[mythtv-users] Lowest power HD frontend?

[Jeff Siddall]

On 05/29/2013 10:28 AM, Raymond Wagner wrote:
>> Hmmm... hadn't thought of that.  So you are saying I could effectively
>> throttle my system power consumption by simply removing the fan from
>> my CPU heat sink?
>
> Absolutely not.  I'm saying your CPU won't eat itself.  There's not
> going to be anything effective about your CPU operating in this manner,
> other than it will retain some minimum level of functionality to keep
> the system running.
>
>> That would be fantastic -- silent and low power -- but I am skeptical
>> about the longevity and reliability of a system like that.
>
> Silent, low power, and absolutely awful performance.  This is not
> something that is a good idea.  This is merely a protection mechanism
> for the CPU should you fail to give it sufficient cooling.  Note that
> your CPU will be doing this to some degree anyway.  All removing the
> heatsink does is mean it cannot speed back up for normal operation once
> you load it up.  You're stuck down at that extremely low level of
> performance.

OK, but do you mean awful compared to an Atom 330?  I sure hope not!

If what you say is correct (that a modern i3 system takes less power 
than an IONITX) then that fanless i3 system should be cooler and perform 
better than a fanless IONITX.  Really that is all I am looking for since 
I am satisfied with the performance of a dual core Atom 330 as a 
mythfrontend.

BTW: I looked them up on cpumark and the i3-530 is just over 4X as fast 
as the Atom 330.  I am not saying a four fold improvement is trivial but 
really, 4X as fast as an Atom is hardly something to jump up and down 
about -- especially when it comes with almost 10X the TDP!

Regardless, as long as it never ended up _slower_ than an Atom due to 
throttling I really am not too concerned.