM 1GB DDR2-667MHz

HDD: WD Caviar 80GB SATA 700RPM 8MB Buffer

Video: ASUS EN8400GS SILENT/HTP/256M nVidia 8400GS Chipset 256MB DDR2 Dual Display V.C.

Audio: Realtek ALC 1200, S-Channel HD Audio

Optical Drive: LG DVD-Writer

Case: Antec Sonata III QuietSuper w/ 500 Watt PSU