Low voltage Merom Review?

tbullock · Post by **tbullock** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 6:37 pm

I am curious to know if anybody has come across an effective review of the low voltage Intel Merom processors (eg L7200).

Can these be used in fanless environments? Intel says that the TDP is 17W.

Thoughts?

-Ted

Natronomonas · Post by **Natronomonas** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 7:32 pm

If the TDP is only 17W it could easily be cooled passively. You'd just have to set it up correctly if you were going to DIY.

jojo4u · Post by **jojo4u** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 3:49 am

My Merom T5600 has a minimum allowed VID of 0.95 V. I have no problem to undervolt to this level at stock speed. This allows passive cooling with the small stock heatsink of my Gigabyte GA-8I945GMMFY-RH. Full power requires a 1000-1500 upm 120 mm case fan. I'd only be interested in the low voltage ones if they have a lower minimal VID.

bean1975 · Post by **bean1975** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 7:54 pm

I run a T2300 with a Zalman 3100 in an Asus N4L board in an Antec 3300, one fan front, one fan back, the back fan is the Antec default, the front is... hm, either Silentblade or Antec. It's usually on 24/7 and have no problems. The heatsink clip comes from the original fan as it's rather proprietary. No need for very expensive special low voltage CPUs.

tbullock · Post by **tbullock** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 8:56 pm

My intention is to build a completely fanless machine. No case fans or power supply fans, preferably with an external power brick supplying DC power. Moreover, air circulation is not going to be very good since the machine is destined to live in a fairly cramped bookshelf in our bedroom.

The fanless requirement comes from my girlfriend who won't put up with any irritating noises at night, therefore the machine will not have a hard drive either, (booting from PXE) to avoid any clicking noises. My only major worry is electrical humming.

I think that the L7200 will work, but I would really like to find a review on how well it works in these embedded environments.

jaganath · Post by **jaganath** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 1:56 am

I think that the L7200 will work

Where are you planning on getting it from? The L7200 is not the same socket as the standard voltage models, in fact I was under the impression it is only available to OEMs.

My intention is to build a completely fanless machine.

have you looked at the mCubed line of cases?
http://www.mcubed-tech.com/english/index.htm

tbullock · Post by **tbullock** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 12:26 pm

jaganath wrote: Where are you planning on getting it from? The L7200 is not the same socket as the standard voltage models, in fact I was under the impression it is only available to OEMs.

Where did you read that (reference please if you have one)? Even Intel's own page says that the processor is compatible with the standard 945GM chipset and there is no mention of a different socket in any of the documentation that I have read. They do say that the upcoming L7300 will be on the new platform (Socket P and 965GM). Is that what you were talking about?

Any Intel Authorized Reseller will sell it, although it probably will need to be ordered in. There are 6 such stores in my city, and one is less than five minutes from my house.

jaganath wrote: have you looked at the mCubed line of cases?
http://www.mcubed-tech.com/english/index.htm

Yes I have, they do look very sleek, however they are FAR to expensive. The Case for there Mini product with the bundled heatpipes is over $1400 CAD and that doesn't purchase the motherboard, CPU or memory. For that kind of money, I would renovate the bedroom and install it in the wall.

Anyways, I still haven't found a review of the L7200 on the internet, which leads me to believe that nobody has written one yet....

jaganath · Post by **jaganath** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 1:12 pm

Where did you read that (reference please if you have one)?

wikipedia

Under "socket" for the L7200 it says FCBGA6 (as opposed to FCPGA6 which is socket M), as far as I understand it this refers to CPUs where the contacts are physically soldered to the circuit board.

Also this Intel pricing document also states that the L7200 is only available in FCBGA6 packaging:

intel price list

They do say that the upcoming L7300 will be on the new platform (Socket P and 965GM). Is that what you were talking about?

no.

bean1975 · Post by **bean1975** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 2:56 pm

Irritating noise at night, hmm, if the machine is HDDless and you use a 120mm silent fan, unless you put your head on it, there is no way it to be audible. The fridge in the kitchen (unless it's an absorption one) will be louder, of course YMMV.

But yes, it was always so that low voltage chips are not socketed, I believe this has something to do with the size of the devices they are designed for. Do you remember the mobile Bartons? There was a Socket A version and a lower power version, also without a socket.

tbullock · Post by **tbullock** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 2:58 pm

Interesting...

I suppose I will have to investigate different options then. Thanks!

-Ted