[SOLVED] Tricky CPU question - low TDP but high power

[Tim F]

Hi all,

I'm building a music server and have a requirement for passive cooling. This is a specialist subject but I hope my question makes sense. As I'm running a passive cooler I'd like a low TDP but as high power as possible. I know the Intel CPUs boost when under load and therefore their thermals can be poor and way off the TDP figures quoted. I don't mind either AMD or Intel but it mustn't run too hot and as I've said be as powerful as possible. Case I am buying has passive cooling built in and can handle 85W TDP.

Thoughts?

Thanks, Tim

 

[kanewolf]

Hi all,

I'm building a music server and have a requirement for passive cooling. This is a specialist subject but I hope my question makes sense. As I'm running a passive cooler I'd like a low TDP but as high power as possible. I know the Intel CPUs boost when under load and therefore their thermals can be poor and way off the TDP figures quoted. I don't mind either AMD or Intel but it mustn't run too hot and as I've said be as powerful as possible.

Thoughts?

Thanks, Tim

Is this for playing music? Recording music? Both?
The reason for the question is that playing doesn't require a powerful CPU.
Are you going to have spinning disks? Fanless power supply? There are other sources of "noise" from a PC besides the CPU cooler. A quiet cooler with a large low speed fan may make more sense than passive.

 

[Howardohyea]

as to the "boost under load" it's actually just specific CPUs. I'm fairly sure you can grab an i9 10900T with a 35 watt TDP and call it a day.

But yeah, it depends on exactly what kind of workload

 

[SamirD]

Recording vs playing are two different animals, but I think the recommended i9 10900T would still be great for recording and keep the thermals low. You should consider one of the HP/Dell USFF units that comes with this processor (or could be upgraded to it). These systems are designed to be powerful, but can be stuck behind a monitor out of sight--might be exactly what you need without trying to 'reinvent the wheel' and build one that does the same thing.

 

[Tim F]

Thanks all, I'll expand the detail here so you have some context. Building a very specialist audio PC for playing music only.

I will up-sample to DSD256. That'll draw current and create heat hence the ask for an efficient processor. I would like as powerful a processor as possible whilst keeping the heat down. Case will be an HDPLEX H5 2nd Gen Fanless and is rated at 85W TDP. I am aware that quoted TDP figures on latest Intel are under low load and they can get really hot when pushed.

• Spinning disks & Fanless power supply

Sold state hard-disk with no moving parts
Custom power supply from taiko (dc-atx) powered by an expensive external custom made power supply

 

[neojack]

if it's just a file server, the CPU from your phone would be enough.
if so just buy the cheapest optiplex available on ebay or local 2nd hand store and add an HDD as needed.

if your talking about studio mixing / recording, using a DAW software (cubase, Studio One, etc), you need LOTS of cores.
more cores = more instruments and lower latency wich is crucial.

if so, buy the best cpu you can afford, and use the best and biggest Noctua NH-D15 aircooling tower with fans at 5-7v (just plug them in your motherboard and select the "silent" setting in the fan profile in the BIOS)
You may disable boost to keep thermals under control

for storage, use SSDs. you don't need fancy ones, but reliable ones. I recommend the crucial MX500 line with sata.
M2 / PCIe SSDs are also an option but you would need a heatsink.

add an exterior HDD for backups that you can unplug easily.
unlimited and fast internet ? if so subscribe to a cloud backup service like backblaze.

these days, AMD has better thermals for the same power than intel's. but intel's tend to be more readily available because they have their own fabs and just produce more.

 

[uWebb429]

i9 10900T with a 35 watt TDP

You can turn any Intel CPU into a low power CPU. No need to spend extra money for the T series. Here is an example of a 10850K. This CPU has a 125W TDP rating. If you use ThrottleStop to set the turbo power limits to 35W and check the Clamp options, this powerful CPU will be clamped to a maximum of 35W. During a stress test, the CPU will power limit throttle and automatically slow down so it never exceeds 35W.

This flexibility allows you to adjust power consumption to your available cooling capacity.

 

[SamirD]

Thanks all, I'll expand the detail here so you have some context. Building a very specialist audio PC for playing music only.

