Good stuff!

Anyone knows where to get idle power consumptions for CPUs? This way we'd have to complete picture.

To start off, check here (page 14) for all the x4x series TDP. I was trying to compare the G31 and the G41 for a new low power build (hopefully when the E3200 arrives, which seems to be a WICKED low power part - and nobody has even undervolted it yet... hehehe).

Anyway, if the thread starter wants to update it with this information (newer than G41 chipsets seem to have low power states below standard idle), go right ahead.


In short:

P series - IGP disabled (not really, it only lacks IGP output, but whatever...)
G series - consumer level IGP-enabled chipsets. Differences between the various G series MCHs generally have to do with IGP speeds (not usually public, btw), video decoding capabilities and maximum addressable memory.
Q series - business-oriented IGP-enabled chipsets. Same comments made for the G series apply here. It seems the Q series have an embedded TPM module.

The G41/G43/G45 trio is somewhat different, since some features are absent from the G41, which seems to be a completely different MCH from the other two... G41 is PCIe 1.1, the other two are PCIe 2.0, and G41 oddly seems to support full video hardware decode (something G43 can't), if this Wikipedia page is to be relied upon...

Hope this helps.

Cheers.

Miguel



P.S.: I know this is kind of OT, but I'd appreciate input on cheap Intel-based motherboards with low power draw and cheap. Right now I'm thinking Gigabyte's GA-G31M-ES2L, which is dirt cheap where I live, but I'm wondering if I could do better. Q45-based boards are like 80% more expensive... PM me, please, I don't want to derail the thread)

My honoured G31-M7 Biostar is gone down today. I did nothing for that. Well, maybe this happened due to lack of air convection -- board got overheat, but this was so sudden... The GMCH now is getting very hot (so as its supplying module), also emits buzzing sound, and the board draws a lot of current from PSU, and CPU is getting hot too, so it is totally dead, absolutely lifeless, and I should look for a replacement

I like Biostar BIOS, got not a problem with the board, so I want to buy again this vendor. The only question it is which GMCH to prefer, G41, or old-time G31? If you look into the G31 link, there are only 2 phase VRM on board. How do you think, is it good for low power build or not?

G41 or G31, anyway?

My deepest condolences on the loss.

TBH, that premature death can at least partially be attributed to the cooling method (or lack thereof). If I understood correctly, you were running that board with only the PSU fan active, right?

Well Intel designed the VRM specs (and probably just about any VRM complying to Intel's design guide will mimic this behavior) so they are cooled by the CPU heatsink/fan combo. That's why Intel always supplies top-down stock coolers. The MCH cooling also depends at least partially on the air that blows from the CPU heatsink.

In short, letting the system run like it was, without some serious vents in place can easily drive VRM/MOSFET/MCH temps to VERY uncomfortable values, and severely decrease component lifetime.

My suggestion would be to keep at least a low spinning fan over the CPU/VRM/MCH area, to keep air flowing. Or take the time to create an air vent/guide that draws air from the VRM, memory slot, MCH and CPU areas and delivers it to the PSU. And, with a little luck, the fan sound won't amplify in there, and your sound profile won't change.


The only tangible differences between the G31 and G41 chipsets are memory support (G41 actually supports DDR3, and there is a board in the market with that configuration ...), maximum addressable memory (4GB/8GB) and TDP (about 10W MORE for the G41). Everything else is basically the same.

So, unless you actually need the extra memory, I'd say G31.

Cheers.

Miguel

Miguel
Well, I had a fan on CPU, cause it's E6300(2.8GHz). Btw, it fryed too, but I have warranty on it ) And I can swear there was about 50~54Cº temp reading of internal GMCH probe due to complete system idleness. Maybe the death was caused by my experiments... Who knows. But that was a sudden death.

I'm typing this text on my girl's PC. It is E5200 + Biostar GF7100P-M7S, and I can say that it runs pretty cool and silent.

Does anybody know TDP for Nvidia integrated single-chip solutions, e.g. GeForce 7100 / NF630i? Is it more economic than G31 by overall (incl. ICH) current consumption? I'm kind in doubt now... Single DDR channel on Nvidia doesn't really scare me.

This bit-tech article should give you a general idea. A lot less than a G35 chipset.

