Question Replace my file server's i7-3770 CPU with something that has a lower power draw?

[NWCherokee]

For less than 10 bucks I could grab a used I3-3220t and swap it out with the I7-3770 that I have in my headless home file server. Full specs currently:

I7-3770
Intel DQ77MK motherboard
16GB DDR3 ram (4 x4GB)
256GB Intel 545s SSD
2x 8TB WD Red
650w PSU

A bit of a ramble:

I was just realizing that I only use this to back-up files to one 8TB HDD and then I have the PC do a nightly back-up from one HDD to the other. I also keep a copy of all my files either in the cloud or off-site, so this current file server gets very little use. I was wondering if switching out the I7-3770 for a low power I3-3220t would be worth it for lower idle power draw. I could also remove half the ram as well. Power costs are 8.16 cents per kilowatt-hour in my area so a 50w idle draw should be in the neighborhood of 10 cents a day. I imagine that my current set-up is probably around 75w idle so lets say idle cost is about 15 cents a day, That over a year is about $55. It seems that if I could lower it by half it would be worth the upgrade. I need to get a watt usage meter...
What has me thinking about this is I am looking at getting a used Dell Optiplex sff to run pfsense and I was also thinking about eliminating the file server and using that for pfsense since the Intel DQ77MK motherboard has two Intel NICs built-in, but I then wonder if it would make sense to get a more power efficient socket 1155 cpu instead of the 3770. The Optiplex SFF would be an I3-7100 and uses DDR4 which is perhaps more power efficient still.

 

[kanewolf]

For less than 10 bucks I could grab a used I3-3220t and swap it out with the I7-3770 that I have in my headless home file server. Full specs currently:

I7-3770
Intel DQ77MK motherboard
16GB DDR3 ram (4 x4GB)
256GB Intel 545s SSD
2x 8TB WD Red
650w PSU

A bit of a ramble:

I was just realizing that I only use this to back-up files to one 8TB HDD and then I have the PC do a nightly back-up from one HDD to the other. I also keep a copy of all my files either in the cloud or off-site, so this current file server gets very little use. I was wondering if switching out the I7-3770 for a low power I3-3220t would be worth it for lower idle power draw. I could also remove half the ram as well. Power costs are 8.16 cents per kilowatt-hour in my area so a 50w idle draw should be in the neighborhood of 10 cents a day. I imagine that my current set-up is probably around 75w idle so lets say idle cost is about 15 cents a day, That over a year is about $55. It seems that if I could lower it by half it would be worth the upgrade. I need to get a watt usage meter...
What has me thinking about this is I am looking at getting a used Dell Optiplex sff to run pfsense and I was also thinking about eliminating the file server and using that for pfsense since the Intel DQ77MK motherboard has two Intel NICs built-in, but I then wonder if it would make sense to get a more power efficient socket 1155 cpu instead of the 3770. The Optiplex SFF would be an I3-7100 and uses DDR4 which is perhaps more power efficient still.

First thing you need to verify is if the 3220t is a supported CPU with your specific motherboard. You also need to get a power meter to see if your idle assumption with your current system is accurate.

 

[lordmogul]

Also not bad to check how much your current i7 is used. Assuming it works on your board, the i3 might be to slow for your tasks.

You could also look into underclocking the i7.
While oc is usually blocked on OEM boards, going down might be possible. And if not in the BIOS, you might be able to limit it's maximum p-state software-sided. Or disable two cores and turn it into a makeshift i3.

If you're not constantly hammering the CPU with high loads it shouldn't pull much anyway. I still have my old i5-3570K here, and even with oc it doesn't even come close to it's rated 77 W TDP.

So before throwing money at something that might not need it, look what you can do with the hardware you already have.
A power meter is indeed a good idea. And checking how much load you even put on it.


From old tests it seems like it doesn't even consume much. One test with a GTX 580 idled at 84W, and 46W when using the iGPU. Another one did 27 W with the iGPU and another one 89 W And that is for the whole system.

Since you're probably not doing any heavy gaming on your file server, the 46W would be closer to what your system pulls.
For the normal i3-3223 (non T) I seem to find 46W and 26W results. So at best you'll save about 20-40 W and in the worst case nothing.

 

[USAFRet]

I need to get a watt usage meter...

Yes.
You need to determine if there is an actual issue here.

I have a little Beelink GTR for my HTPC.
Ryzen 5 3550, 512GB SSD, 32GB RAM.
It idles at 11w, have never seen it go over 27w at full load.
Add an external HDD, and it would be well under 35w at full load.