I will up-sample to DSD256. That'll draw current and create heat hence the ask for an efficient processor. I would like as powerful a processor as possible whilst keeping the heat down. Case will be an HDPLEX H5 2nd Gen Fanless and is rated at 85W TDP. I am aware that quoted TDP figures on latest Intel are under low load and they can get really hot when pushed.

• Spinning disks & Fanless power supply

Sold state hard-disk with no moving parts
Custom power supply from taiko (dc-atx) powered by an expensive external custom made power supply

That's reinventing the wheel for sure. This is what you need:
https://www.tigerdirect.com/applica...MI15KR883C8gIVFzeGCh243gBVEAQYBSABEgLOkfD_BwE

Or the Dell version:

https://www.backmarket.com/tested-a...MI_o-Ok87C8gIVjrfICh0tog6bEAQYAyABEgK63fD_BwE

 

[Tim F]

I'll be using the Euphony OS and I don't think ThrottleStop will work on that, but appreciate the info. I'm building a specialist music PC to up-sample to DSD256, not looking to run a DAW. If you want an idea of what sort of builds this looks like, the forum threads are here https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/58164-building-a-diy-music-server/

The HDPLEX H5 has a cooler in it already and a Noctua would be too big.

So I hope that's context, I'm looking for an answer to the original question. Thanks!

 

[SamirD]

I'm looking for an answer to the original question. Thanks!

The T series i9 posted above would be your processor.

 

[kanewolf]

I'll be using the Euphony OS and I don't think ThrottleStop will work on that, but appreciate the info. I'm building a specialist music PC to up-sample to DSD256, not looking to run a DAW. If you want an idea of what sort of builds this looks like, the forum threads are here https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/58164-building-a-diy-music-server/

The HDPLEX H5 has a cooler in it already and a Noctua would be too big.

So I hope that's context, I'm looking for an answer to the original question. Thanks!

If you are using an non-standard OS you really need to verify support for the newest hardware. An 11xxx and 5xx chipset may not be supported.

 

[TerryLaze]

Hi all,

I'm building a music server and have a requirement for passive cooling. This is a specialist subject but I hope my question makes sense. As I'm running a passive cooler I'd like a low TDP but as high power as possible. I know the Intel CPUs boost when under load and therefore their thermals can be poor and way off the TDP figures quoted. I don't mind either AMD or Intel but it mustn't run too hot and as I've said be as powerful as possible. Case I am buying has passive cooling built in and can handle 85W TDP.

Thoughts?

Thanks, Tim

All CPUs boost under load, all CPUs use as much of the power envelope they are given as they can, all CPUs will max out the temp limit they are given, all of them...be it intel amd or even arm and cellphone socs.


Other than that it's the other way around from how you think things go.
The CPU will adapt to how much cooling there is, it will max out the allowed temp and give you as much performance as it can without blowing up.
Getting a T or low TDP model is the worst thing you can do because it will be limited even if it doesn't have to.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhKOHKOSa6Y

 

[drea.drechsler]

Hi all,

I'm building a music server and have a requirement for passive cooling. This is a specialist subject but I hope my question makes sense. As I'm running a passive cooler I'd like a low TDP but as high power as possible. I know the Intel CPUs boost when under load and therefore their thermals can be poor and way off the TDP figures quoted. I don't mind either AMD or Intel but it mustn't run too hot and as I've said be as powerful as possible. Case I am buying has passive cooling built in and can handle 85W TDP.

Thoughts?

Thanks, Tim

Remember that TDP is a made up number, especially for AMD but less so for Intel systems. It's hard if not impossible to compare TDP between AMD and Intel CPU's and draw many valid conclusions.

When compared at similar performance levels AMD's 3000 and 5000 CPU's are far more energy efficient than Intel's recent lineup. That higher efficiency will result inevitably in less heat output, not only from the CPU but the VRM and PSU. Less heat output will be more likely to allow use of passive cooling.

You're first concern will be to properly assess how much CPU you need; you don't want to buy an 8 core CPU when 6 cores would adequate for instance. Would 12 or 16 cores actually help with the software you use? When selecting a motherboard look for use of smart powerstages as they are operate far more efficiently so generate less waste heat to ease the burden on convective cooling. Look for aTitanium PSU and do not oversize it.