[mythtv-users] Lowest power HD frontend?

[Raymond Wagner]

On 5/28/2013 1:28 PM, Joseph Fry wrote:
>
>         I know there is i3 530 that is like 16 watts
>
>
>     Really?  I looked up the i3-530 and it has a TDP of 73 W!
>
>     http://ark.intel.com/products/46472/Intel-Core-i3-530-Processor-4M-Cache-2_93-GHz
>
>     Also, that's just the CPU.  By comparison the Atom 330 used in the
>     IONITX stuff has a TDP of 8 W.
>
>
> TDP numbers are really almost worthless these days.  The number is 
> accurate IFF the processor is fully utilized... which it rarely, if 
> ever, is.  They pack so much on the silicon these days that it's hard 
> to get to the TDP... essentially, you would need to fully load both 
> cores, the GPU, memory controllers, cache, etc.

It's also only accurate at the top end of the family.  A whole series of 
CPUs from 2.5GHz to 3.5GHz from the same bin might report the same TDP, 
even though only the ones running 3.5GHz will ever actually hit that.