[Help] Htpc + home server + some casual gaming

[CordovaCsr]

Hello everyone

Im considering to build a new pc but i need some advice about the best way to go for the scenario of the title.

One of my options is to get an Amd A10. The other one is to get an i3 with something like a gtx 650.

My main concern is the power consumption since Im planning to keep it on 24/7.

Thanks for the advices guys!

Edit: Im not planning to overclock

[Money]

Personally, I would go with the Intel+Nvidia option there. Those parts really do not consume much power so you should be fine.

[Eric1024]

I agree with Money to a certain extent but you should still consider AMD. Intel has some super low power cpu skus, such as the i3 2120T, which is a 35W processor and costs 130$. The 650 is a 64W card, according to the nvidia site. That brings your power consumption up to 100W, not including a little for ram, the mobo, etc. The amd a10-5700 (non black edition) on the other hand has the gpu integrated and only consumes 65W total. That being said, I think you'll notice better graphics performance from a dedicated card and relatively low idle power consumption from it as well.

I guess what it comes down to is what you prefer. If you only care about low power and you want to save money, go with AMD. If you want a bit better performance for more cost with a bit more power consumption, go intel/nvidia. Just my 2 sense :)

[algoat]

I use an AMD A10-5700, no K, for my htpc and yes, it has a 65 W TDP. I even undervolted and underclocked it a bit and I still run games at 720p with no issue.

[Guest]

What sort of gaming are you looking at doing? Like which specific games? If you want a really low power system I'm using an AMD 350 with onboard graphics to run Valve engine games fine. It only draws like 18w.

[bradscoolio]

The AMD uses so much less power and cost so much less

[Mrinsane]

i reckon i3 should do the trick. On board graphics HD 4000 is good enough. Low power consumption. I will be doing one myself soon. You can even add dedicated GPU if you want for better graphics.

[CordovaCsr]

Thanks guys!

About gaming, i would like to play fairly modern games (far cry 2, borderlands 2, skyrim...) but I dont really care if I run them on low details but still want an smoth experience.

About i3 + gtx 650, what about the mvp, does it give an advantage in terms of power consumption at idle ( turning down the graphics card) ??