Well, you could always have gotten a lemon. A slow one showing its bitterness, but a lemon just the same... lol


AFAIK, NVIDIA doesn't publish TDP ratings for their chipsets.

rpsgc's article link is interesting. You can't really extrapolate any decent power consumption from there, since the boards are so different, but it does seem it's very power-friendly. Probably even around G31 values.

Just keep in mind, when choosing a 7xx0i-based motherboard, to make sure you get one with full ACPI implementation. Zotac's mini-ITX 71x0i board lacked proper S3 support, for one. Also, since Ethernet is embedded on the chipset, keep in mind that you'll have to make sure you're getting the 7xx0-630i versions for Gigabit network, and so far I haven't seen any motherboards based on the 7050-630i, only 7050-610i. AND the 7100-630i is usually more expensive than a G31-based board...

Hope this helps.

Cheers.

Miguel

Max TDP for the latest Intel socket 1156 chipsets H55, H57 and Q57 is 5.2 / 5.2 / 5.1W Of course, they moved a lot of functionality into the CPU (max TDP around 73W), but still.

update for P55 and H55 would be nice to see

As usual, this is all taken from Intel documentation, specifically here on pages 7 and 13 here on page 318 and here on page 264.

Keep in mind, though, that current "chipsets" for anything Core-based (except for Socket 1366, obviously) are basically Southbridges, so power requirements have dropped like a heavy stone (though prices have risen like helium...), so don't gasp when you read these.

PCH:

P55: 1.7W (idle), 4.7W (load)
H55: 2.2W (idle), 5.2W (load)
H57: 2.2W (idle), 5.2W (load)
Q57: 2.2W (idle), 5.1W (load)

PM55: 3.5W
HM55: 3.5W
HM57: 3.5W
QM57: 3.5W
QS57: 3.4W

NM10: 2.1W (Nettop version)
NM10: 1.5W (Netbook version)

So, at least on the desktop front, we continue seeing increasing power draw from the Southbridge component (remember the P55 is basically an ICH10R, not much has changed from it; and the "H" and "Q" variants basically add FDI to the P55 infrastructure). Luckily, though, idle states are present, and those power figures are not that bad, especially because the last time an Intel Southbridge had that kind of figures the year was 2003...

I believe these figures are correct, and are based on the documents listed above. But if something is off, do tell me, especially on the desktop chips, since the document is rather vague (it only refers to "Home", "Office" and "Performance", not the specific chip names).

Hope this helps you guys.

Miguel

I notice that a lot of Intel mid-range i5 CPU's have embedded GPU support (including all the dual cores). What are the CPU inefficiencies (watts, and temps) of using a dedicated GPU instead (please disregard the watts, and temps of the dedicated GPU, as I am only interested in knowing about the Intel CPU itself if the embedded GPU is not being used).

While I can't really answer your question, as only probably Intel engineers know the answer to that one, here's an "educated guess":

At least up to G45, and AFAIK, Intel IGPs didn't actually have an "off" mode. They were part of the MCH, and that piece of hardware didn't have advanced capabilities like current CPUs, which shut down unused parts of themselves. So, you could only have them enabled, with video output on, or enabled, with video output off.

With Clarkdale/Arrandale, Intel basically only moved the whole MCH to the CPU PCB (apart from the known upgrades made to the IGP engine), but most of the stuff remained the same. So I'm not sure if the new IGPs are able to shut down entirely, but if I had to guess I'd say "no".

In short, you probably loose 5 to 10W of power by having a dedicated GPU on an IGP-enabled CPU, compared to IGP CPU only. But that's basically a guesstimate.

Hope this helps, in any case.

Cheers.

Miguel

Can't find Intel® BD82B75 PCH thermal information pdf, but they say that TDP max is 6.7W. I have a MSI board on this chip, and it idles AC 25W or so, with SSD onboard )

the forthcoming Haswell chipset may change this landscape:
viewtopic.php?p=562561#p562561

"Panther Point" Thermal Mechanical Specifications and Design Guidelines (pdf)

Chips covered in this document:
• Intel® Z77 Express Chipset
• Intel® Z75 Express Chipset
• Intel® H77 Express Chipset
• Intel® B75 Express Chipset
• Intel® Q77 Express Chipset
• Intel® Q75 Express Chipset
• Intel® C216 Chipset

Yep, very good news for all silence maniacs